COMMENTS BY ANDREW FELDMAR

THE FOLLOWING IS A PIECE WRITTEN BY PSYCHOTHERAPIST ANDREW FELDMAR, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THE SENTIMENTS EXPRESSED THEREIN.
-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.


I have been listening to people and conversing with them under the pretext of psychotherapy for over 45,000 hours by now. The theater of therapy requires preofessionalism, science, technique, illness, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment plan and evaluation. The reality of therapy consists of two people meeting. There is a space, a time and two people participating in each other’s lives. For better or worse. For Freud, analysis has no other aim than to allow two human beings to meet, in privacy and in truth. Truth is not fact. To tell the truth requires courage, because truth is always personal. We lie because we are afraid. Afraid that our own truths are not good enough. If I am concerned with my manner of living and what’s right or wrong with it, whom do I invite to critique my life? Therapy is based on the premise that it’s better to know where we stand than to avoid reality, however painful that reality is. If I had no secrets that I deny exist, deny even to myself, then perhaps I wouldn’t need another to help me disclose the secrets I’ve been hiding from awareness. In a new book, M. Guy Thompson states succinctly, “the things we hide come back to haunt us in indirect ways. We eventually suffer from the secrets we harbor, the same secrets that alert us to the things we fear about reality. This secrets contain a truth, not because they necessarily reveal the nature of reality, but because the things we conceal seem too real to accept”. The issues referred to above are ethical and political, not scientific, medical or psychological.

The Meeting of Two Persons: What Therapy Should Be (Lecture at 13th Annual ICSPP Conference, Syracuse, NY) by Dr. Dan L. Edmunds

The Meeting of Two Persons: What Therapy Should Be (Lecture at 13th Annual ICSPP Conference, Syracuse, NY) by Dr. Dan L. Edmunds

'Sane in an Insane World' - Freedomain Radio Interviews Dr Dan Edmunds

PAST COMMENTS REGARDING KIDS FOR CASH SCANDAL AND MARK A. CIAVARELLA

Focus should be shifted to true rehabilitation

Published: Thursday, January 29, 2009 Updated: Thursday, January 29, 2009 6:08 AM EST Editor: It is a positive development that Luzerne County Judges Mark A. Ciavarella and Michael T. Conahan are being brought to justice for their actions in profiting from placing youth in detention facilities.

However, it is necessary for us to examine the problems inherent with residential and detention facilities themselves. In these settings, youth are placed often under conditions that lead them to further emotional distress. The decisions to place children is often not based on a genuine interest in the child�s best interests, but what will be profitable and the easiest way out of having to actually rehabilitate youth and meet their emotional needs.

It is no wonder that the socio-economically disadvantaged youth are the ones that are so frequently seen in this system. How does placing a child into a detention center or residential facility, which often is geared toward the concept of staff forcing conformity through rewards, punishments and often deprivation, teach a child who seeks to use power inappropriately that this is wrong?

How does a militaristic system teach anything but that children must submit to someone stronger than themselves? It only reinforces wrong ideas about power and domination.

These facilities are bound to create new emotional problems for these children. But the system profits here, as well, because then they are able to label and drug the children and make money in the process of billing for this injustice.

A youth is removed from the home, programmed, and when they conform to the expectations, released back to the setting that led to their distress and misbehavior to begin with. It becomes a vicious cycle.

These facilities are also very costly and their efficacy is questionable. The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law noted the ineffectiveness of these facilities in treatment of youth as well as the many documented abuses that occur in such places.

Community-based options have proven effective and need to be more readily available and implemented.

We need to shift our focus to true rehabilitation and to addressing actual social problems, not locking our children away, drugging them into submission, and ignoring their needs.

DAN L. EDMUNDS, Ed.D.

SITUATION IN EGYPT

Presently, Egyptians are pressing to oust the government of Hosni Mubarak believing his adminsitration to be highly corrupt. What is curious is that the U.S. government invaded Iraq under false pretenses, claiming to be 'liberating' and bringing 'freedom and democracy', however in Egypt, it says and does nothing. Why would the U.S. government not want to support 'freedom and democracy' in this siutation? Because Mubarak serves our interests. This is not about freedom and democracy but all about power, greed, and control.

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR HUMANE PSYCHIATRY ADVISORS

Advisors of the International Center for Humane Psychiatry are persons committed to the following:

Our work is to fight against oppression and coercion in the mental health system, to eradicate the hierarchical barriers between 'doctor and patient', to eliminate the medicalization of emotional distress, and to develop means of helping distressed persons where their autonomy, experience, and dignity is respected. We seek to return a conscience to the field of mental health and create an environment where people undergoing distress feel validated, empowered, and capable.

We believe in the power of the human spirit and each person's potential to be resilient. We believe that the forging of relationship is a key to emotional healing as well as the ability to help a person explore themselves, their world, society, and the human condition. We we seek to join with people in setting life goals, understanding the human condition and experiences without looking upon the person as defective. ICHP encourages involvement in issues related to social justice and believes that our working together to create a world free from poverty, greed, conflict, and discrimination will go a long way towards the development of true mental health.

We seek to be pro-active and preventative in our care for persons. We promote drug free, relationship based approaches for troubled and distressed children and adults and encourage the development and implementation of community based programs. We advocate for juvenile justice reform and for an education system that inspires a zeal for learning and is respectful of children's innate strengths and abilities. We believe in the development of community based options. We are opposed to force and coercion in the mental health system.

We seek to provide a place of sanctuary for people in crisis or undergoing extreme states of mind, where they can feel supported and validated, and not be subjected to any 'treatments' they do not desire. We believe distressed people thrive in environments that are non-threatening and they feel safe.

We collaborate with and offer consultation to parents, educators, and children and their families to develop relationship based approaches and problem solving towards resolving issues of distress, realizing that people are resilient and capable of healing from distress. We have been successful in helping individuals not have to resort to psychiatric drugs or to be able under the direction of their physicians significantly reduce their use.

We believe the key to this healing is by the forging of relationship and the construction of meaning. We believe that compassion is one of the highest ideals. We believe that psychiatric drugs do not teach new ways of living, thinking, loving, and being, whereas people do. We are particularly concerned about the vast prescribing of psychiatric drugs (many which carry warnings of suicidal ideation, violence, agitation, and aggression) upon individuals' well being. We are concerned about the unethical conflicts of interest existing between medical psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry.

We seek to provide to those individuals undergoing serious distress a place where they feel safe, secure, and can begin to begin the process of discovery and overcome fear and emotional chains.

We do not feel that locking individuals away in institutions solve human problems, rather it is through compassion, empathy, and seeking to understand our human condition that true mental health will arise. We believe that placing persons in mental hospitals is equivalent to incarceration however the distressed person has committed no crime, rather they are subject to a psychiatric ceremonial where the pschiatrist seen as 'sane', interrogates the person, makes a judgment, and then declares a sentence. We believe that psychiatric diagnosis often stigmatizes and limits opportunity for individuals. We believe that modern society is driving people 'mad' and that we must have radical transformation of ourselves and our values as well as return to a greater sense of community. We believe those who call themselves therapists must be actively involved in issues of social justice, helping end oppression and encourage liberation for marginalized persons. We recognize that distressed individuals must be treated as persons with respect and dignity. We believe in recognizing that even the most troubled persons and families have innate strengths. We believe that persons need to be given informed consent and not seen merely by a diagnostic label. We believe that ethics must proceed technology. We believe that bio-psychiatry has often used brutal methods (such as electroshock, insulin coma, toxic drugs, and lobotomy) and has evoked much harm in the lives of individuals and does not provide any true answers to the problems of life. We believe that there is no objectivity and science to the process of psychiatric diagnosis and that those diagnosed are often stigmatized and oppressed in society by virtue of this label.

We encourage drug free relationship based, problem solving, and holistic approaches and encourage individuals who choose to use helpful adjuncts such as meditation, acupuncture, tai-chi, and yoga. The International Center for Humane Psychiatry is one of few entities taking a strong stand on social justice issues and seeking to create a mental health system that does not treat people as objects, but persons.

We believe that it is also necessary for us to assume personal responsiblity and accountability for own own actions and choices and to not resort to the use of or embracing of labels to exonerate ourselves and institutions.


BRENT POTTER, PH.D.:
Brent Potter completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute. Prior to this he earned his M.A. in Psychology from Duquesne University. He lives in Bellingham, Washington where he works as a Child Mental Health Specialist, a County Designated Mental Health Professional, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

GREGORY OKE:
Gregory Oke is a Mental Health Consumer Advocate in Australia.


MEGHAN CHMIEWLEWSKI, B.A.:
Ms. Chmielewski completed her Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University on Human Development and Family Studies with concentration in Psychology. She is currently involved in a Master's program in Special Education and School Counseling at Marywood University. Ms. Chmielewski has worked in community mental health and served in a therapeutic community project under the direction of Dr. Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.



SEAN URQUHART:
Mr. Urquhart is a counsellor in Scotland. He was trained in person centered counselling with COSCA (Scotland) from 1995-1998. He has served in a counselling center in Paisley, The Wynd from 1997 to 1998, as well as working with an HIV charity. He is currently continuing training in cognitive behavioral therapy.

