NOTE: SAINT LOUIS ICARUS PROJECT IS CURRENTLY ON SUMMER HIATUS.
WE HOPE TO MEET REGULARLY AGAIN IN THE FALL.
PLEASE EMAIL US AND LET US KNOW WHAT TIME(S) WOULD WORK FOR YOU.
saintlouis@theicarusproject.net

Interested in radical mental health? Feeling lost, crazy or alone in a crazy world? Want to rage against what it means to be normal in a pathological society? Embracing your sensitivities or exorcising your demons - we support both! Just need a hug? Come out to our confidential peer support group and chat with allies and friends.

Gather at 7ish, support group starts promptly at 7:30. Usually goes until about 9.

First timer? Email us at saintlouis@theicarusproject.net if you have any concerns.

http://theicarusproject.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10463&postdays=0&post...

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OUR PRINCIPLES:

Beyond the medical model.
While we respect whatever treatment decisions people make, we do not define ourselves as essentially diseased, disordered, broken, faulty, and existing within the bounds of DSM-IV diagnosis. We are exploring unknown territory and don't steer by the default maps outlined by docs and pharma companies. We're making new maps.

Non judgmental and respecting diversity.
We welcome people who take psych drugs and people who do not, as well as people who use diagnostic labels like "bipolar" to describe themselves and people who do not identify with these terms. We do not exclude people on the basis of politics, lifestyle choice, recreational drug use, "criminal" behavior, or other outsider identities. We all have a lot to learn from each other, so we respect each others' choices. While the current social system and medical model have the tendency to divide us, we want our experiences of madness - as we understand them - to unite us.

Educating ourselves about alternatives.
A lot of what the media, medical establishment, and institutions tell us about "mental illness," psych drugs, and how we have to live our lives is just not true. We educate ourselves and each other. We question what we hear on TV and read in doctor's office brochures. We explore holistic and spiritual approaches to handling our extreme states of consciousness. We learn as much as we can about any medical treatments we are using, and encourage each other to make informed choices. Icarus is a sanctuary for people thinking outside the mainstream and creating their own definitions of health.

Non hierarchy / anti-oppression.
Local groups need to be anti-authoritarian, inclusive, and working against racism/classism/sexism/homophobia and other oppressions. We're a radical mental health support network; affiliated groups create safe and challenging spaces where oppressive behavior is not tolerated.

Balancing wellness and action.
Icarus is a place to support each other in practicing real self-care: making sure we don't neglect our personal basics like food, rest, exercise, and community; encouraging each other to commit to the amount of work we can actually do, and not pushing ourselves past our limits; challenging ourselves to find daily routines and projects that help us live out our dreams and have enough structure to get by.

Access.
We don't need more alternatives that only rich people can afford. All Icarus gatherings follow the policy that 'no one is turned away for lack of funds.' We work to create options and choices that are available to all.

Nonviolence.
We believe that we will bring about lasting change in the world through dialogue, compassionate listening, mutual aid, and grassroots networks of support, which may in time form a viable alternative to the current system of government, bureaucracy, domination, and corporate culture.

Transparency.
We believe in public access to information about how we are making decisions, spending money, distributing responsibility, and otherwise delegating the work of organizing together.