Week 5- Enabling Occupation through Coping: Lived Experience Exercise

          This week we had the opportunity to walk around campus with an audio track playing that mimicked auditory hallucinations that someone with schizophrenia might hear. A group of us were given the task of going to the campus bookstore, asking the clerk where the stationary was, and selecting a textbook from the basement. As soon as we began walking I had a voice in my head telling complimenting me and saying nice things. It was distracting but not distressing. Soon after it changed over to a the sound of children fighting and a man yelling at them. It was very distracting and this time was distressing. It was also louder, and made it harder to focus on what people were saying around me.  In the bookstore I was never sure if I was hearing something that was coming through the earphones, or if someone in the store was talking to me. Then I became aware of how strange I must look, constantly darting my gaze around the room. It made me feel anxious and self-conscious. Overall it was an unpleasant experience that I found absolutely fascinating and educational.

Video: Audio Hallucinations- An Audio Representation

          This video is similar to the audio tracks we listened to in class. The idea is that it gives the listeners an idea of what an auditory hallucination would be like.

Sherwin Nuland: How electroshock therapy changed me 
http://www.ted.com/talks/sherwin_nuland_on_electroshock_therapy.html

                 Sherwin Nuland is a well known physician who shares his experience recovering from treatment-resistant depression. In this video, Mr. Nuland gives a brief history about the introduction of electroconvulsive therapy in the treatment of depression. Interestingly, I learned that around 10% of people do not respond to treatment and ECT is a doctor. When he was living with depression, his team labeled him as "untreatable". So, they decided to go ahead with electroconvulsive therapy, and after 20 treatments, his depression lifted and he was able to reclaim his life. He has since retired from his career as a successful surgeon and become a writer. This amazing journey was surprising to me. At the beginning of this class, my impressions were that treatment-resistant depression was the end of the line. I figured that it would be next to impossible to thrive after so many years living shrouded by depression. Hearing him tell his story was both incredible and eye opening. He provided a narrative that was easy to understand, and most of all- easy to relate to. It helps shift the focus of someone with depression from being "them" to being "us". 

Recovery From Mental Disorders, a Lecture by Patricia Deegan
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhK-7DkWaKE

My favourite quote from this video:

" You can't organize recovery around a vacuum, you can't organize recovery around nothingness...we need to organize recovery around something, something that has meaning, something that has purpose, something that gives us a sense that I can begin to move"


I think it is very important to try to understand the experience of someone with mental illness because it helps relate to the client, and can facilitate empathy. In my future clinical practice, I hope to interact with my clients in a way that illustrates my understanding of their condition. In no way will these simulations ever come close to the real lived experience, but I think getting a taste of it was a good start.