109: Ross Ellenhorn – The Art of Drawing a Life, Play, and the Gift of Being a Human
The Sacred SpeaksShow Notes
Interview begins @ 5:03
In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, we explore the pioneering work of Dr. Ross Ellenhorn, a visionary dedicated to reshaping mental health care. Dr. Ellenhorn introduces us to his unique "hospital without walls," a concept that challenges traditional mental health treatments and seeks to destigmatize the way we approach psychological well-being. Through his innovative psychedelic business, he emphasizes creativity and play as crucial therapeutic tools. Dr. Ellenhorn shares his personal journey, starting from being labeled as "not normal" by societal standards, and discusses how such labels feed into a detrimental power dynamic that fosters dependence and hopelessness. He critiques the pharmaceutical industry, conventional education systems, and the medicalization of mental health, prompting us to question whether mental health issues are truly "diseases." The episode explores the limitations of reductive diagnoses and the potential harms of treating mental health with a purely medical approach that overlooks the human element of healing. Dr. Ellenhorn highlights the significance of play in therapy, describing it as a process where rigid experiences of suffering can become malleable and manageable. Further, Dr. Ellenhorn recounts his personal struggles with learning differences and how these experiences fueled his passion for writing and advocating for a system that embraces playfulness and creativity as essential components of healing.
Bio: Dr. Ellenhorn is a pioneer and leader in the development and promotion of community integration services, types of care that serve and empower individuals diagnosed with psychiatric and/or addiction issues while they remain in their own communities and outside institutional settings. Trained as a sociologist, psychotherapist and social worker, Ross Ellenhorn, Ph.D., created the first fully operational intensive hospital-diversion and wraparound program in Massachusetts, and went on to establish and lead one of the first public Programs for Assertive Community Treatment teams in the state. He is the owner and CEO of Ellenhorn, the most robust community-integration program in the United States, which offers services outside of a hospital or residential setting for individuals experiencing addictive behaviors and/or extreme and complex states of mind and mood. Ellenhorn has offices in Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Dr. Ellenhorn has authored three books on human behavior: “Parasuicidality and Paradox: Breaking Through the Medical Model” (Springer Publishing, 2007) addresses psychiatric hospital recidivism and techniques for diverting hospital use; “How We Change (and Ten Reasons Why We Don’t)” (HarperCollins Publishers, 2020) takes a deep dive into the dynamics that influence all human change; and “Purple Crayons: The Art of Drawing a Life,” (HarperCollins Publishers, 2022) addresses play as a central and vital human activity in our modern times. He has authored numerous articles, gives talks and seminars throughout the country, and provides consultation to mental health agencies, psychiatric hospitals and addiction programs.
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