The voices in my head | Eleanor Longden

Translator: Niels Søndergaard Reviewer: Anders Finn Jørgensen

The day I left home for the first time

Den dag, jeg forlod mit hjem første gang

to go to university was a bright day

for at begynde på universitetet, var en strålende dag

brimming with hope and optimism.

fuld af håb og optimisme.

I'd done well at school. Expectations for me were high,

Jeg havde klaret mig godt i skolen. Forventningerne til mig var høje

and I gleefully entered the student life

og boblende af glæde begyndte jeg mit liv som studerende

of lectures, parties and traffic cone theft.

med forelæsninger, fester og tyveri af trafikkegler.

Now appearances, of course, can be deceptive,

Fremtoning kan naturligvis være vildledende

and to an extent, this feisty, energetic persona

og til en vis grad var denne livlige, energiske karakter,

of lecture-going and traffic cone stealing was a veneer,

der gik til forelæsninger og stjal trafikkegler, en overflade,

albeit a very well-crafted and convincing one.

omend en meget vel-fremstillet og overbevisende en.

Underneath, I was actually deeply unhappy, insecure

Nedenunder var jeg rent faktisk dybt ulykkelig, usikker

and fundamentally frightened --

og grundlæggende skræmt –

frightened of other people, of the future, of failure

skræmt over andre mennesker, fremtiden og fiasko

and of the emptiness that I felt was within me.

og over den tomhed, som jeg følte inden i mig.

But I was skilled at hiding it, and from the outside

Men jeg var dygtig til at gemme det, og udefra

appeared to be someone with everything to hope for

lignede jeg en med alting at håbe på

and aspire to.

og stræbe efter

This fantasy of invulnerability was so complete

Den fantasi om usårlighed var så fuldendt,

that I even deceived myself,

at jeg tilmed bedrog mig selv,

and as the first semester ended and the second began,

og som det første semester sluttede, og det andet begyndte,

there was no way that anyone could have predicted

var der ingen måde, at nogen kunne have forudset,

what was just about to happen.

hvad der skulle til at ske.

I was leaving a seminar when it started,

Jeg var på vej ud fra et seminar, da det begyndte,

humming to myself, fumbling with my bag

nynnende for mig selv, rodende med min taske

just as I'd done a hundred times before,

præcis som jeg havde gjort det hundredvis af gang før,

when suddenly I heard a voice calmly observe,

da jeg pludselig hørte en stemme roligt konstatere:

"She is leaving the room."

"Hun forlader lokalet"

I looked around, and there was no one there,

Jeg kiggede rundt, og der var ingen der,

but the clarity and decisiveness of the comment

men tydeligheden og bestemtheden i kommentaren

was unmistakable.

var ikke til at tage fejl af.

Shaken, I left my books on the stairs and hurried home,

Rystet efterlod jeg mine bøger på trapperne og skyndte mig hjem,

and there it was again.

og der var den igen:

"She is opening the door."

"Hun åbner døren."

This was the beginning. The voice had arrived.

Det var begyndelsen. Stemmen var ankommet.

And the voice persisted,

Og stemmen varede ved,

days and then weeks of it, on and on,

dage og så uger med den. Igen og igen,

narrating everything I did in the third person.

berettede den om alt jeg gjorde i tredje person.

"She is going to the library."

"Hun går på biblioteket."

"She is going to a lecture."

"Hun går til en forelæsning."

It was neutral, impassive and even, after a while,

Den var neutral, udtryksløs og oven i købet, efter et stykke tid,

strangely companionate and reassuring,

underligt medfølende og betryggende,

although I did notice that its calm exterior sometimes slipped

Omend jeg bemærkede, at dens rolige ydre ind i mellem fejlede,

and that it occasionally mirrored my own unexpressed emotion.

og at den sommetider afspejlede mine egne uudtrykte følelser.

So, for example, if I was angry and had to hide it,

Som for eksempel hvis jeg var vred og var nødt til at skjule det,

which I often did, being very adept at concealing how I really felt,

hvilket jeg ofte var, som værende meget vant til at lægge skjul på, hvordan jeg virkeligt havde det,

then the voice would sound frustrated.

så ville stemmen lyde frustreret.