THOUGHTS REGARDING WIKILEAKS AND ASSANGE

Today, it is acceptable to authorize torture, to invade nations without cause, to take away civil liberties, to kill civilians. What will make you a 'criminal' is if you dare to expose the injustices.

TUNISIA

The recent events in Tunisia are a positive sign, a true grassroots effort by people who have experienced oppression to stand up for themselves and remove the corruption that has held them in a sense of bondage. I hope that this will be seen as an example for others, and that there will be other non-violent ways of demonstrating the need to create a more fair society.

Developmental Differences/ Autism

A few years back, my work mainly was with autistic and developmentally different persons but this lessened as I began helping more individuals who were going through extreme states of mind. I wrote the text, "Entering Their Imaginative World" in 2007 and began encouraging the development of drug free, relationship based approaches. Now in 2011, I am expanding my work with autism and developmental differences. In my approach with one person with Down's Syndrome, we sought to find ways to help him feel he was making a contribution, has worth, and feels fulfilled. This was accomplished by giving him particular responsibilities (according to his ability) that tied in with a particular strength and interest he has. I also worked on development of skills through real life rehearsals and active engagement. In my work with autistic children, it has always been the process of 'joining in' that has been remarkable. Many non-verbal children began to develop these skills simply through this engagement.
For more information on my autism/developmental differences work or to arrange a consultation, see the website at http://www.humanepsychiatry.com


-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.

Dr. Dan L. Edmunds Reflections on New Year 2011

Last year, in my book THE MEETING OF TWO PERSONS: WHAT THERAPY SHOULD BE I described the social, political, and familial processes that lead persons to emotional distress. In addition, I argued about the breakdown of community and the apathy that exists within our society today. In this new year, it is necessary for us to become more courageous, more bold, and to continue to actively challenge those forces which oppress individuals. Within the field of mental health, we need to continue to tackle the false biological concepts which stigmatize persons, turns them into helpless and hopeless persons, and which makes them numbers rather than people who create profits for the pharmaceutical industry and others who would mercilessly seek to gain from their suffering, who would make them life long 'consumers'. It is a time for self reflection as well, as the only way we can make any difference in the lives of others is to begin to see where we stand. At some point, we have all been traumatized, some to a lesser degree, and some to a enormous degree, life often appears absurd, work meaningless, and we feel we are just barely staying afloat. It is necessary for us to take moments to reflect, to create meaning and purpose, and to forge together in community. If we are to survive, it can only be done together, if we are remain divided and fragmented, the 'insanity' of the world will only continue forward. In spite of the challenge, we press on, and we retain hope, and we press on with a spirit of defiance, that nothing will bring us down, nothing will stop us, and though the odds may be against us at times, our victory will always remain in knowing that we were persons of ethics and compassion.

-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.

www.humanepsychiatry.com

www.selfgrowth.com/experts/dan_edmunds.html

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY WORK AS A PSYCHOTHERAPIST

A colleague asked me about the first person I had worked with as a psychotherapist. Granted, prior I had provided counseling as a chaplain, my first actual therapeutic encounter was in 1999. I visited a psychiatric ward where an 18 year old trans-gender person was a patient. He had engaged in some self-mutilation and his family life was disastrous. I was told his name, but he asked me to refer to him by a female name, which respectfully, I did. I will admit some initial discomfort myself and wondering if I would be able to make a connection. I chose to simply listen to his tragic story and I learned of the brutality he experienced in his family and the challenges he faced with issues concerning his gender identity. The focus of our time was merely 'being with' and supporting. I was greatly concerned for this person, and after our brief time together inquired often about his status after he was discharged. I was pleasantly surprised that he had found a trans-gender minister who was able to guide him further and things began to ease for him.
This was my first lesson in learning about the importance of listening, supporting, and the building of relationship as the fundamentals in emotional healing. Shortly after this, when working with a community based mental health agency, I was assigned a 12 year old boy who many had given up on, as he was diagnosed as 'psychotic' and had an extensive history in the psychiatric system. No one else wanted to deal with him. Though his situation was quite challenging, I was able to develop a strong alliance and we worked through many complicated issues. I later asked why I was chosen to work with him after being told he was the 'most difficult client', and was told that it was because of my ability to 'listen and connect'. I have carried this forward in all my future work with others, to be one who will 'journey with'. But the other key lesson was to understand that I must respect the autonomy of persons, even when they may make choices where I personally disagree. I had to not continue the patterns of control that had often enslaved and brought distress these persons, but to simply be a supportive person to share in their experience and to guide them through times of distress to a more hopeful place.

-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.
www.humanepsychiatry.com

LISTEN, SHARE EXPERIENCE, SEEK TO UNDERSTAND, FORGE A RELATIONSHIP- THE PATH TO EMOTIONAL HEALING.

I recall recently a young man who had come to see me for a consultation, he had made prior suicidal remarks, he was now residing with his biological father after concerns about physical and emotional abuse by his mother. He came in in the most solemn state, unable to identify any of his strengths, and telling me how he felt he was a horrible boy, and that he could do nothing right. I let him vent, and then we discussed the dynamics that led him to believe these things about himself. I asked him what has made him happy, and he said baseball, but his mother would not allow him to play. I encouraged that now he was not living with the mother, that he be signed up for this when possible. We discussed this talent and other dreams he has, and how he does not have to allow others to take this from him. We shared some humor, and by the end of the time he was actually smiling and laughing, something he had not done in some time. This is the key- to listen, share experience, to seek to understand, and to forge a relationship.

IF THERE ARE MENTAL HEALTH OFFICERS, WHY NOT DENTAL HEALTH TOO?

In many areas, there are mental health officers and mental health courts which order persons to various sorts of 'treatments'. This is further evidence that the mental health system is a branch of the law and social control (as Szasz has also suggested) and not medicine. Imagine if there were dental health officers- oops, you forgot to floss today, so you will be ordered to a 14 day oral hygiene program! You have not taken care of that cavity- you will be forced to have a root canal or extraction!

MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN LIES

Often we see the process where dysfunction is hidden, where myths are told to children to conceal the facts and the reality of their situation. It is these processes which are often more damaging, more destructive than actual lies. It is these processes which can lead a person to mental anguish and even to that which we term ‘madness.’ We see situations where persons are abused and neglected by their families and these experiences are reshaped to appear as something other than what they are. We see individuals so desperate and despairing that they will seek out any means to escape the suffering for but a moment, and the escape is often through methods that are self destructive.

Morris is abandoned by his biological parents, he is then placed in a foster care setting. The foster parents agree to adopt Morris and tell him, “we will take care of you, we love you very much.” The foster parents do not indicate that in reality they are only seeking the financial incentive provided by the State for keeping him. When the now adoptive parents separate, the father becomes abusive and sends him to live on the streets. Through the abuse, the adoptive mother cowers and does not take any action to address the abuse or protect Morris from the abusive father. No one knows of the abuse, it is kept behind closed doors, the family being active in their religious community, the father being involved in various civic projects and community functions. They are looked upon as ‘nice, regular folks’ but behind the closed doors of their home lies another story, one that leads Morris to the greatest of anguish.

James lives in a upper middle class neighborhood. He is provided much in the way of material wealth, but emotionally he is deprived. His brother is put in a glorified role, and many expectations are placed upon the brother. The father is emotionally abusive and often distant. The mother makes excuses for the father or tries to reshape the events that James has experienced. The mother is a master at mystification. In the community, they present a good ‘public image.’ The brother begins to rebel, and automatically he begins to be defined as ‘the problem’ as the mother seeks to find out why he is so angry and depressed and has him put on a psychiatric drug. James begins to feel that a lot of the attention, even if negative, has been diverted to his brother, so he begins to act out. He experiments with his brother’s psychiatric drugs, and then it moves on to experimentation with other drugs. He seeks to fill the empty void in his life with the drugs. The parents, particularly the mother, begin to worry about how they will be perceived in the community by their ‘unruly’ sons. They decide that it would be good in order to preserve the ‘integrity’ of their family to send James away to live with other relatives. They do not relate to the relatives the circumstances of James’ challenges and they dare not say to their friends and neighbors why he has left. Instead, they say, “Oh, James, is going on a vacation for awhile, he is visiting his Aunt and Uncle.” Feeling lowered esteem and it plummeting even further by being sent away, as well as the impact of much drug use, James enters into a psychotic state. The aunt and uncle have no idea of what to do and they call the parents. The parents and the aunt and uncle without James being aware arrange to have him admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The cycle of psychiatric hospitalizations continues, and each time the story remains that he is ‘on vacation’ or ‘visiting someone’. In the interim between hospitalizations and in his confusion, he indulges himself in superficial relationships, having unprotected sex, and engaging in more drug use with so called ‘friends’ because he has felt abandoned by his family and has become alienated from the world around him. Eventually, the ‘vacation’ story has worn out its usefulness and as questions begin to arise from family, friends, and neighbors, a new story must be developed. The family stumbles upon a new and wonderful story- let us make him ill. If we can say that he is ill, then people will take pity upon him and upon us. So, from that day forward, James is said to be ill. James has a terrible break-up with a girlfriend and in this goes into a rage, becoming suicidal, arguing with his mother, and entering again into a psychotic state. This is said to be his illness. James himself begins to like this idea of being ill, as he finds that he can manipulate situations, excuse himself for poor choices, and escape from difficult and challenging situations by saying he is ill. So, ill he remains. As the questions come from the outside to explain this illness and as some carefully guarded details become known, James is left flustered and devises means of escaping these people and these questions. He has educated himself well about his illness and comes across to others as an ‘expert’ on all matters pertaining to it. If he cannot just plainly escape, then he can present this ‘expert information’ and hope that it leads persons off the track. He talks of wanting to be apart from his family, of stepping away from the typical societal expectations, however remains attached to his family solely for financial reasons. He does the talk of wanting to be apart but really cannot live without his ‘things’. So, James too projects a public image of being this person desirous of a Bohemian lifestyle, but in reality happily receives whatever the parents offer him financially.

