What is "soteria"

Soteria is a community service that provides a space for people experiencing mental distress or crisis. Based on a recovery model, common elements of the Soteria approach include primarily non-medical staffing; preserving resident's personal power, social networks, and communal responsibilities; finding meaning in the subjective experience of psychosis by "being with" clients; and no or minimal use of antipsychotic medication (with any medication taken from a position of choice and without coercion).

Soterias were open — they had no restraint facilities for young psychotic patients, mostly at their onset. Loren Mosher, who founded the Soteria experience, showed that treating psychosis also in the acute phase is possible without using restraint methods.

Soteria houses are often seen as gentler alternatives to a psychiatric hospital system perceived as authoritarian, hostile or violent and based on routine use of psychiatric (particularly antipsychotic) drugs. Soteria houses are sometimes used as " early intervention" or "crisis resolution" services.

The Soteria were ancient festivals held in many Greek cities from the 3rd century BC. They honoured the saviour (Sôter) of a danger and could be dedicated to all the gods or only one (mainly Zeus Soterios). Heroic men regarded as deliverers were sometimes associated to the divinities, e.g. Aratus at Sicyon.

The most famous Soteria in antiquity were those held at Delphi. They had been instituted to commemorate the victory over the Celt invader Brennus (279 BC). They were composed of sports and musical competitions. Many cities were invited to the Delphi’s Soteria. In 246 BC, the Aetolian confederacy reorganized the festivities in order to equal others ancient games (e.g. the Pythian games).

Soteria may refer to:

• Soteria (festival), a festival in Ancient Greece
• Soteria (mythology), Greek goddess or spirit of safety and deliverance from harm
• Soteria (psychiatric treatment), a method of psychiatric treatment
• Soteria Aliberty (1847–1929), Greek feminist and educator
• Soteria Belou (1921–1997), famous Greek singer and performer
• Soteria Search and Rescue, a company that had been bidding for the UK Search and Rescue helicopter contract until it was found that they had access to commercially sensitive information and the bidding process was ended.

In Greek mythology, Soteria was the goddess or spirit ( daimon) of safety and salvation, deliverance, and preservation from harm.

Soteria's male counterpart was the spirit or daimon Soter. Both Zeus and Dionysus were titled Soter, so either may have been her father; her mother is unknown.

She had a sanctuary and a statue made in her honor in the town of Patrae, which was believed to have been founded by Eurypylos of Thessaly. Various texts mention the creation of her sanctuary, for example:

• Pausanias, Description of Greece 7. 24. 3 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue 2nd century AD): "[In Aigion in Akhaia (Aegium in Achaea)] they also have a sanctuary of Soteria (Safety). Her image may be seen by none but the priests, and the following ritual is performed. They take cakes of the district from the goddess and throw them into the sea, saying that they send them to Arethousa at Syrakousa (Syracuse)."
• Pausanias, Description of Greece 7. 19. 7 & 21. 7: "Eurypylos [the hero of the Trojan War] opened the chest [containing a sacred idol of Dionysos], saw the image, and forthwith on seeing it went mad. He continued to be insane for the greater part of the time, with rare lucid intervals ... There is a sanctuary [in Patrai in Akhaia (Patrae in Achaea)] with an image of stone. It is called the sanctuary of Soteria (Deliverance), and the story is that it was originally founded by Eurypylos on being cured of his madness."
• Ovid, Fasti 3. 879 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry 1st century BC to 1st century AD): "March 30 Comitialis. When the shepherd feeds and pens his kids four more times and the grasslands whiten with four fresh dews, Janus should be worshipped and gentle Concordia (Concord), Salus Romana (Safety of Rome) and the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace)."

Soteria was depicted as a woman wearing a laurel wreath crown, a symbol of victory.

In Roman mythology, Soteria is known as Salus (Preservation); however, Salus's domain more heavily featured physical well-being and health rather than security and safety. The Bible's use of Soteria indicates its etymology from Greek mythology, as the word is used to mean "fourfold salvation: saved from the penalty, power, presence and most importantly the pleasure of sin."