Otherwise, it was neither sinister nor disturbing,

Ellers var den hverken truende eller forstyrrende,

although even at that point it was clear

Omend selv på det tidspunkt var det åbenlyst,

that it had something to communicate to me

at den havde noget at kommunikere til mig

about my emotions, particularly emotions

om mine følelser, især følelser,

which were remote and inaccessible.

der var fjerne og utilgængelige.

Now it was then that I made a fatal mistake,

Det var her, jeg begik den fatale fejltagelse

in that I told a friend about the voice, and she was horrified.

at fortælle en ven om stemmen, og hun var rædselsslagen.

A subtle conditioning process had begun,

En diskret tilvænningsproces var begyndt,

the implication that normal people don't hear voices

Antydningen, at normale mennesker ikke hører stemmer,

and the fact that I did meant that something was very seriously wrong.

og den kendsgerning, at jeg gjorde, betød at noget var meget seriøst galt.

Such fear and mistrust was infectious.

Den slags frygt og mistro var smitsom.

Suddenly the voice didn't seem quite so benign anymore,

Med ét syntes stemmerne ikke helt så godartede mere,

and when she insisted that I seek medical attention,

og da hun insisterede på, at jeg søgte lægehjælp,

I duly complied, and which proved to be

indvilligede jeg på behørig vis, hvilket skulle vise sig at være

mistake number two.

fejl nummer to.

I spent some time telling the college G.P.

Jeg brugte noget tid på at fortælle skolelægen

about what I perceived to be the real problem:

om, hvad jeg opfattede som det egentlige problem:

ængstelse, lavt selvværd, frygt for fremtiden,

anxiety, low self-worth, fears about the future,

and was met with bored indifference

og blev mødt med ligegyldighed

until I mentioned the voice,

indtil jeg nævnte stemmen,

upon which he dropped his pen, swung round

hvorefter han tabte sin kuglepen, svingende rundt

and began to question me with a show of real interest.

og begyndte at udspørge mig med oprigtig interesse.

And to be fair, I was desperate for interest and help,

Og retfærdigvis var jeg desperat for interesse og hjælp,

and I began to tell him about my strange commentator.

og jeg begyndte at fortælle ham om min mærkelige kommentator.

And I always wish, at this point, the voice had said,

Og jeg ønsker altid, at stemmen på dette tidspunkt havde sagt:

"Hun graver sin egen grav."

"She is digging her own grave."

I was referred to a psychiatrist, who likewise

Jeg blev henvist til en psykiater som ligeledes

took a grim view of the voice's presence,

havde et dystert syn på stemmens tilstedeværelse,

subsequently interpreting everything I said

og efterfølgende fortolkede alt, jeg sagde,

gennem en linse af latent sindssygdom.

through a lens of latent insanity.

For example, I was part of a student TV station

For eksempel arbejdede jeg på en tv-station for de studerende,

that broadcast news bulletins around the campus,

der sendte nyhedsudsendelse på universitetsområdet

and during an appointment which was running very late,

og under en konsultation, der var sent på den,

I said, "I'm sorry, doctor, I've got to go.

sagde jeg: "Jeg beklager, doktor, men jeg bliver nødt til at smutte.

I'm reading the news at six."

Jeg skal oplæse nyheder klokken seks."

Now it's down on my medical records that Eleanor

Nu står det i min journal, at Eleanor

har en vrangforestilling om, at hun er nyhedsoplæser.

has delusions that she's a television news broadcaster.

It was at this point that events began

Det var på dette tidspunkt, at omstændighederne

to rapidly overtake me.

i hastig udvikling begyndte at overhale mig.

A hospital admission followed, the first of many,

Derefter kom en hospitalsindlæggelse. Den første af mange,

a diagnosis of schizophrenia came next,

en diagnose på skizofreni fulgte efter

and then, worst of all, a toxic, tormenting sense

og så, værst af alt, en giftig, plagende følelse

of hopelessness, humiliation and despair

af håbløshed, ydmygelse og fortvivlelse

about myself and my prospects.

over mig selv og mine udsigter.