And so it is with the entanglement that we create. It may be very easy for individuals to separate from the person or persons who have contributed to their distress, but is this separation to be called liberation? The liberation only comes when we are able to face up to the truth, to confront our experience, and to unlearn all that which was said to said to be and all the messages of who we were said to be. Then we can start life anew, this is not an easy task.

THE FRAUD OF THE PSYCHIATRIC ESTABLISHMENT'S METHODS OF DIAGNOSING 'DISEASE'

lets say we go to our physician and the nurse checks our heart rate, she then accidentally drops the chart on the floor and it startles us, she then checks our heart rate again and notices its elevated. She reports this information to the physician who based on this diagnoses us with heart disease.
If this actually happened, we would find it absurd and we would never encounter this physician again. But this IS what happens every day with the psychiatric establishment. They have no credible evidence that any so called disorder is an actual disease and if a person should have a physiological change because of a trauma or so forth, then this is used to somehow give 'evidence' of disease rather than looking at it as a natural response to the experience of the person.


-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.

Response to An Ardent Follower of Bio-Psychiatry

I was recently sent a comment from an ardent follower of bio-psychiatry who accussed me of being an 'amrchair scientist" and criticizing my prior background with Comparative Religious Studies. First, I believe this background gave me some preparation towards understanding individuals, their belief systems, and how they construct meaning, however I do not look at my present work as a religious pursuit or connected to religion at all. Second, I have been directly in the field for 11 years, as a psychological evaluator, behavioral specialist, and psychotherapist. I have worked firsthand with people in serious distress, listened to them, heard their voices, and found that at the key to any emotional healing lies relationship. I have pioneered drug free and community based approaches and have seen that true recovery is possible whereas bio-psychiatry instills the idea that recovery is simply being a lifelong consumer of psychiatric drugs and maybe holding a menial job if you are lucky. My work is to respect the dignity of individuals and empower them, and this is being done, and I am proud to offer an alternative based on humanity and compassion.

-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.

RESTORING COMMUNITY AND THE PROCESS OF UNLEARNING BY DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS, ED.D.

One of the most destructive problems is the breakdown of community, and it is this breakdown that has often led to the breakdown of persons. Though we may put many around us, we are alone. Relationships have become superficial, there is no longer concern for the other, and we are pressed by societal and financial pressures to focus on our own survival. We do not concern ourselves much with the plight of others except a few we may call family or friends, and even then, our concern and attention is waning. It is this which is leading to numerous dilemmas for our children and the diagnosis of a gamut of so-called mental disorders and the their mass drugging to subdue them and force their conformity to a system of madness, a system they and most despise but which continues to perpetuate itself. We may have at one time gone to our neighbors home and asked for an ingredient for a dish and they would give it and invite us in. Today, do we even know our neighbor, do we even care to know our neighbor?
And so we go along wearing masks throughout the day, playing the game, taking upon us the various roles. I see the impact of this upon our children, who become torn when made a pawn in this game. Families seek to project the goodly image to the outside while the reality is that there is immense turmoil and conflict. For some of these children, they begin to become part of the masking reality as well. I recall a young man I worked with whose family life was strained and there had been a lot of traumatic events and harshness. In the beginning, he presented his family as ‘golden’, and denied that anything anyone had noted was of truth. But fortunately over time, he came to grasp the courage and ability to think critically to challenge the way things were and to present reality to the family. And it certainly did require immense courage as in these situations the secrets are safely guarded and no one wants them exposed for what they are. The reaction was to be expected, the blame was shifted, and the young man was made to be the scapegoat and threats issued as to what would happen if he did not change his thinking and accept the myth the family held to. I have seen this similar dynamic in situations of sexual abuse that involves a relative. The only way that the young man was able to finally come to the point of challenging the family system and surviving the verbal assaults was by having one from the outside who had been able to forge a connection with both him and the family. In this, it was possible to advocate for the young man and also challenge the other family members but in a diplomatic way. This tactic worked and it was agreed upon that certain ways of interacting would need to be worked upon. They left behind the myth and came to face reality.
So if we are to truly be alive, to truly move beyond surviving to thriving, if we are to truly be human beings rather than alienated beings or drugged zombies, then we are going to need to return to the sense of community, to lay aside the barriers, and to be able to realize our common humanity. We are going to have to abandon the myths and the games we are often so entrenched within, and accept truth, even when painful.
There are powerful forces at work which pull us to and fro and infect us with ideas of who we are, what we should be, and often block us from becoming. These forces arise within our social and familial structures. We are sent repetitive messages and they become deeply engrained. We may have been told we are not attractive or too attractive, not motivated or too achieving, etc. And we enter the social sphere having absorbed these messages. As we do so we begin a painful process of comparisons. There becomes a striving for something or sometimes nothing at all. But if there is striving, it is for what and for whom? Some sadly seek only to survive, it is all they can do. But if we can realize that no matter what has been dumped upon us and what the conditions are, we retain the choice to become! We have the choice to allow these powerful forces to consume us or to be defiant in the face of them and develop a process of unlearning. In this unlearning, we may be able to break free and emerge into a new world of being.

International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology Conference (ICSPP) in Syracuse, NY

I had the opportunity to attend the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology conference in Syracuse, NY October 7-9. It was a wonderful experience and I commend this organization for their hard work in promoting human rights and dignity in the mental health system. I had the opportunity to meet and hear many bright and dedicated individuals. I took particular interest in Robert Whitaker's (author of "Mad in America" and "Anatomy of an Epidemic") presentation which gave some background as to how we have gotten to the unfortuante point we have in the mental health system. I also appreciated the insights of Dr. David Cohen, and particularly his comment that dialogue with those steeped in the bio-psychiatric paradigm is futile. I had the opportunity to spend two evenings in conversation with Dr. Clancy McKenzie and have been inspired by his work regarding the two trauma mechanism and delayed PTSD as well as programmed dreams and love energy. I was able to present as well at the conference in regards to my recent text, "The Meeting of Two Persons: What Therapy Should Be" which addressed the social, familial, and poitical factors behind emotional distress, challenges the bio-psychiatric paradigm, encourages relational approaches, and asks existential questions. The Gala dinner at the end of the conference was great fun. I hope to become more connected with ICSPP and hope that all organizations that are seeking for the betterment of the lives of others and for dignity in the mental health system will forge together in this common struggle.

-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.

DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS, ED.D.: LIBERATING VOICE OF COMPASSION IN THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM

Dan Lee Edmunds was born in Tampa, Florida. In 1983, he located with his mother to Fort Collins, Colorado and attended public schools there. Edmunds as a teenager developed a keen interest in philosophy and comparative religion and enjoyed visting various religious communities and having discussions and dialogue. Edmunds also developed as a young person a strong interest in social justice and spent alot of time volunteering with various projects (veterans affairs, homeless, program for developmental differences). He became interested in political change, and in 1991 became the youngest legislative aide in the State Senate of Colorado, working in the office of then State Senator Robert W. Schaffer. He later registered as a professional lobbyist and worked on various political campaigns among them the campagin of Corrine Brown for the Third District Congressional Seat in Florida in 1992 which afforded him the opportunity to transport Martin Luther King III to an event at Bethune Cookman College.

In 1993, Edmunds graduated from Fort Collins High School, he returned to Florida, and later entered the University of Florida where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with major in Religion, minor in Sociology in 1997. Edmunds entered the Orthodox Church and was ordained in 1997 and in the same year entered the Master of Arts program in Theology at the University of Scranton and obtained his degree in 1999. He was admitted to a Doctoral program in Community Counseling at the University of Sarasota and completed post graduate coursework at Nova Southeastern University in Dispute Resolution in 2000. Edmunds served as a chaplain for a nursing care facility for the elderly from 2001 to 2003. Later becoming disillusioned with the Orthodox Church, he became affiliated with the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church and later the Apostolic Church of the Divine Mysteries. Edmunds received his Doctorate of Education in Community Counseling in 2006 from the University of Sarasota.

