The language we have for describing mental health challenges and suffering can constrict or expand the realm of possibilities for how we define ourselves. Sascha Altman DuBrul has spent his life challenging mainstream assumptions about mental health, what’s normal and abnormal, and built a community around shifting the narrative. Drawing from his personal experiences of getting locked up in a psych ward, he co-founded a radical mental health support group and media project (The Icarus Project) which proliferated the language of mental health concerns as ‘Dangerous Gifts,’ to be harnessed and worked with rather than obliterated and erased. Today we talk about lessons learned, the challenges and necessity of community organizing, developing ethical values as a provider outside the system, and visions for the future of mental health.

In this episode:
02:30 Sascha’s Story & The Icarus Project
07:53 From Punk Rock Subcultures to Radical Mental Health
11:11 Challenges and Transitions in Mental Health Organizing
17:14 Dangerous Gifts and other language
26:46 Using Internal Family Systems to Process Shame
42:35 Self-reflection in Community Organizing
51:30 A Vision for the Future

Bio

Sascha DuBrul is a writer and educator that has been facilitating workshops and community dialogues at universities, conferences, community centers and activist gatherings for more than two decades. From the anarchist squatter community in New York City to the Lacandon jungle of Chiapas, Mexico, to the Earth First! road blockades of the Pacific Northwest, Sascha is a pioneer in urban farming and creative mental health advocacy. He is the co-founder of the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library, the first urban seed library in North America, and The Icarus Project, a radical community support network and media project that’s actively redefining the language and culture of mental health and illness. He is currently working in private practice and raising two children in Oakland, California.

Sascha’s Website & Private Practice: https://www.saschadubrul.com/

Underground Transmissions Substack : https://undergroundtransmissions.substack.com/

The Icarus Project Archive and Resources: https://site.icarusprojectarchive.org/about-us

Icarus Project Archive Survey 2024https://forms.gle/3EvDGq7NoyHa2Rzr9

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Sessions & Information about the host: ⁠⁠JazmineRussell.com⁠⁠

Disclaimer: The DEPTH Work Podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Any information on this podcast in no way to be construed or substituted as psychological counseling, psychotherapy, mental health counseling, or any other type of therapy or medical advice.