But having been encouraged to see the voice

Men efter at være blevet opmuntret til at se stemmen

not as an experience but as a symptom,

ikke som en oplevelse, men som et symptom,

my fear and resistance towards it intensified.

intensiveredes min ængstelse og modstand mod den.

Now essentially, this represented taking

I bund og grund repræsenterede dette at tage

an aggressive stance towards my own mind,

et aggressivt standpunkt i forhold til mit eget sind,

a kind of psychic civil war,

en slags psykisk borgerkrig,

and in turn this caused the number of voices to increase

og til gengæld var dette skyld i, at antallet af stemmer steg,

and grow progressively hostile and menacing.

og at de voksede sig gradvist mere fjendtlige og truende.

Helplessly and hopelessly, I began to retreat

Hjælpeløst og håbløst begyndte jeg at trække mig tilbage

into this nightmarish inner world

ind i denne mareridtsagtige indre verden,

in which the voices were destined to become

hvor stemmerne var skæbnebestemt til at blive

both my persecutors and my only perceived companions.

både min forfølger og mine eneste opfattede kammerater.

They told me, for example, that if I proved myself worthy

De fortalte mig for eksempel, at hvis jeg beviste mig værdig

of their help, then they could change my life

til deres hjælp, så kunne de ændre mit liv

back to how it had been,

tilbage til, hvordan det havde været,

and a series of increasingly bizarre tasks was set,

og en serie af stadig mere bizarre opgaver blev stillet mig

a kind of labor of Hercules.

et slags Herkules-arbejde.

It started off quite small, for example,

Det begyndte ret småt, for eksempel,

pull out three strands of hair,

træk tre lokker ud af håret

but gradually it grew more extreme,

men gradvist voksede det sig mere ekstremt

culminating in commands to harm myself,

kulminerende i kommandoer om at gøre skade på mig selv,

and a particularly dramatic instruction:

og en særligt dramatisk instruktion:

"You see that tutor over there?

"Kan du se underviseren derovre?

You see that glass of water?

Kan du se det glas vand?

Well, you have to go over and pour it over him in front of the other students."

Godt, du skal gå over og hælde det ud over ham foran de andre studerende."

Which I actually did, and which needless to say

Hvilket jeg rent faktisk gjorde, og hvilket jeg ikke behøver at sige

did not endear me to the faculty.

ikke gjorde mig ret vellidt på fakultetet.

In effect, a vicious cycle of fear, avoidance,

Praktisk talt, en ond cirkel af frygt, undvigelse,

mistrust and misunderstanding had been established,

mistillid og misforståelse var blevet etableret,

and this was a battle in which I felt powerless

og det var en kamp, hvor jeg følte mig magtesløs

and incapable of establishing any kind of peace or reconciliation.

og ude af stand til at stifte nogen form for fred eller forsoning.

Two years later, and the deterioration was dramatic.

To år senere, og tilbagegangen var dramatisk.

By now, I had the whole frenzied repertoire:

Nu havde jeg et helt rasende repertoire:

terrifying voices, grotesque visions,

Skræmmende stemmer, groteske syn,

bizarre, intractable delusions.

bizarre, uregerlige vrangforestillinger.

My mental health status had been a catalyst

Min mentale helbredsstatus havde været en drivkraft

for discrimination, verbal abuse,

for diskrimination, verbale overgreb,

and physical and sexual assault,

og fysiske og seksuelle overfald,

and I'd been told by my psychiatrist,

og jeg var blevet fortalt af min psykiater:

"Eleanor, you'd be better off with cancer,

"Eleanor, du havde været bedre stillet med kræft,

because cancer is easier to cure than schizophrenia."

fordi kræft er lettere at helbrede end skizofreni."