In 1999, Edmunds had the opportunity to work with Bobbi Gagne, director of the Sexual Assault Crisis Team of Vermont and was greatly inspired by her. Edmunds began work the following year as a therapist for a behavioral health program for children and adolescents in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Edmunds was initially indifferent to the concept of psychiatric drugging of children and rather unaware of some of the abuses in his field. When he first encountered a young man with tardive dyskinesia from psychiatric drugs, and then began to see some of the issues related to power within the field, this had a major impact on his thinking, and he began to set forward to make changes in how to help and interact with distressed persons. In 2002, Edmunds received training in relational approaches to autism/developmental differences and began work with a number of autistic and developmentally different clients. Edmunds received Board Certification in Sexual Abuse Issues in 2003 from the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. In 2005, he began lecturing on ways to help children and adolescents without resort to psychiatric drugs. it was also in this year that he worked with a young man with a psychotic disorder and set up an experiment to see if relational and community based approaches would be more effective than traditional hospitalization and residential programs. Edmunds found that during the time of interaction with the young person, the project was very successful, but he began to plummet uppn being returned to his home. This and future experiences shaped his idea that emotional distress is brought forward by social, familial, and political factors, and this became the topic for his 2009 book "The Meeting of Two Persons: What Therapy Should Be" which he also presented as a presentation at the October 2010 conference of the International Center for Humane Psychiatry in Syracuse, New York. In 2006, after completing his doctoral degree, Edmunds began private practice in conjuction with working as a psychological associate (conducting evaluations and assessments) and also began writing and speaking. In 2006, he completed the book "They Say My Child Has ADHD: Thinking Outside the Bio-Psychiatric Paradigm". In 2007, he wrote "Navigating Through the Mainstream" which addressed autism and developmental differences. In 2010, he completed "Mystical Metaphors" which was written with a New Zealander artist and university student who underwent what would be labeled as a 'psychotic episode'. Edmunds sought to make this experience understandable and argued that with the proper support, that this journey, though painful and terrifying could lead to a point of transformation. Edmunds also argued that much of what occurs in the mental health profession is to suppress experience which leads to oppression. Edmunds has focused much of his work presently on extreme states of mind and maintains a private practice in Northeastern Pennsylvania and continues to lecture and provide consultation. Dr. Edmunds is Founder of the International Center for Humane Psychiatry, an emancipatory movement for human rights in the mental health system and has been involved in the Society for Laingian Studies and a member of the International Society for the Psychosocial Treatment of Schizophrenia. Dr. Edmunds is adjunct Professor of Existential Psychology and Comparative Religion for European American University. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity in 2007 from St. James Theological Seminary.



www.DrDanEdmunds.com

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BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS: COMMUNITY ALTERNATIVES TO PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATION

In my work with persons undergoing extreme states of mind, I have established a number of scenarios where we sought to break down barriers between the therapist and client and to provide support outside of a hospital setting. We created an environment where the client would live in the community, have supports to integrate into the community, and to have individuals who would journey with them on a daily basis and accept them 'where they were at' and for who they are. It is not to say that creating this environment was easy or that persons still did not undergo many challenges, but we certainly found it a more humane means of care, where people were not forced and coerced and they had a means to work through their crisis. I do know that these scenarios did produce far better results than the 'traditional' methods, and persons made their way to a better means of functioning and felt that they were treated with dignity.

-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.

www.humanepsychiatry.com

MYSTICAL METAPHORS: Dynamic New Book on Schizophrenia, Bipolar, and Extreme States of Mind by Dr. Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D. and Jarrad Dickson

Mystical Metaphors: Book on Extreme States of Mind

Dr. Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D., founder of the International Center for Humane Psychiatry, noted psychotherapist in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Professor of Existential Psychology has teamed with Jarrad Dickson, an university student from New Zealand and psychiatric survivor in developing a new approach towards the understanding of extreme states of mind, what psychiatry labels as ‘psychoses’.

Dr. Edmunds and Mr. Dickson have completed a book MYSTICAL METAPHORS which describes the mystical and spiritual nature of the experience labeled as psychosis. The premise is that these experiences can be understood and it is a mistaken approach to seek to suppress them, that with the proper support and guidance, these experiences can be a transformation, they need not be all breakdown as Laing suggested but breakthrough.

ORDER AT:

http://stores.lulu.com/voice4kids

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR HUMANE PSYCHIATRY

The International Center for Humane Psychiatry is an emancipatory movement for human rights in the mental health system. By becoming an affiliate, you will be helping to provide drug free, empathic psychotherapy for those who are disadvantaged, helping to fund important research and publications, and advancing the cause of a humane mental health system. Affiliates can donate in any amount they feel they are able, those who donate $40 will receive a copy of THE MEETING OF TWO PERSONS: WHAT THERAPY SHOULD BE.

For information on becoming an affiliate, please write to:

DoctorEdmunds@DrDanEdmunds.com

A REFLECTION BY JARRAD DICKSON

Look at her eye, that was wide open and wild, as Ligeria, the priestess of the Chinese albino golden star walked along the beach of Hahei, behind her the Pa, casting its shadow on her, and see her gowns fluttering with the wind, and her hair, also wild, and her skin, white, milky and pale, shining in the night.
The moon reflected in the ocean, illuminating the night, and Ligeria was beautiful, full, and enchanting.

Look at her eye, and know her. Know her as the one of the Pa, the one of Hahei, its spirit, and know it to be white.
Who is the mystery of the Pa? Know it to be a white mystery; know it to be Ligeria, in her name Pandora, the source of the Pa.

The Pa opens, revealing the holy products of Pandora, her box, and see the souls of Anesidora.

Look at the Pa, the eye of Hahei, and see it full like the moon, and know Ligeria as the ancient playwright of Hahei, the woman of the Pa.

Look at her eye, as she sees Michael walk towards her and wrap her in his arms.

Look at his eye, the eye of Michael Mathew, as he stares lovingly into Ligeria’s eyes, and know him as the man of the Pa, the soul of Hahei.

“You have to live, I have to die, we have to be together,” spoke Ligeria.

Look at their eyes, that were wide open and cut as they met for the last time, in a tryst, their heart strings pulling wide eyed and open.
Their eyes are one eye, and it is the Pa, and was their last sight, as they were sentenced to death and beheaded on the beach of Hahei.

Look at his eye, and her eye, and know their deaths, and know them as the soul of Hahei, and know forever more they will be in the Pa, and of the Pa, and always from the Pa.

Look at the Pa, it is the eye of Horus, and looks out to you, inviting you in, and you go, and look at your eye now, it is the eye of the dead.

NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA AND THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION

I have found Northeastern Pennsylvania (particularly Wyoming County) to be a beautiful place in regards to scenery but sadly a place of much filth and corruption politically. Few in power appear to learn their lessons. I was very pleased to see that the American Civil Liberties Union won its suit against Wyoming County, but this has not really cleaned up the Juvenile Probation Department there, how Child Protective Services operates, or anything else for that matter, it remains status quo. Below, is an article regarding the ACLU settlement as well as my past article on the Luzerne County judges and the Cash for Kids scandal. In this, I examine the larger problem, of how we are not truly meeting our children's needs and it appears that abuse of power and greed remain rampant in the minds of the public officials in this area. I hope that many will continue to speak out, but beyond this, it is necessary for young people to be empowered to challenge these abuses that directly impact them and their future.

-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.


__________________________________________________________________________



(Dr. Edmunds) is a man of high integrity. He is firm in his convictions and not easily swayed by political pressure or public opinion... Dan is also a very clear thinker and writer. And shows plenty of initiative. I especially admire his devotion to defending and supporting the spirited nature of our young people. I know he has a wealth of experience working with people, and I know he communicates his ideas well. He is not a closed system, but able to listen and open to new ideas.

-John Breeding, Ph.D., psychologist and author of the "Wildest Colts Make the Best Horses" and founder of Texans for Safe Education


I think (Dr. Edmunds') insights are RIGHT ON and deserve a place in canon psychological, growth, and child development texts. The patterns described and the reactions I experienced, and have witnessed others experiencing, could not have been more accurate and profound. I think a great goal would be entirely replacing the DSM with the patterns and reactions you observed because those present dilemmas that can actually be nurtured and solved.

-J.K.

"I have been very impressed with (Dr. Edmunds') work ethic and clinical skills...He has an innate ability to connect with many families and help them through multiple complicated issues."- F.A. Bresser, L.S.W.


(Dr. Edmunds) is bright, thoughtful, often wry, and utterly responsible."

Dennis E. Owen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Religion
University of Florida- Gainesville, FL


I wish you every success with your important work for those unfortunate enough to be labeled 'mentally ill'. So many of us have been guinea pigs because the medical profession have made diseases which do not exist out of human problems in the pursuit of profit.It is good too to hear you and your organization exist.

In support and solidarity,

Mary Maddock
MindFreedom Ireland

MIND FREEDOM IRELAND


Dear Dr. Edmunds:
I agree with you- many of the problems we see around us are either 'societal' or 'systems' problems. However I also believe, very strongly, that individuals have a huge responsibility in resisting some of the temptations on offer and behaving ethically. In countries like mine, where there are virtually no checks on physicians and corruption is the norm, this is a huge problem. I would be happy to collaborate with you in any way I can. Perhaps we can think about some ideas how to take this forward. You would be most welcome to make a presentation at our university- whenever the opportunity arises. In the meantime, let's keep the dialogue going. I am attaching another one of my articles that you may find relevant.

