On personal epiphanies and collective knowledge in survivor research and action

Abstract

This paper starts by reflecting on the nature of memory as the paper relies on the memory of the author. It speaks to what seemed an ‘epiphany’ when understanding of mental distress was radically reframed but then argues that this ‘epiphany’ was not a moment but embedded in personal and social history and that the journey it started is still unfinished. The paper reflects on the tradition of patient and public involvement (PPI) in research and argues that whilst an important move the prominence of method in mainstream mental health research means that patients and the public are constrained in the impact they can have. The paper then moves to consider some conceptual and epistemological issues and ends with arguing the importance of peer support in both theory and practice but without romanticising this innovation.