Let's be there for each other and celebrate our differences.
Our Story
My name's Robyn and I have bipolar. I've been ashamed of it for too long. Now, it's time to take back the label and make it my own.​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Singing and dance make me feel like I'm free. Being with people who I can really connect with makes me feel free. Free from my diagnosis. Free from the suffering. When I let my body guide me, close my eyes and sing, I feel fully me. There is so much stigma today when it comes to mental health. I've been tired of hearing terms like "crazy" or "psycho" and feeling attacked. When I start to take back the labels and transmute them into something funny, I feel so empowered. There are so many comedians out there who make their careers off of making fun themselves. Yes, what we go through is real. And painful. And I know when I'm being subjugated because of my illness - and God, does it hurt. But when I take the word "crazy," wear it loud and proud, and laugh about it, a lot of that heaviness seems to wash away. What if we took back the labels and owned them - celebrated them, with love and compassion. We get to turn back the tables on stigma and redefine the culture.
When I let go, take off my armour, and open myself up to others, beautiful things happen. I want to nourish this sense of freedom and cultivate it within a community of people who also want to experience life as themselves - their unarmored selves. I am sick of being ashamed of my diagnosis - of who I am. I am ready to reclaim it, come into my power...and PLAY!
Are YOU?
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Now is the time. WE are the game-changers. ​
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The Mental House is a powerful festival and an epic community. Do you want to be a part of it?
What is it?
At The Mental House, we celebrate our mental illnesses. We find warmth in a space where we can share our struggles, our traumas, our stories - and feel safe to do so. In this community, run by folks with lived experience, we create a space for people to be themselves, and not feel like they have to hide part of who they are. And here's the best part...not only do we get to share, connect, and be in a safe and inviting space, but we also get to PLAY. The Mental House is a beautiful festival of life, love, healing, expression, and connection -- where people like you and I make the calls. Yeah, you heard right. This is a space where we can express ourselves creatively - through song, dance, poetry, art, story..you name it! A place where we can listen to leading experts on stuff like mindfulness, trauma, spirituality, science, psychology, the environment, physics, sexuality, psychedelics, and comedy! A space where we can explore the world of therapy and medicine - where psychiatric and alternative modalities meet. Here, we learn from a panel of powerful leaders, comedians, artists, storytellers, and performers (yes - all of whom also have mental illnesses!). Here we get to immerse ourselves in shows and concerts - from music to comedy to circus to dance. Here, we get to explore, heal, play!!
Do you have a mental illness (diagnosed or self-diagnosed)? We want YOU to join our community. We want YOU to help us create something truly groundbreaking.
Something simply freeing.