With best wishes

Dr. Murad M Khan, MRCPsych
Professor
Department of Psychiatry
Aga Khan University
PO Box 3500, Stadium Road
Karachi-74800

PAKISTAN



_______________________________________________________________________________

Consultation

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

DR. EDMUNDS' ESSAY PUBLISHED IN THE AAINA JOURNAL OF THE CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY (BAPU TRUST FOR RESEARCH ON MIND AND DISCOURSE), PUNE, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA

BIO-PSYCHIATRY ILLUMINATED- THE ADHD REPORT (featuring the work of Dr. Dan L. Edmunds)

FEEDBACK FROM CLIENTS, PROFESSIONALS, AND OTHERS

# EUROPEAN-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

DR. EDMUNDS' INTERVIEWS ON VARIOUS RADIO PROGRAMS AND IN THE NEWS



Dr. Edmunds presented on the work of the International Center for Humane Psychiatry and the impact of current mental health practice on children on August 20, 2008 on the program THE MENTAL HEALTH EDGE WTAN-AM RADIO in Clearwater, Florida.

LISTEN TO PROGRAM

Dr. Edmunds was a presenter on the TALK OF CONNECTICUT WRDC-AM RADIO in Hartford, Connecticut on July 21, 2008 at 2:30pm addressing issues of informed consent and human rights in the mental health system.

WRDC-AM HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT RADIO BROADCAST WITH DR. D.L. EDMUNDS

DR. EDMUNDS INTERVIEW ON NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO PROGRAM 'TAKE AMERICA BACK'

DEFENSE FOR CHILDREN RADIO INTERVIEW WITH DR. D.L. EDMUNDS

LISTEN TO RADIO INTERVIEW - Melbourne, Florida radio interview with Dr. D.L. Edmunds regarding Psychiatry and Religion




Dr. Edmunds was a keynote speaker at the opening of an exhibit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on psychiatric abuse held July 13, 2008.

Youth Advocacy Program a relief to parents- Scranton Times

Police break up 'fight club' in Tunkhannock, PA

NAMI ENHANCES STIGMA- DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS LETTER TO THE SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE 5/2/08

Scholarship program for youth

DR. EDMUNDS IN THE SCRANTON TIMES REGARDING 'COPS AS COUNSELORS'

DR. EDMUNDS QUOTED IN NEWSLETTER FOR WIDER HORIZONS SCHOOL

TRAGEDY SERVES AS A REMINDER- WYOMING COUNTY NEW AGE EXAMINER

Edmunds earns Doctoral degree- Scranton Times






>>



FROM THE SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE:

Focus should be shifted to true rehabilitation

Published: Thursday, January 29, 2009 Updated: Thursday, January 29, 2009 6:08 AM EST Editor: It is a positive development that Luzerne County Judges Mark A. Ciavarella and Michael T. Conahan are being brought to justice for their actions in profiting from placing youth in detention facilities.

However, it is necessary for us to examine the problems inherent with residential and detention facilities themselves. In these settings, youth are placed often under conditions that lead them to further emotional distress. The decisions to place children is often not based on a genuine interest in the child�s best interests, but what will be profitable and the easiest way out of having to actually rehabilitate youth and meet their emotional needs.

It is no wonder that the socio-economically disadvantaged youth are the ones that are so frequently seen in this system. How does placing a child into a detention center or residential facility, which often is geared toward the concept of staff forcing conformity through rewards, punishments and often deprivation, teach a child who seeks to use power inappropriately that this is wrong?

How does a militaristic system teach anything but that children must submit to someone stronger than themselves? It only reinforces wrong ideas about power and domination.

These facilities are bound to create new emotional problems for these children. But the system profits here, as well, because then they are able to label and drug the children and make money in the process of billing for this injustice.

A youth is removed from the home, programmed, and when they conform to the expectations, released back to the setting that led to their distress and misbehavior to begin with. It becomes a vicious cycle.

These facilities are also very costly and their efficacy is questionable. The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law noted the ineffectiveness of these facilities in treatment of youth as well as the many documented abuses that occur in such places.

Community-based options have proven effective and need to be more readily available and implemented.

We need to shift our focus to true rehabilitation and to addressing actual social problems, not locking our children away, drugging them into submission, and ignoring their needs.

DAN L. EDMUNDS, Ed.D.
TUNKHANNOCK





Wyoming County settles with ACLU over legal fees in sexting case
Published: June 23, 2010

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TUNKHANNOCK - The Wyoming County commissioners agreed Tuesday to a $140,000 settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union over legal fees the organization incurred in a sexting case, county solicitor James Davis confirmed.

The dispute over legal fees began after the commissioners' decision in April not to appeal a March U.S. Circuit Court ruling that blocked felony charges against a teenage girl for possessing what then-District Attorney George Skumanick Jr. claimed was a sexually explicit photograph of herself on her cell phone.

"None of us are real happy over this," Mr. Davis said.

Because the ACLU was the prevailing party in a civil rights action, it is entitled to recoup its expenses, he explained. What the county took issue with, Mr. Davis said, was the amount.

Efforts to reach the ACLU on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

The final figure was reached after more than a month of negotiations. Mr. Davis said the agreement has already been signed by ACLU attorney Witold Walczak.

He was reluctant to settle for even that amount with the ACLU, but to pursue the matter any further might have been more costly, Mr. Davis said, adding that the ACLU could continue to tack on expenses it incurred during any additional legal challenge.

Under terms of the agreement, the county is to pay the ACLU $70,000 within 30 days, with the balance to be paid by Jan. 30. The commissioners said the money to pay the settlement will have to come from the county's general fund.

Mr. Davis said it's unlikely the county will be able to recoup any of the money. He noted that the Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool, or PCoRP, agreed to pay the county's legal fees during the appeal. However, PCoRP took the position that the county is not eligible to recover attorney's fees through a claim.

PCoRP is a liability insurance program run by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. It serves 44 of the state's 67 counties.

Mr. Davis said because Mr. Skumanick was acting as an agent of the county, the county as a whole is responsible for costs incurred in the matter.

That's true, he noted, even though the commissioners have no control - and don't want control - over the district attorney's actions.

"We don't want control over the district attorney and who he prosecutes. But since he is a county official, we're responsible for the expenses," Mr. Davis said.

Mr. Davis noted that in theory, the county could have appealed the Circuit Court's ruling, but there was no guarantee it would prevail. He said after Mr. Skumanick was replaced in the November 2009 election by Jeff Mitchell, the new district attorney decided not to pursue the matter any further.

DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS ON CPS CHRONICLE RADIO PROGRAM ALONG WITH FORMER ELI LILLY MANAGER DR. JOHN VERAPIN AND ATTORNEY JAMES GOTTSTEIN

Listen to internet radio with The CPS Chronicles on Blog Talk Radio

POETIC REFLECTIONS

I SEEK ONE TO LISTEN

All I ask is to be heard.
Yet when I look at you, you turn away.
You do not have time for me. Your world created my pain, and when I seek to share a glimmer of my experience, you look at me with revulsion.
Staring at the watch, pretending to listen, but really distant. And some of you seek to mock me further. Is it not the wish of us all simply to be heard? And because there is no one to listen, no one to understand, I retreat into myself, and I find my own to listen.

IF I OPENED THE DOOR TO PARADISE

If I opened the door to Paradise, would you choose to remain in Hell? If I gave you my heart, would you notice? Can you respond to that you never knew or had? Surrounded by the demons, yet truly alone. You recognize not your friends. Engulfed in delusions, seeking pleasure in that which but leads to more suffering. How I sought to change the wretched mind. A deafening silence, but then an echo, a constant echo. Are you too far away to hear it? Your hurt is now the hurt of others. You inflict your pain on many. Covered in stinking filfth, they say you are foul. Yet I saw what was within. I saw what was possible. You glorify the one who hurt you. You have indeed become him. A sick cycle. The wheel must be broken. Who are you? What do you see? A mirage. A false image, not you, but that which the demons say you must be to join their legion. You think they laugh and revel with you, they laugh at you, they scorn you. And now in the darkness, they flee, leaving you truly alone. If I open the door to Paradise to you now, will you choose to remain in Hell.

FROM WITHIN

From Within.
Without.
Withering.
Withstanding.
There again and again.
Repeating its haunting call.
Revise.
Reframe.
From Within.
A New Refrain.
Catharsis.
Renewal.
Withstanding.

UNLEARNING

f only I did not know, it would have been safer, but I would soon
find out or be forced to encounter it, the deserved
and undeserved sufferings of the world. Each with an
inward struggle, many striving to make their way only
to be crushed and to start again. Love is evaporating
from the earth, and there is nothing to yearn for but
survival. Meaning is lacking and we frustrate ourselves
in seeking answers to the unanswerable. Community
is no more, together, but alone. Where is the solace?
Who will journey with us? Maybe it will come, we
have waited a long time.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!

Within the past year, I printed the text THE MEETING OF TWO PERSONS: WHAT THERAPY SHOULD BE which details a plan for compassion, dignity, and human rights in the mental health system. In addition, I have had the great opportunity to present lectures to various mental health agencies and conduct radio and television interviews to discuss the impact of bio-psychiatry on human lives and what we can do to insure that persons are respected and do not receive treatments they do not want, receive informed consent, and where they have autonomy and respect. I have also worked heavily on drug free approaches for autistic/developmentally different persons and promoted acceptance of these individuals.

