The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

The third event that I attended this quarter was hosted by Ken Wells and was titled “The Center Cannot Hold.” The event was held via Zoom and Professor Vesna was present as well, to assist in guiding the discussion. Professor Vesna and Ken Wells hosted a discussion with Elyn Saks and told her story of struggles overcoming the stigma attached to mental health. Professor Vesna emphasized that Ken represents the perfect combination of art and science, as he combines opera and other forms of art with psychology. In the event, the themes of mental health, stigma, law, and art were discussed. 

Ken Wells introduced Elyn Saks as well as the topics being discussed in the Zoom.

Elyn Saks briefly tells her story and her mission.

Elyn developed a mental illness while studying at University. She was criticized because of her differences by her teachers and doctors. In her memoir, “The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness,” she told the story of how she disproved the stigmas placed on her and how she became a Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California Gould Law School. Ken Wells was inspired by Elyn’s memoir and has created an opera as a way to tell her story through art and drama. Personally, I had never heard of a memoir being translated into an opera, but as I did more research I found that it was common. Ken acturallyKen uses the inspirational stories of others as an approach to help others who struggle with social issues such as mental health, depression, and homelessness. He explained in depth his mission through slides (several pictured below). 

I enjoyed hearing Elyn discuss the topic of stigma. Specifically, her belief that real people destigmatize mental illness by putting a face on it. The projects regarding the social issues that Elyn and Ken are working on have increased engagement and decreased negative attitudes that society has towards these issues. 

Sources

Carey, Benedict. “Memoir about Schizophrenia Spurs Others to Come Forward.” The New York Times, 23 Oct. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/health/23livesside.html.

“Healing through Art.” Psychiatry.Org - Healing Through Art, 30 Jan. 2020, https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/healing-through-art#:~:text=Art%20therapy%2C%20a%20type%20of,of%20art%20and%20art%20therapy

“Mental Health: Overcoming the Stigma of Mental Illness.” Mayo Clinic, 24 May 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/in-depth/mental-health/art-20046477.

Newsroom, UCLA. “Kenneth Wells’ Opera Honored at Film Festival.” UCLA, 10 Nov. 2021, newsroom.ucla.edu/dept/faculty/kenneth-wells-opera-honored-at-film-festival.

“Opinion | Charles Blow’s Memoir Is Now an Operatic Masterpiece.” The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/capehart/charles-blows-memoir-is-now-an-operatic-masterpiece/. Accessed 8 June 2023.