I'd been diagnosed, drugged and discarded,

Jeg var blevet diagnosticeret, bedøvet og kasseret,

and was by now so tormented by the voices

og var på dette tidspunkt så forpint af stemmerne,

that I attempted to drill a hole in my head

at jeg forsøgte at bore et hul i mit hoved

in order to get them out.

for at få dem ud.

Now looking back on the wreckage and despair of those years,

Nu, når jeg kigger tilbage på de års ødelæggelser og fortvivlelse,

it seems to me now as if someone died in that place,

virker det for mig som om at nogen døde der,

and yet, someone else was saved.

men alligevel også, som om en anden blev reddet.

A broken and haunted person began that journey,

En nedbrudt og hjemsøgt person begyndte den færd,

but the person who emerged was a survivor

men den person, der kom til syne, var en overlever

and would ultimately grow into the person

og ville i sidste ende vokse og blive den person,

I was destined to be.

jeg var skæbnebestemt til at blive.

Many people have harmed me in my life,

Mange mennesker har gjort mig fortræd i mit liv,

and I remember them all,

og jeg husker dem alle,

but the memories grow pale and faint

men minderne blegner og blive svage

in comparison with the people who've helped me.

i sammenligning med de mennesker, som har hjulpet mig.

The fellow survivors, the fellow voice-hearers,

Med-overleverne, med-stemmehørerne

the comrades and collaborators;

kammeraterne og samarbejdspartnerne;

the mother who never gave up on me,

moderen, der aldrig opgav mig,

who knew that one day I would come back to her

som vidste, at jeg en dag ville komme tilbage til hende,

and was willing to wait for me for as long as it took;

og som var villig til at vente på mig, lige så længe det varede;

the doctor who only worked with me for a brief time

Lægen, der kun arbejdede med mig kortvarigt,

but who reinforced his belief that recovery

men som fastslog sin overbevisning om, at bedring

was not only possible but inevitable,

ikke blot var mulig, men uundgåelig,

and during a devastating period of relapse

og som i løbet af en knusende tid med tilbagefald

told my terrified family, "Don't give up hope.

fortalte min forfærdede familie: "Opgiv ikke håbet.

I believe that Eleanor can get through this.

Jeg tror, at Eleanor kan komme igennem dette.

Sometimes, you know, it snows as late as May,

Nogle gange, ved I, sner det så sent som i maj,

but summer always comes eventually."

men sommeren kommer altid til sidst."

Fourteen minutes is not enough time

14 minutter er ikke nok tid

to fully credit those good and generous people

til fuldstændigt at ære disse gode og gavmilde mennesker

who fought with me and for me

som kæmpede med mig og for mig

and who waited to welcome me back

og som ventede på at byde mig velkommen tilbage

from that agonized, lonely place.

fra det pinefulde, ensomme sted.

But together, they forged a blend of courage,

Men sammen smedede de en blanding af tapperhed,

creativity, integrity, and an unshakeable belief

kreativitet, integritet, og en urokkelig tro på,

that my shattered self could become healed and whole.

at mit ødelagte selv kunne blive helbredt og helt.

I used to say that these people saved me,

Jeg plejede at sige, at disse mennesker reddede mig,

but what I now know is they did something

men hvad jeg ved nu, er, at de gjorde noget

even more important in that they empowered me

endnu vigtigere ved at give mig kraften

to save myself,

til at redde mig selv,

and crucially, they helped me to understand something

og af afgørende betydning, de hjalp mig til at forstå noget,

which I'd always suspected:

som jeg altid havde haft en formodning om:

that my voices were a meaningful response

At stemmerne var et meningsfuldt svar

to traumatic life events, particularly childhood events,

på traumatiske livshændelser, særligt barndomshændelser

and as such were not my enemies

og var som sådan ikke mine fjender,

but a source of insight into solvable emotional problems.

men en kilde til indblik i følelsesmæssige problemer, der kunne løses.

Now, at first, this was very difficult to believe,

I begyndelsen var dette meget svært at tro,

not least because the voices appeared so hostile

ikke mindst fordi stemmerne fremstod så fjendtlige

and menacing, so in this respect, a vital first step

og truende, så i denne henseende, var et afgørende første skridt

was learning to separate out a metaphorical meaning

at lære at udskille en metaforisk mening

from what I'd previously interpreted to be a literal truth.

fra hvad jeg tidligere havde fortolket som en bogstavelig sandhed.