In order to accomplish this work and to further future efforts has required an investment of time and resources. If you would be interested in joining this alliance for human rights in the mental health system, it would be greatly appreciated and greatly needed.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* obtain copies of THE MEETING OF TWO PERSONS, THEY SAY MY CHILD HAS ADHD and distribute to various groups, organizations, etc.
These books can be ordered from stores.lulu.com/voice4kids

*sponsor lectures or seminars

*make a financial contribution

* assist with letter writing campaigns and research.

*help to promote care in your area that is based on compassion, autonomy, and dignity.

If you are interested in being part of the Center for Humane Psychiatry and supporting this vital work, please contact:
DoctorEdmunds@DrdanEdmunds.com

KADAMPA BUDDHIST WORLD PEACE TEMPLE

This is a photo walking up the path to the Kadampa Buddhist World Peace Temple in Glen Spey, New York.

NATURAL MENTAL HEALTH AND ENLIGHTENED LIVING- NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

In today's mental health system, most individuals in distress are treated more as objects than persons, are labeled, drugged, and their experience is often invalidated.
Noted psychotherapist, Dr. Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D. believes in the need to return humanity and dignity to the mental health system. Working in collaboration with Maya Winddancer Noble, a licensed acupunturist and scholar of Oriental Medicine as well as other holistic practitioners, Dr. Edmunds has offered a place of sanctuary in Northeastern Pennsylvania (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) area that provides a safe place for individuals enduring emotional distress to recover from their challenges without resorting to psychiatric drugs and labels or 'treatments' that they may not want.
For more information, see the website at
www.humanepsychiatry.com or write to DoctorEdmunds@DrDanEdmunds.com

REPORT FINDS NO BENEFIT TO SENDING JUVENILE OFFENDERS TO EXPENSIVE INSTITUTIONAL PLACEMENTS

In his text, published in 2008. ANARCHO-PSYCHOLOGY, noted psychotherapist Dr. Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D. clearly expressed the damage done to children in residential treatment centers and their lack of efficacy and offers a more humane and compassionate approach to meeting the needs of troubled children. This recent study by the MacArthur Foundation offers further validation to Dr. Edmunds' poignant commentary.

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/anarcho-psychology--uncovering-the-roots-of-distress-exploring/6469538?showPreview


DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS, ED.D. IS A NOTED EXISTENTIAL PSYCHOTHERAPIST IN PRIVATE PRACTICE IN NORTHEASTERN PENNYLVANIA (SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE AREA). DR. EDMUNDS ASSISTS PERSONS UNDERGOING EXTREME STATES OF MIND, AUTISM/DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGES, TRAUMA, AND ATTENTIONAL CHALLENGES THROUGH DRUG FREE, RELATIONAL APPROACHES.

Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.
Tunkhannock, PA 18657
DoctorEdmunds@DrDanEdmunds.com
http://www.humanepsychiatry.com



From the MacArthur Foundation:

REPORT FINDS NO BENEFIT TO SENDING JUVENILE OFFENDERS TO EXPENSIVE INSTITUTIONAL PLACEMENTS
Washington, DC, December 9, 2009 – As many states face budget shortfalls, a new report on youth convicted of serious offenses finds that stays in expensive institutional placements produced no measurable results. Researchers found that even among youth committing serious (often violent) offenses, a large proportion turned away from serious offending after involvement with the court and were able to live successfully in their communities. The research also shows that institutional placement appears to have no advantage over probation in reducing rates of re-arrest or self-reported offending. The length of institutional stay also does not appear to make a difference.
The report is the first in a series from a long-term study of juvenile offenders. The Research on Pathways to Desistance Study – a multi-site, collaborative project that was launched in 2000 – is designed to identify and better understand factors that contribute to desistance, or ceasing to commit additional crimes. The research is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
“The most surprising finding is that a youth’s future behavior did not correlate very well with the sanctions they received, suggesting that costly punitive measures may not be the best approach for keeping communities safe and rehabilitating young people in trouble with the law,” said principal investigator Edward Mulvey of the University of Pittsburgh today at a national conference of MacArthur’s Models for Change juvenile justice reform initiative. “Persisters’ and ‘desisters’ spent about the same amount of time in the same types of institutions. When you look at youth involved in a ‘low-level’ of offending, institutional placement actually raised the level of offending by a statistically significant amount.”
The Pathways study is following 1,354 juvenile offenders (ages 14 to 18), interviewing these adolescents as well as their family members and friends over a seven-year period after their conviction in court for a serious offense (a felony).
Significant findings to date include:
• Adolescents who become involved in serious crimes are not a particular “type” but a heterogeneous group, much like their non-offending peers. They differ substantially from one another on a number of relevant dimensions: parenting styles, social development, the timing of psychological development, mental health, attitudes toward the law, and the level of substance abuse. Seldom are these differences among them considered by courts, nor are they usually translated by service providers into different types of intervention.
• Nothing in the basic psychological or social characteristics of these adolescents strongly predicts which will go on to a high level of offending, even in the near future, and which will curtail their offending after court involvement.
• Longer stays in juvenile facilities do not appear to reduce offending; however, continued probation supervision and community-based services provided after a youth is released do make a difference, at least in the six months following release.
• Substance abuse is a major factor in continued criminal activity. Treating substance abuse can reduce subsequent offending.
“Policy makers often treat this group as if they were all the same and headed for the same life of adult crime. Actually, less than 10 percent continue illegal activity following court involvement. Closer consideration of individual and developmental differences by the courts and service providers could lead to more tailored, more effective services,” said Laurie Garduque, the Director of MacArthur’s juvenile justice grantmaking. “Our hope is that evidence about what works will inform policy changes to better serve youthful offenders and their families, while ensuring communities are kept safe.”
The Pathways to Desistance Study grew out of work by the MacArthur Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice, a ten-year, interdisciplinary project that provided research cited by the Supreme Court to ban the death penalty for juveniles under the age of 18. The study is supported through MacArthur’s Models for Change juvenile justice reform initiative, an effort to create successful and replicable models of juvenile justice reform, through targeted investments in key states. Models for Change seeks to accelerate progress toward a more effective, fair, and developmentally sound juvenile justice system that holds young people accountable for their actions, provides for their rehabilitation, protects them from harm, increases their life chances, and manages the risk they pose to themselves and to the public. The initiative is underway in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Washington and, through action networks focusing on key issues, in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin.
The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society. More information is available at www.macfound.org.
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REFLECTION

It is necessary for us to accept the reality that in life there will be discontentment, struggles, and events that are absurd. Often distress arises when we make the choice to ask the questions which lack answers, to ask, "why me?" or worse to delve into the realm of self-pity. Despite what is thrown to us, we retain the choice as to how we wish to create meaning of the situation, we have the choice of what to become. For every human being there exists anxiety, it is only natural as we progress through a life filled with uncertainties. But for some the fear becomes too overwhelming that they can become more afraid to live than to die. For some, they have never truly lived for they have lived solely for others, they play the game for others, they wear their masks and fill their roles, being but a construct of what others said they must be. And in this, they gave up their critical thought, they gave up their freedom so that they would not bear any burden of responsibility.
Define or be defined. This is what we do. We think that by defining and categorizing that somehow we understand more, but we do not, yet if it seems if we do not define, that we ourselves will be defined.

FROM SPIRITUAL CRISIS TO SPIRITUAL AWAKENING.

Presently, I have offered an alternative to persons undergoing extreme states of mind, persons who have received labels of 'schizophrenia', 'schizoaffective', or 'bipolar'. Many of these persons sought help within the psychiatric system but found that the 'treatments' only squashed their creativity, did not respect their experience, and in many circumstances, did them great harm and was traumatizing not to mention insulting to their dignity and autonomy. I am thankful for friends such as Victor Manocchio, LCSW, and Maya Winddancer Noble, an acupuncturist, who have helped me in providing caring and compassionate alternatives to persons in distress. What is unfortunate is that because of the current bio-psychiatric paradigm, it is difficult to maintain this work. It has been my desire to expand this work of creating 'sanctuary' and a center for persons undergoing 'spiritual emergency'. Your help and support in furthering this much needed work would be greatly appreciated.
Please contact me if you are interested in being of assistance to this work.

Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.
www.DrDanEdmunds.com

e-mail: DoctorEdmunds@DrDanEdmunds.com




Individuals at times go through what Grof terms a 'spiritual emergency', in this a person may develop unusual perceptions and a sense of consciousness that is part from the 'norm'. The psychiatric establishment based on a medical model would identify such experience as pathological, label it, and prescribe a drug to suppress it. But what if this experience can lead to an awakening? I share some examples:

* I met with a 17 year old male who had been abused beginning around the age of 14 months. He began to express some concerns about meaning in his life but also presented with intense anxiety surrounding feeling his actions were being watched and monitored. This began to intensify after encountering his abuser again after a prolonged period. He described his family life as often chaotic and discussed how he felt that he often felt 'controlled." He told me that when watching television, he thought that there was something in the center of the screen that was recording him. I initially employed some humor to the situation, and suggested that he not change in front of the television. This provoked some laughter but also helped him feel more relaxed and we soon delved into the more serious issues of his crisis. What he discovered was that his feelings of being watched and so forth were all 'metaphors' for the very real feelings he had of lacking autonomy in decision making and the chaotic circumstances he encountered. As this discovery was made, we were able to enter the realm of reframing and creating new meanings, and he has begun the process of emerging from the impact of his past trauma towards overcoming.

