The Madness and Palestine Solidarity Circle, co-hosted by Makan and the National Survivor User Network (NSUN) is a bi-monthly online sharing space to think, learn, and feel about overlapping issues relating to Palestine, mental health, militarism, and colonialism.
Using short, accessible and non-compulsory texts and videos to spark discussion, we will be thinking about western psychiatry’s role in genocide, as well as how mental health is thought about, reported on and used by those in power, both in Palestine and the UK.
Sessions will be 90 minutes long with a 10-minute break, and will be taking place online.
Session 1: Tuesday 20 October 2026, 6-7:30pm
The first session will look at how psychology has been shaped by systems like colonialism and capitalism, both in the past and today. Participants will have space to discuss, understand and question how these systems shape the way we think about ourselves and others, and how they affect our everyday lives at home, school and work.
About the Madness & Palestine Solidarity Circle
The Madness & Palestine Solidarity Circle originates from an ongoing collaboration between Makan and the National Survivor User Network. We started working together in 2025 and now wish to offer a more regular space for people to continue thinking about madness, western psychiatry, and Palestine solidarity.
This space is for people who are interested in exploring the interrelation between western psychiatry and Palestine solidarity.
We invite those joining to go beyond simply “learning” or “thinking” and instead offering space to explore how these issues arise within and affect our lives. At the same time, this is a peer-led space and is not intended as a therapeutic offering.
We intend to keep this group small, so those wishing to join the circle will have to complete a short application form.
We have a zero-tolerance policy of discrimination of any kind, learn more in NSUN’s online space’s conduct agreement.
In joining the space, we commit to:
Taking care of ourselves: These topics are emotionally difficult, we commit to taking care of ourselves both during and after the event, especially giving ourselves space to process and decompress. We also recognise that online spaces can be especially taxing, please take breaks where you need and feel free to move around during the session.
Taking care of each other: These topics will affect each of us in different ways, we are mindful of this in the space. We commit to being gentle with what we share and giving each other space to contribute. We also want this to be a space where people can be transformed through learning, and that sometimes means people might feel confused or have questions, so we encourage people to also ask difficult questions and be forthcoming in their responses.
Showing up: Where possible, we ask participants to keep their cameras on, especially during interactive portions. If keeping your camera on does not feel possible, we invite you to contribute in the chat.
Respect privacy: We encourage you to discuss your learnings with others, but please be sensitive of people’s personal information and re-sharing stories that are not your own. Please do not record any part of the workshop (audio or video), and do not share contents on social media.
Makan is an independent, non-partisan organisation dedicated to interconnected learning. Our approach is grounded in a belief that education is a liberatory act that can lay the ground for structural change. Situating Palestine within the context of other human rights, social justice and global liberation movements, we work towards transformation by adopting educational approaches that capture the history of the Palestinian struggle and the realities on the ground. We aim to support advocates as part of a community that is not only well-informed, interconnected, and empowered, but passionately committed to cultivating a future for Palestinians built on freedom, justice, and dignity.