So for example, voices which threatened to attack my home

Som for eksempel stemmer, der truede med at angribe mit hjem

I learned to interpret as my own sense of fear

lærte jeg at fortolke som min egen følelse af angst

and insecurity in the world, rather than an actual, objective danger.

og usikkerhed i verden i stedet for en egentlig, objektiv fare.

Now at first, I would have believed them.

I begyndelsen ville jeg have troet dem.

I remember, for example, sitting up one night

Jeg husker for eksempel at sidde oppe en nat

on guard outside my parents' room to protect them

på vagt uden for mine forældres værelse for at beskytte dem

from what I thought was a genuine threat from the voices.

fra, hvad jeg troede var en oprigtig trussel fra stemmerne.

Because I'd had such a bad problem with self-injury

Fordi jeg havde sådan et problem med at gøre skade på mig selv,

that most of the cutlery in the house had been hidden,

at det meste af bestiket i huset var blevet gemt væk,

so I ended up arming myself with a plastic fork,

endte jeg med at bevæbne mig med en plastikgaffel,

kind of like picnic ware, and sort of sat outside the room

lidt ligesom fra et skovturs-bestik, og jeg sad uden for værelset

og omklamrede den og ventede på at gå i aktion, hvis noget skulle ske.

clutching it and waiting to spring into action should anything happen.

It was like, "Don't mess with me.

Det var sådan: "Kom ikke her for at genere mig.

I've got a plastic fork, don't you know?"

Jeg har en plastikgaffel, ved du nok."

Strategic.

Strategisk.

But a later response, and much more useful,

Men en senere reaktion, og en langt mere brugbar en,

would be to try and deconstruct the message behind the words,

var at prøve at afkode beskeden bag ordene,

so when the voices warned me not to leave the house,

så når stemmerne advarede mig mod at gå ud af huset,

then I would thank them for drawing my attention

så ville jeg takke dem for at henlede min opmærksomhed

to how unsafe I felt --

på hvor usikker jeg følte mig –

because if I was aware of it, then I could do something positive about it --

fordi hvis jeg var bevidst om det, så kunne jeg gøre noget positivt i forhold til det –

but go on to reassure both them and myself

At forsikre både dem og mig selv

that we were safe and didn't need to feel frightened anymore.

om at vi var sikre og ikke behøvede at føle os bange længere.

I would set boundaries for the voices,

Jeg ville opstille grænser for stemmerne

and try to interact with them in a way that was assertive

og forsøge at arbejde sammen med dem på en måde, der var kraftfuld,

men stadig respektfuld og etablere et langsomt forløb

yet respectful, establishing a slow process

of communication and collaboration

af kommunikation og samarbejde,

in which we could learn to work together and support one another.

hvor vi kunne lære at arbejde sammen og støtte hinanden.

Throughout all of this, what I would ultimately realize

Hvad jeg til sidst indså igennem dette,

was that each voice was closely related

var, at hver stemme var tæt forbundet

to aspects of myself, and that each of them

til sider af mig selv, og at hver af dem

carried overwhelming emotions that I'd never had

bar overvældende følelser, som jeg aldrig havde haft

en mulighed for at bearbejde eller få løst,

an opportunity to process or resolve,

memories of sexual trauma and abuse,

minder om seksuelle traumer og misbrug,

of anger, shame, guilt, low self-worth.

om vrede, skam, skyld, lavt selvværd.

The voices took the place of this pain

Stemmerne optog pladsen for denne smerte

and gave words to it,

og formulerede det i ord,

and possibly one of the greatest revelations

og en af de sandsynligvis største åbenbaringer

was when I realized that the most hostile and aggressive voices

var da jeg indså, at de mest fjendtlige og aggressive stemmer

actually represented the parts of me

faktisk repræsenterede de dele af mig,

that had been hurt most profoundly,

der var blev såret dybest,

and as such, it was these voices

og som sådan, var det disse stemmer,

that needed to be shown the greatest compassion and care.

der skulle vises den største medfølelse og omsorg.

