Paul Kiritsis is pleased to announce the second Dorothea Dix Award for all those who have overcome or battled mental or physical illness, disability, or injury. For 2014-2015, entrants are required to answer one of the following questions in 800-2500 words from their category of preference.
Non-fiction
“When spirits begin to speak with man, he must beware lest he believe them in anything; for they say almost anything; things are fabricated by them, and they lie; for if they were permitted to relate what heaven is, and how things are in the heavens, they would tell so many lies, and indeed with solemn affirmation, that man would be astonished; wherefore when spirits were speaking, I was not permitted to have faith in the things they related.” –Emmanuel Swedenborg, Spiritual Diary (¶ 1622), 1748
A hallucination is a sensory experience confined to the perceptual field of a sole individual. It involves seeing, hearing, or feeling something that others cannot experience. Hallucinations are not the prerogative of one particular diagnostic group in the gamut of modern psychopathology. Schizophrenics, alcoholics, the senile, the brain-damaged, and people with dissociative disorders may all experience elaborate hallucinations.
Some hallucinations are known to encompass revelatory components. Describe a hallucination in which something of great importance was conveyed to you, something that led to a profound understanding of your inner potentials and played a pivotal role in surmounting the psychotic self.
OR
Describe in considerable detail an extrasensory experience that unfolded during a psychotic episode and the manner in which it affected or changed you.
OR
Create a panel of sketches or drawings illustrating a hallucinatory experience containing revelatory and/or extrasensory material with accompanying descriptions.
Fiction
You are a schizophrenic patient thrown into solitary confinement as punishment for a perceived transgression. The year is 1935. Give a detailed account of the succession of events that led to your incarceration and subsequent isolation.
OR
You are a ghost that haunts the infirmary of an abandoned mental institution. Somehow, dimensional transcommunication has been made possible with an avid ghost hunter. Narrate your story by reflecting upon your mortal life, what keeps you bound to the place, and the eternal wisdom of disembodiment.
The Dorothea Dix Award judge: Paul Kiritsis
Paul Kiritsis, D. Phil, is a theorist working in the areas of mind-matter interaction and transpersonal psychology. He is the award-winning author of over two-hundred and thirty articles and three books and is attempting to harness a more adequate view of the nature of mind.
Prize: The Tree of Life handmade crystal from Ricaro. These crystals are individually handmade and shaped directly at the furnace without the use of any molds. The winner will also receive a week’s accommodation at the Royal Pacific Resort at 484 Marine Parade Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast, Australia’s premier holiday destination. The net worth of this prize is estimated at $1500.
The Dorothea Dix Award will run for twelve successive years (2014-2026). Each of the twelve winners will have their names inscribed on a perpetual trophy and the twelve entries combined will form a core component of a substantial book that Paul Kiritsis will publish on consciousness, illness, and belief.
All submissions can be sent to paul@paulkiritsis.net with “Dorothea Dix Award” in the subject line. Remember to include a signed entry form. The closing date for the second Dorothea Dix Award is Friday 31st July, 2015, at 5pm.The winner will be announced on September 18th, 2015, at the annual meeting of the Jung Society of Melbourne. The results will also be posted online. If you have any further enquiries please do not hesitate to contact the co-ordinator on 0400599760.
