Isabel Eckes

Isabel spent her youth between Belgium and Berkeley, until she moved to San Francisco in the '90s. Since 2021 she has been living In Valencia, Spain. She was involuntarily hospitalized, restrained and medicated dozens of times between 1998 and 2019. The Covid pandemic’s social distancing mandates gave Isabel a unique opportunity for self-discovery, unhindered by weekly visits with case managers and psychiatrists. It’s then that she uncovered the roots of her struggles as well as what empowers her – she has not been hospitalized since. Isabel is certified as a mental health peer specialist, and a group facilitator for “Hearing Voices” and for “Alternatives to Suicide.” She is currently completing her first written work, a memoir focused on her experiences in the psychiatric system.