Hi there. I've been an MFI member for a few years. Just wanted to introduce myself in case you don't know me yet. I'm a psychiatric survivor -- almost 40 years of drugging, now followed by nearly 6 years (Nov 6) drug-free. I'm co-founder of the Asheville Radical Mental Health Collective, co-founder of ALT-therapies4bipolar Yahoogroup, co-founder and President of Asheville Homeless Network (still the nation's only Membership Organization for the homeless, and a MFI Sponsor Organization), and founder of Med Free Or Working On It, http://medfree.ning.com ... among other things. I have a list of all the things I'm doing or am certified for (like ministry, PC repair, websites, etc.) which is over 2 pages long (single-spaced), so I won't repeat it all here. Spiritually I consider myself Saivite Hindu, although my actual practices are more in line with Wicca. I point to the basic agreement between the antidrugging movement and Hinduism, by referring to a book published in 1954, "Hindu Philosophy and Mental Health", where the author, Swami Akhilananda, dissects then-current and now-modern psychiatry BOTH with common sense and spirituality. This book consists of lectures given at universities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and is a sequel to his earlier work, "Hindu Psychology". Both my practiced spiritual path and my intended spiritual path emphasize that every person has their own road to walk, but that it can be walked with support and in community. Both are virtually non-judgmental, regardless of your beliefs. (In fact, if you tell a decent guru what you believe, he will lead you to scriptures and commentaries that support and enhance those beliefs, rather than tell you you're wrong and try to force you to learn his path.) About half of my "working hours" (supported by my monthly SSDI check) are spent working for and with the homeless of my town, and most of the rest are spent on mental health issues (online and off), with some overlap of course. I have probably read nearly half of the books in Mad Market, with special emphases on "Mad In America", "They Say You're Crazy", and "Agnes' Jacket" in recent months. OK, guess that's enough to get started. Comments are welcome and appreciated. Hugs, Moss