01/13/2014 New audio recording: The Underbelly of Our Society
Author: Chaya
Not Safe Doing it Anyway
01/12/2014 New Audio Recording: Not Safe, Doing it Anyway
Returning People Their Stuff
12/25/2013 by Chaya Grossberg As a person who never celebrated Christmas, I quietly observe my friends as they anxiously search for Christmas presents for everyone on their list. I imagine if I were to get a lot of presents, I might want to return some of the stuff I’d received. Similarly, I Read More
Why Notebooks are Better Than Psychiatrists
In Spring of 2000, thirteen years ago, I learned notebooks are better than psychiatrists— and I never forgot. Notebooks are better than psychiatrists because our world isn’t always a safe place to reach out for comfort. I remember reaching out for comfort at Hampshire College Health Services, from the counselor, and she responded with fear, Read More
Heartscience
Heartscience is reuniting the heart and science via art. It’s where healing happens again and medicine is redefined. Now it must include heart, art and science, and now it is healing again-exhale! I’m a heart barista, serving up huge portions of my heart’s masteries and mysteries daily. Being a mastrista is being a barista of Read More
5 Tasks if Your Child is Diagnosed with a Mental Illness
When I teach workshops or lead discussions on coming off psychiatric drugs and alternatives, there are invariably parents present who are at loose ends. They want to know what to do for their children, how to help them best, and how it can be possible for their child to live without medication given all they Read More
My American Psychiatric Association Protest Speech
<iframe width=”640″ height=”360″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/pNvlqsZLcMU?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe> If you haven’t been labeled mentally ill by the American Psychiatric Association, you have to ask yourself what’s wrong. Perhaps you were ahead of the game: you knew not to reveal yourself to them, you knew how to avoid them, you found other social support, and if so, a Read More
The Value of Disability For Everyone
“There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” – Leonard Cohen The word disability gets tossed around a lot at the NARPA conference, and when discussing mental health law and advocacy. Despite this potential contradiction of my previous article, since it looks like our movement is far from ditching the word entirely, Read More
Are You Abled or Disabled? How Do You Know?
by Chaya Grossberg Has American culture cornered artists and healers into identifying as “disabled”? Is a diagnosis and the benefits that come with it one of the best strategies for being funded? Is a disability manifestation of a need for money and time as an artist or healer? I find myself asking these questions Read More
Challenges and Visions for the Mental Health System
by Chaya Grossberg I envision a world where there is no need for a mental health field/system because communities are strong and we have a holistic understanding of health. Still, there are definite needs for support at times in life when there are transitions, spiritual breakthroughs and loss (amongst other things), and for some of Read More