*A woman discussed with me about her guilt ridden past where she had involved herself in prostitution and drugs. She related how she had an experience of hearing a voice that told her she was Mary Magdalene. The psychiatric establishment would automatically seek to suppress this experience, label it as delusion, however after hearing more of her journey and listening intently, it made perfect sense as to why she would connect with the story of Mary Magdalene, and it soon pointed this out. The story coincided with her own experience and she was desparately seeking 'redemption' from the shame of her past.

*i was contacted on one occasion to conduct an assessment and consult with a family in regards to their son who was in his early twenties who had been involuntarily committed by his father to a state mental hospital. As I entered the facility, wondered how any in this place could not feel worthless, depressed, and mad. I entered to meet John. He appeared somewhat lethargic because of the cocktail of psychiatric drugs he was being given, but he greeted me warmly and with a smile. John began to immediately speak and told me how he was an African American infant who when he was around two years old was turned white. (John was quite pale in complexion). He then proceeded to tell me about the mind control he felt he was experiencing, that his freedom was taken away, he could no longer think for himself. I asked him who he felt was controlling his mind. His answer did not surprise me- it was his father. I later asked the mother if John's father was a racist and if John had been abused. The answer was yes to both; the father had been linked to racist organizations. The abuse began around the age of 2. It was clear that John had a powerful message, though surrounded in metaphor. To the person only wanting to categorize behavior and ignore experience, would they have known what John was seeking to communicate?

*Aaron was a delightful 10 year old boy with a great sense of humor and alot of creativity and imagination. However, Aaron looked at himself as a 'bad kid'. His step-mother was filled with negativity towards him and his parents were embroiled in constant conflict. Aaron had been sexually abused when he was 3 years old. The memories of his trauma continued to haunt him. Aaron developed a challenge of encopresis that was occurring on a daily basis and it only furthered the negative relationship with his step-mother. After getting to know Aaron, I began to realize that he felt stifled and was often told to be quiet and was never allowed to really express himself. He told me that he felt he could not be himself and he was afraid to share any of his feelings, he did not feel safe and secure. I saw his encopresis as a reflection of the negative emotions he so deeply wished to share and it was no surprise for me to learn that this seemed to only occur in his home environment. I felt it was necessary for him to build a trusting relationship with someone, and sought to build him up and encourage his resiliency. Though our periods meeting together were short, I hoped that it would be a period of respite, a period where he could truly be himself and express himself without any fear of judgment. I believe Aaron will face many more challenges, but I remain hopeful that pointing him to an understanding of the roots of his distress and challenges, and giving him a spirit of overcoming, and with his own innate strengths, that he will be able to survive the violence so sadly inflicted upon him.

Often times in the various crises, persons come into conflict with the dominant worldview, and they begin to feel alienated and isolated. There are some who respond to crisis through excessive worry and others who develop apathy, or complete despair. I have argued that people do not need drugs, rather people need people. It is necessary for there to exist a supportive network to help the person through the crisis so it may reach a transformative ending. It is possible after undergoing such a crisis to emerge with new insights, to develop new meanings, a renewed sense of purpose. But, it is necessary for there to be a journey, a journey in togetherness, where the person can feel safe and supported in conquering fears, to be able to face the intrusive thoughts and feelings of dread that haunt them. In this journey is the process of being able to shed the false self, to actually be able to be a human being with another human being, and to no longer feel that they must repress their feelings or must 'play the games' or wear the masks that society imposes upon us. To be able to come to a radical authenticity, a mastery of past truamas where we make the choice to live and be rather than merely react.

I have often used the concept of programmed dreams which I learned from Dr. Clancy McKenzie. In this, the person decides to have a dream, one which will not be upsetting, but which will be an answer to a dilemma. In this process, I have seen many obtain valuable insights. For example, a young man had serious esteem issues, he fretted about how others perceived him. In his dream, he saw many mirrors with himself smashing through them all. He related to me that this dream was a 'release' and he felt the mirrors represented all the images others had created of him. He was no longer going to concern himself with that, these images were gone. In another example, a woman having intrusive thoughts and recurrent nightmares about past abuse had a dream where she was able to assert herself and say directly that the abuse was wrong. She said this relieved a serious burden she had been carrying for some time, as what occurred in the dream is something she always wanted to say.

These crises can be challenging, and often painful. The person may have to journey through dark imagery and confront many obstacles, but with support and the proper conditions to facilitate the journey, it can lead to an awakening, it can be breakthrough rather than breakdown.



Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.
202 W. Tioga St.
Tunkhannock, PA 18657

DoctorEdmunds@DrDanEdmunds.com
www.humanepsychiatry.com

A FEW STORIES FROM THE THERAPEUTIC WORK OF DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS, ED.D.- DRUG, FREE RELATIONAL APPROACHES TO EXTREME STATES OF MIND

A FEW STORIES FROM THE THERAPEUTIC WORK OF DR. D.L. EDMUNDS,ED.D.

A 5 year old boy who had been given a diagnosis of autism began working with Dr. Edmunds. He was completely non-verbal when Dr. Edmunds encountered him. He came into the office and began to bang on the computer keyboard. In the main room of the clinic was a large pit of plastic balls. Dr. Edmunds told him, "I am going to have to scoop you up and throw you in the ballpit." He smiled and walked away, only to return to the keyboard with his hand outstretched towards the keyboard, not touching it, just grinning. Just as he touched it, Dr. Edmunds picked him up and said, "yep, to the ballpit with you." He giggled and smiled, and then returned to the keyboard again, but this time he did not touch it, he just fell into Dr. Edmunds arms and then for the first time spoke "throw me in."

From Dr. Edmunds text: ROOTS OF DISTRESS (2008) REGARING DR. EDMUNDS' WORK WITH A YOUNG MAN WHO EXPERIENCED THE HEARING OF VOICES
Order your copy of ROOTS OF DISTRESS

Alan was seen by most as an obstinate young man who had completed departed from any sense of reality. His hallucinations had earned him the diagnosis of a psychotic disorder not to mention he frequently displayed aggressive behavior. Reading the charts from before, it painted a monstrosity, but gave little detail to what Alan's experience might have been. When I first encountered Alan, I did not demand that he speak to me or that he not speak to me. I made no demands. I solely informed him that I was a supportive person who wanted to know him for who he is. This opened the door to intense dialogues. Together we explored questions about life that we both may have never thought much on before. The topics would drift to purpose, impermanence, suffering, the human condition. He related to me the pain of years of abuse, how he felt dehumanized and humiliated by the various people he thought would help him. He told me of his feelings of being alone, of being nothing. This feeling of nothing for him was an end at the time, but really it was the beginning. It was the door for him to question life, to question what he had been taught, to become. He related to me about his hallucinations, and his imaginary friends became mine as well. I asked about their habits, and their words. I noticed that these beings he saw were him at various points in time. As I met each of these beings, I learned something a bit more about the experience of Alan. Gradually as his emotional needs were met and he began to see himself once again as a singular person in the present moment of time and space, these beings began to depart. I saw in Alan the resilient human spirit and I will not forget him.



I was contacted on one occasion to conduct an assessment and consult with a family in regards to their son who was in his early twenties who had been involuntarily committed by his father to a state mental hospital. As I entered the facility, wondered how any in this place could not feel worthless, depressed, and mad. I entered to meet John. He appeared somewhat lethargic because of the cocktail of psychiatric drugs he was being given, but he greeted me warmly and with a smile. John began to immediately speak and told me how he was an African American infant who when he was around two years old was turned white. (John was quite pale in complexion). He then proceeded to tell me about the mind control he felt he was experiencing, that his freedom was taken away, he could no longer think for himself. I asked him who he felt was controlling his mind. His answer did not surprise me- it was his father. I later asked the mother if John's father was a racist and if John had been abused. The answer was yes to both; the father had been linked to racist organizations. The abuse began around the age of 2. It was clear that John had a powerful message, though surrounded in metaphor. To the person only wanting to categorize behavior and ignore experience, would they have known what John was seeking to communicate?

Aaron was a delightful 10 year old boy with a great sense of humor and alot of creativity and imagination. However, Aaron looked at himself as a 'bad kid'. His step-mother was filled with negativity towards him and his parents were embroiled in constant conflict. Aaron had been sexually abused when he was 3 years old. The memories of his trauma continued to haunt him. Aaron developed a challenge of encopresis that was occurring on a daily basis and it only furthered the negative relationship with his step-mother. After getting to know Aaron, I began to realize that he felt stifled and was often told to be quiet and was never allowed to really express himself. He told me that he felt he could not be himself and he was afraid to share any of his feelings, he did not feel safe and secure. I saw his encopresis as a reflection of the negative emotions he so deeply wished to share and it was no surprise for me to learn that this seemed to only occur in his home environment. I felt it was necessary for him to build a trusting relationship with someone, and sought to build him up and encourage his resiliency. Though our periods meeting together were short, I hoped that it would be a period of respite, a period where he could truly be himself and express himself without any fear of judgment. I believe Aaron will face many more challenges, but I remain hopeful that pointing him to an understanding of the roots of his distress and challenges, and giving him a spirit of overcoming, and with his own innate strengths, that he will be able to survive the violence so sadly inflicted upon him.