It was armed with this knowledge that ultimately

Det var bevæbnet med denne viden, at jeg til sidst

I would gather together my shattered self,

fik samlet mit ødelagte selv,

each fragment represented by a different voice,

hvert brudstykke repræsenteret af en forskellig stemme,

gradually withdraw from all my medication,

gradvist holde op med al min medicin,

and return to psychiatry, only this time from the other side.

og vende tilbage til psykiatrien, dog denne gang fra den anden side af bordet.

Ten years after the voice first came, I finally graduated,

Ti år efter den første stemme lød, færdiggjorde jeg endelig min uddannelse

this time with the highest degree in psychology

denne gang med den højeste grad i psykologi,

the university had ever given, and one year later,

universitetet nogensinde havde givet, og et år efter

the highest masters, which shall we say

den højeste kandidatgrad, hvilket, skal vi sige,

isn't bad for a madwoman.

ikke er så dårligt for en skør dame.

In fact, one of the voices actually dictated the answers

Faktisk dikterede en af stemmerne svaret

during the exam, which technically possibly counts as cheating.

under eksamen, hvilket teknisk set muligvis tæller som snyd.

(Latter)

(Laughter)

And to be honest, sometimes I quite enjoyed their attention as well.

Og for at være ærlig, ind i mellem nyder jeg også deres opmærksomhed.

As Oscar Wilde has said, the only thing worse

Som Oscar Wilde har sagt: Den eneste ting, der er værre

end at blive talt om, er ikke at blive talt om.

than being talked about is not being talked about.

It also makes you very good at eavesdropping,

Det gør dig også meget dygtig til at smuglytte,

fordi du kan lytte til to samtaler samtidigt.

because you can listen to two conversations simultaneously.

So it's not all bad.

Så det hele er ikke skidt.

I worked in mental health services,

Jeg arbejdede i tjenester for psykisk helbred,

I spoke at conferences,

jeg talte ved konferencer,

I published book chapters and academic articles,

jeg udgav kapitler til bøger og akademiske artikler,

and I argued, and continue to do so,

og jeg argumenterede for, og fortsætter med at gøre det,

the relevance of the following concept:

relevansen af det følgende koncept:

that an important question in psychiatry

At et vigtigt spørgsmål i psykiatrien

shouldn't be what's wrong with you

ikke burde være, hvad der er galt med dig,

but rather what's happened to you.

men hellere, hvad der skete med dig.

And all the while, I listened to my voices,

Og hele tiden lyttede jeg til mine stemmer

with whom I'd finally learned to live with peace and respect

med hvem jeg endelig lærte at leve i fred og med respekt

and which in turn reflected a growing sense

og som til gengæld reflekterede en voksende fornemmelse

of compassion, acceptance and respect towards myself.

af medfølelse, accept og respekt over for mig selv.

And I remember the most moving and extraordinary moment

Og jeg husker det mest rørende og usædvanlige øjeblik,

when supporting another young woman who was terrorized by her voices,

da jeg støttede en anden ung kvinde, der blev terroriseret af sine stemmer

and becoming fully aware, for the very first time,

og blev fuldt bevidst om, for allerførste gang,

that I no longer felt that way myself

at jeg ikke længere følte sådan selv,

but was finally able to help someone else who was.

men endelig var i stand til at hjælpe en anden, der gjorde.

I'm now very proud to be a part of Intervoice,

Jeg er meget stolt af nu at være en del af Intervoice,

the organizational body of the International Hearing Voices Movement,

den organisatoriske instans i International Hearing Voices Movement,

an initiative inspired by the work of Professor Marius Romme

et initiativ inspireret af professor Marius Rommes arbejde

and Dr. Sandra Escher,

og dr. Sandra Escher,

which locates voice hearing as a survival strategy,

som beskriver stemmehøring som en overlevelsesstrategi,

a sane reaction to insane circumstances,

en fornuftig reaktion på vanvittige omstændigheder,

not as an aberrant symptom of schizophrenia to be endured,

ikke som et afvigende symptom på skizofreni, der skal udholdes,

but a complex, significant and meaningful experience

men en indviklet, væsentlig og meningsfuld oplevelse,

to be explored.

der skal udforskes.

