Tag: PTSD

WARNING: Talking about Abuse of Clients by Therapist. Some of this material may be triggering to folks who have experienced this.”

Three Consequences of Therapy Abuse: Unhealthy Dependence, Betrayal, and Extreme Ambivalence. Amy Avalon, a retired private practice therapist and a passionate advocate for suvivor of sexual and emotional abuse by their therapist and Carolyn Clement, an award winning family photographer, mother of two, and a survivor of therapy, child, and sibling abuse, join Bernadine again to discuss the ways in which unethical therapists develop a profound dependence in their client, followed by a deep all-encompassing betrayal which leaves the client in an ambivalent place of Love vs Hate. If you are struggling to frame what happened to you in an unhealthy therapeutic relationship, this series of podcast will offer some insight and guidance.

The incredible JD Derbyshire who is a writer, comedian, mad activist, performer, playwright, theatre maker, director, inclusive educator and innovator joins Bernadine in RTM. We talk about being mad and the need for individuals who live with mental health challenges to have agency in their lives and to consider coming out. And we laughed… we laughed a lot.

In 1895, the Canadian government banned the Sundance. Intent on destroying the first nation’s way of life and spiritual practices, the colonizers banned various ceremonies and certain practices (like piercing) along withholding sacred objects required for those ceremonies. While this was legally reversed in 1951, it took many years before all First Nation Communities were aware of this change, many more for the fear of retribution and arrest to lift, and even more to feel empowered to engage again in activities such as piercing. Overall, as Keith Chiefmoon describes, the damage to this important ceremony, based on oral traditions, has had long lasting repercussions to their sense of self, community, and mental health that stretch into our present day.

In this podcast, Keith Chiefmoon of the Kainai Nation and Blackfoot Confederacy, generously describes how several decades ago, an elder told him – and sternly so – that the spirits had identified that he was to bring back the traditional Sundance. During several days of praying and fasting on Chief Mountain those spirits outlined this Sundance: the location, the arbor, dancing, drumming, singing, praying, dry fasting (no food or water for 4 days), and piercing (a very sacred offering) – “The old way,” Keith says. And the Spirits were clear: he was to accept any person who wanted to Sundance regardless of their colour: First Nation, black, white, or Asian. This Sundance is currently the only one which does so.

Photo of Keith Chiefmoon by Colin Bolin

WARNING: Talking about Abuse of Clients by Therapist. Some of this material may be triggering to folks who have experienced this.”

Therapist Abuse is emerging from the shadows and with it recognition of the profound ways it impacts on clients. Bernadine, who has survived therapist abuse with Amy Avalon, a retired private practice therapist and a passionate advocate for survivor of sexual and emotional abuse by therapists and Carolyn Clement, is an award winning family photographer, mother of two, and a survivor of therapy, child, and sibling abuse, offer a candid conversation of their experiences and coping strategies. These conversations are important because as Amy said, “There is wide-spread unethical conduct happening in the psychotherapy field that leaves clients in a worse place than when they started.”

Do you know what ethical boundaries your therapist must adhere to? Are you aware of the damages to you if a therapist transgresses those boundaries? This podcast is a part of a series that examines this area. If you are interested more, follow this podcast so you are informed when the others are published.

Bernadine Fox interviews the indominable Kagan Goh. Originally from Singapore, Kagan Goh is a Vancouver-based multidisciplinary Mad Artist: award-wining filmmaker, published author, spoken word poet, playwright, actor, mental health advocate and activist. He was diagnosed with manic depression at the age of twenty-three, in 1993. Kagan is a well-known spoken word artist, essayist and poet, a respected and established voice in Vancouver’s literary community for over two decades. In 2012, Select Books in Singapore published his poetic memoir, focused upon his relationship with his esteemed father, Who Let in the Sky? In Kagan Goh’s follow-up memoir, Surviving Samsara, he recounts his struggles with manic depression, breaking the silence around mental illness. From an honest and personal perspective, Surviving Samsara traces Goh’s experiences as he wanders through the highs of mania, the terrors of psychosis, and the lows of depression. From the welfare office to the hospital ward and many places in between, Goh struggles to discern the difference between mental health breakdowns and spiritual breakthroughs. Facing his experiences with courage and authenticity, Goh shares memories of family altercations, pushed to the brink of living on the street, and psychiatrist visits. He explores his diagnosis of bipolar mood disorder not only as a medical condition but as a spiritual emergence—a vehicle for personal growth, healing and transcendence.

Kagan Goh “transformed from victim to survivor to activist.”

Bio from http://www.kagangoh.com/

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