Initially, James was brought to me as he was having violent outbursts with peers. James had Downs Syndrome but was high functioning in many areas. I came to learn that James had been prescribed Paxil. I was convinced that because he had no prior history of violence that Paxil was contributing to the violence he experienced and I arranged for him to be seen by his physician to discuss this. The drug was discontinued and amazingly the violence discontinued. James was very religious and had a dream of being a minister. I thought of a creative way to help James feel that he could accomplish his dream. I organized for his ordination to a minor order in his church and James decided to put a small 'chapel' in his room where he could reflect. I taught James some meditation and relaxation exercises that he consistently used whenever he began feeling frustrated. I began spending some time with James in various community activities and helping to foster further skills. He is an amazing individual with much kindness and compassion and it appears that with the ability to feel that he was 'part of something' and making a contribution that most of what was looked at as problematic behavior resolved.

CHRONOLOGY- DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS,ED.D.

Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.
202 W. Tioga St.
Tunkhannock, PA 18657
DoctorEdmunds@DrDanEdmunds.com
www.humanepsychiatry.com


1975- Born In Tampa, Florida.

1983- relocates to Fort Collins, Colorado

1191- serves as legislative aide to State Senator Robert W. Schaffer and later as registered professional lobbyist. Returns to Florida at end of this year

1992- serves as county campaign coordinator for the successful campaign of US Rep Corrine Brown. Transports Martin Luther King III to event at Bethune Cookman College. Has opportunity to meet then Governor Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and US Senator Al Gore during campaign event in Daytona Beach, FL.

1993- attends Congressional Black Caucus swearing in ceremonies in Washington, D.C., later returns to Colorado and graduates from Fort Collins High School

1994- enters University of Florida- Gainesville, FL

1996- ordained deacon in the Eastern Orthodox Church

1997- earns Bachelor of Arts (Religion major, Sociology minor) from the University of Florida, ordained to priesthood in Eastern Orthodox Church, relocates to Scranton, PA to attend University of Scranton

1998- publishes "State of the Soul After Death" in University of Scranton's Diakonia Journal for Eastern Christian Studies; inducted into Theta Alpha Kappa National Honor Society for Theological Studies

1999- collaborates with Bobbi Gagne- Sexual Assault Crisis Team of Vermont; receives Master of Arts in Theology from the University of Scranton; begins Doctoral study in Community Counseling at Argosy University of Sarasota

2000- completes post graduate work in Dispute Resolution via Nova Southeastern University; begins work as therapist for community based agency for children and adolescents

2001- hosts AM radio program on drug free approaches for distressed children. Begins training in relational approaches to autism.

2002- Begins delivering workshops on autism/developmental differences.

2003- receives Board Certification in Sexual Abuse Issues.

2004- lecture tour in Florida "Thinking Outside the Bio-Psychiatric Paradigm"; becomes clinical director for therapeutic equestrian program; assessment clinician for family court

2005- presents presentation, "Thinking Outside the Bio-Psychiatric Paradigm" at conference of International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology in New York City.

2006- receives Doctorate of Education in Community Counseling from Argosy University of Sarasota. Delivers keynote address at exhibit on psychiatric abuse in Niagara Falls, NY. Guest on nationally syndicated and local radio programs. Publishes, "Children Our Treasure"; begins work as psychological evaluator for intensive day treatment, therapeutic family care, and wraparound programs. Opens private practice as existential-humanist psychotherapist and educational advocacy.

2007- lectures on "Children Our Treasure" in various locations in Pennsylvania and New York. keynote address at exhibit on psychiatric abuse in Philadelphia. receives Honorary Doctorate of Divinity.

2008- publishes "Drug Free Approaches to ADHD", attends meeting in Miami, FL on foster care reform and informed consent, guest on various radio programs. Locates private practice to Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. Becomes Professor of Existential Psychology and Comparative Religion for European American University and joins the Society for Humanistic Potential.

2009- publishes "Anarcho-Psychology", becomes Advisory Board member of Society for Laingian Studies

2010- becomes member of the International Society for the Psychosocial Treatment of Schizophrenia

ANARCHO-PSYCHOLOGY BY DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS,ED.D.

"ANARCHO-PSYCHOLOGY" BOOK BY DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS,ED.D.

DR. DAN L. EDMUNDS, ED.D. (DRUG FREE APPROACHES TO EXTREME STATES OF MIND)

Dr. Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.,B.C.S.A. is an existential-humanist psychotherapist, philosopher, social activist, and author. Dr. Edmunds is in private practice in Northeastern Pennsylvania (Tunkhannock and Dunmore) and specializes in drug free relational approaches for individuals experiencing extreme states of mind (schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar) and assists autistic and developmentally different persons.

Dr. Edmunds completed undergraduate study at the University of Florida with a major in Comparative Religion and minor in Sociology. He received his Master of Arts from the University of Scranton and completed post-graduate coursework in Dispute Resolution from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Edmunds earned his Doctorate of Education in Community Counseling from Argosy University of Sarasota. His dissertation examined the efficacy of a drug free program versus psychotropic medications for children diagnosed with ADHD within a wraparound program. Dr. Edmunds received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from St. James Theological Seminary.

Dr. Edmunds is Professor of Existential Psychology and Comparative Religion via European-American University and is a member of the Society for Humanistic Potential.

Dr. Edmunds began his work volunteering with the Sexual Crisis Center of Vermont. In 2000, he began working as a psychotherapist for community based agencies. Dr. Edmunds has also served as a assessment clinician for family court, educational advocate, and behavioral consultant. He has testified in cases involving family mediation, custody, and juvenile offenders.

He is the author of CHILDREN OUR TREASURE, a book derived from a presentation to the 8th Annual Conference of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology which details psycho-social approaches towards addressing the needs of distressed children. In addition, he is the author of NAVIGATING THROUGH THE MAINSTREAM (addressing relationship based approaches for autism/developmental differences) and ANARCHO-PSYCHOLOGY which discusses the social, political, and familial factors leading to emotional distress and encourages a mental health system where experience is regarded, persons are treated with dignity, and abuses cease.
He published the article, "Returning the Soul to the Mental Health System" in the Aaina Journal of the Centre for Mental Health Advocacy, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Dr. Edmunds has been interviewed on a number of local and nationally syndicated radio programs.

He is the founder of the International Center for Humane Psychiatry
www.humanepsychiatry.com

To arrange a consult in person or by phone, please contact
DoctorEdmunds@DrDanEdmunds.com

BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY/ CONSCIOUSNESS STUDIES

Tonglen is a Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice. Tonglen means 'giving and taking". It is a selfless meditation where the person envisions and takes in the suffering of another person and gives back compassion and thinking of the happiness of others. This is a practice in virtue and is very useful in our developing not only a greater sense of our own happiness, but further empathy for others. The practice is similar to homeopathy or vaccination in that we take in a small mount of poison that helps to innoculate us from future misery.
I had the pleasant opportunity to chat with Marguerite Therese Laing, the wife of the late R.D. Laing who had reminded me of the story of the Buddhist saint Milarepa. In this story, Milarepa had lived a life of luxury later for this to be removed from him by the greed of his Aunt and Uncle. Milarepa later entered black arts and sought revenge on family members he felt harmed him. Later repenting of his actions, he found Marpa as his teacher. Marpa had been harsh with Milarepa and he instructed him to move rocks to construct a building to only then change the plans and Milarepa had to continously rebuild. Milarepa went through periods of despair, but looked at the actions of Marpa and that he did not receive the desired spiritual initiation he sought as a result of his past deeds. Over time, Milarepa through the influence of other teachers, one in the lineage of the Saint Naropa, he came to a state of inner peace.

Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.
www.humanepsychiatry.com

202 W. Tioga St.
Tunkhannock, PA 18657

DoctorEdmunds@DrDanEdmunds.com



-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.
www.humanepsychiatry.info

PSYCHOTHERAPY AS A 'SECULAR MINISTRY'

In the past I had written on my concern about psychotherapists selling 'love' as a commodity, that is, that if psychotherapists are seeking to help individuals then why would be price be put on this. As I began to think about this, I thought of psychotherapy as a 'secular ministry'. Religious ministers offer guidance and support and they receive voluntary donations to help sustain themselves. Therefore, I determined that in my work with persons, I should not set an established fee or look at psychotherapy as some institution in which the therapist holds the power but as a joining of individuals, where the person receives guidance and support voluntarily and decide to make a voluntary donation to help the therapist be able to sustain themselves.

Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.

www.humanepsychiatry.com

ANARCHO-PSYCHOLOGY: UNCOVERING THE ROOTS OF DISTRESS