Together, we envisage and enact a society

Sammen forestiller vi os et samfund,

that understands and respects voice hearing,

der forstår og respektere stemmehøring,

supports the needs of individuals who hear voices,

støtter behovene for enkeltpersoner, som hører stemmer,

and which values them as full citizens.

og som værdsætter dem som fuldgyldige medborgere.

This type of society is not only possible,

Dette slags samfund er ikke blot muligt,

it's already on its way.

det er allerede på vej.

To paraphrase Chavez, once social change begins,

For at omformulere Chavez: Når først samfundsmæssig forandringer begynder,

it cannot be reversed.

kan de ikke vendes rundt.

You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride.

Du kan ikke ydmyge den person, som føler stolthed.

You cannot oppress the people

Du kan ikke undertrykke det folk,

who are not afraid anymore.

som ikke længere er bange.

For me, the achievements of the Hearing Voices Movement

For mig er bedrifterne af Hearing Voices Movement

are a reminder that empathy, fellowship,

en påmindelse om, at empati, fællesskab,

justice and respect are more than words;

retfærdighed og respekt er mere end ord;

they are convictions and beliefs,

de er overbevisninger og tro,

and that beliefs can change the world.

og at tro kan ændre verden.

In the last 20 years, the Hearing Voices Movement

I de seneste 20 år har Hearing Voices Movement

has established hearing voices networks

etableret stemmehørings-netværk

in 26 countries across five continents,

i 26 lande på fem kontinenter,

working together to promote dignity, solidarity

arbejdende sammen for at fremme værdighed, solidaritet

and empowerment for individuals in mental distress,

og selvstændiggørelse for enkeltindivider med psykiske lidelser,

to create a new language and practice of hope,

for at skabe et nyt sprog og en praksis om håb,

which, at its very center, lies an unshakable belief

som i dets kerne indeholder en urokkelig tro på

in the power of the individual.

individets styrke.

As Peter Levine has said, the human animal

Som Peter Levine har sagt: Menneskedyret

is a unique being

er et unikt væsen

endowed with an instinctual capacity to heal

udrustet med en instinktmæssig egenskab til at helbrede

and the intellectual spirit to harness this innate capacity.

og den intellektuelle ånd til at tøjle denne medfødte evne.

In this respect, for members of society,

I dette henseende, for medlemmer af samfundet,

there is no greater honor or privilege

er der ingen større ære eller privilegium

than facilitating that process of healing for someone,

end at fremme den helbredelsesproces for en,

to bear witness, to reach out a hand,

at være vidne, at række en hånd ud,

to share the burden of someone's suffering,

og tage del i byrden af en andens lidelse,

and to hold the hope for their recovery.

og at opretholde håbet for deres bedring.

And likewise, for survivors of distress and adversity,

Og ligeledes for overlevere af lidelse og modgang,

that we remember we don't have to live our lives

at vi husker, at vi ikke er tvunget til at lade vores liv

forever defined by the damaging things that have happened to us.

definere for evigt af de skadelige ting, der hændte os.

We are unique. We are irreplaceable.

Vi er unikke. Vi er uerstattelige.

What lies within us can never be truly colonized,

Hvad der ligger inden i os kan aldrig blive koloniseret helt og aldeles,

contorted, or taken away.

forvrænget eller tages væk.

The light never goes out.

Lyset går aldrig ud.

As a very wonderful doctor once said to me,

Som en meget vidunderlig læge engang sagde til mig:

"Don't tell me what other people have told you about yourself.

"Fortæl mig ikke, hvad andre mennesker har fortalt dig om dig selv.

Tell me about you."

Fortæl mig om dig."

Thank you.

Tak.

(Applause)

(Bifald)