•In 1987, a group of what I think of as refugees from the
mental illness system in
Massachusetts founded the community and non-profit, Ionia, in Kasilof, Alaska. They pooled their
resources and created a
lifestyle that totally works for them.22 They now have over 40 people living there, including many children. I don't
think they have had a psychiatric
crisis in well over ten years, perhaps not since the community was founded. They built their own
log houses, eat a strict macrobiotic
diet, growing and gathering much of their own food, and meet every morning for as long as it takes
to work through any issues. A
few years ago, they needed some grant funding to expand their agricultural operation and build
a community building they
call the "Longhouse." The grant application brought what they were doing to the attention of policy makers,
and Ionia became an example of a
group of people who, after being pronounced
hopelessly and permanently mentally ill, created their own environment, and proved it is possible to recover
from a diagnosis of serious
mental illness and thrive.
•