It Wasn’t Me

For the first 37 years of my life I suffered in silence. Emerging from a dysfunctional childhood and adolescent depression I moved into adulthood only to be come ensnared in a violent marriage which brought me to the brink of insanity. Only by walking away did I postpone for 6 years what was to be a highly terrifying descent into psychosis, a six month stay in hospital, culminating in 6 horrendous treatments of Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT). During the next 6 years I stumbled in the darkness of my soul and insult was added to injury when 10 years after my psychotic breakdown, I was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes, caused by the ingestion of enormous quantities of neuroleptic drugs. I faced surgery twice and recovery from the second operation was both slow and painful. Seven years after my breakdown I’d given up the cocktail of medication. Withdrawal was far from easy and since 1993 I’ve relapsed on six occasions. I call that recovery. Others do not. Through talking therapies and cathartic writing I have broken my silence and found my voice. No one could hear my headaches or see my optical migraines. Now I know it is my responsibility and mine alone, to ensure that my mental well being remains constant and continual. By nurturing my psyche with good music, good nutrition and company of positive people – and by avoiding negativity as far as I can -I can achieve good health. I understand that the vagus nerve responds well to this regime and blood pressure and heart rate are attuned accordingly. More and more of us are now acknowledging the link between early life trauma and adult psychosis and the move towards demedicalisation of mental illness is gathering pace. Talking about distress and verbalising my pain has helped me process and absorb traumatic events and see, that once delusions and hallucinations have dissipated, the pain is unprotected – and hurts intensely. Without the cloak of madness I am vulnerable and raw, exposed and stinging. Healing comes when crying and talking clear and clean my psyche and allow new and happier memories to replace the wounds with genuine emotional growth – and understanding that it is a sign of strength, not weakness, that I survived those traumatic times and can now move forward, without looking over my shoulder.

She’s Got A Ticket To Ride (But She Don’t Care)

It comes to something when a patient is asked to pay a General Practitioner to write a letter to the Department of Work and Pensions. A General Practitioner is surely there to oversee the mental wellbeing of a patient? Shouldn’t a standard letter, sent on behalf of a patient, to the DWP, or indeed any part of HMG, be sent by electronic mail, or by Royal Mail, for the cost of second class stamp? I’ve reluctantly agreed to pay £16.50 so that my GP can convey some information on my behalf. Once again, I shall think very carefully about approaching a General Practitioner for any help in relation to any aspect of my mental well being.

GOOD ENOUGH PSYCHIATRY

Good Enough Psychiatry – 2 July 2013, London

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Rai

What makes psychiatrists effective for people who experience psychosis?

A joint one day conference for psychiatrists, for people who are treated by psychiatrists and for people who work with them or commission their services – hosted by ISPS UK and RCPsych Medical Psychotherapy Faculty.

Speakers and chair: Kevin Healy, Jen Kilyon, David Kingdon, Rose McCabe, Brian Martindale, Carine Minne, John Read, Elisabeth Svanholmer

Topics: What makes a good psychiatrist?; Experiencing psychiatric care; Ways of talking about psychotic experience; Cognitive therapy for psychosis or just clinical practice; Psychotherapeutic aspects of routine psychiatric encounters; Continuity in discontinuous worlds

Summary: Psychiatrists affect people with psychosis not just through the treatments they prescribe, but through their everyday interactions with patients and colleagues, and through the ways in which they understand and discuss psychosis and its causes. The ‘good enough’ mother described by psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott was ordinary, imperfect and busy – and also able to support her child to reach their fullest potential.

This conference will explore what it may mean to be ‘good enough’ as a psychiatrist.

Fees

ISPS UK members: £115

Non-members: £145

AS OF 24/6/13 SUBSIDISED PLACES AND A LIMITED NUMBER OF FREE PLACES STILL AVAILABLE

Unwaged service users and family: £40 (Please contact the office for availability of £40 places before paying on line)

Please also enquire about free places

Download: Good Enough Psychiatry Poster | Programme and Application Form

 

From BBC Health – Avatars Help Schizophrenia Patients Talk Back To Voices

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22720248

Making Sense Of Voices – Maastricht Interview Training

Making Sense of Voices- Maastricht Interview Training

A three day assessment skills workshop delivered jointly by Asylum Associates, Hearing Voices Network Sheffield, and the Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham.

(This training is targeted at all mental health workers, criminal justice personnel, and third sector agencies)

 

Facilitators: Pete Bullimore and Chris Tandy

Venues

The Crown Hotel, Crown Place  Harrogate, HG1 2RZ – 3rd, 4th and 5th July 2013

The Institute of Mental Health Building , Innovation Park, Triumph Road, Nottingham NG7 2TU- 17th, 18th and 19th September   2013

Wirral Mind, 90-92 Chester Street, Birkenhead CH 41 5DL- 15th, 16th and 17th October 2013

The Maastricht Interview is a semi-structured questionnaire that is used in therapy with voice hearers. It explores the experience at length and can assist voice hearers in a number of ways. It helps people overcome the shame of talking about the voices and encourages them to describe their experiences. The therapist will need to show the voice hearer that they recognise their experience by demonstrating a completely open-minded interest. By asking the right questions, in this way, the therapist can offer people the reassurance that hearing voices is in fact a well known phenomenon, enabling the voice hearer to feel properly acknowledged. The questionnaire should then facilitate discussion about the voices and confirm the reality of the experience. It is also a means of systematically mapping all aspects of the voices to gain more insight to the experience. This promotes acceptance and empowers people who hear voices.

Training Outcomes

Gain an understanding of the Maastricht interview for Voices. Learn how to conduct the interview. Undertake two interviews with voice hearers from the Hearing Voices Network Write reports and develop constructs from Maastricht interviews Develop a shared understanding of voices and ways to help voice hearers

 

Price £300

(Places are limited)

 

Apply now: please email Karen Sugars karen.sugars@nottshc.nhs.uk to book a place on this training

Some quotes from our previous attendees from our joint training initiatives:

‘A truly inspiring training experience. This gave me so many useful strategies ideas for working with voice hearers’

‘Logical and practical solutions for working with voices’

‘It focuses upon Romme and Escher’s ground breaking work with voices which is fantastic!’

‘Excellent trainers that consider the key implementation issues from a voice hearer and worker perspective’

PCCS Books Anniversary Conference 16th October 2013

Anniversary Conference

Conference in Celebration of 20 Years of PCCS Books

Proceeds to the Soteria Network UK

October 16th 2013, 10.00am  – 4.30pm
Clarendon Suites, Birmingham.

 

Speakers

Richard Bentall, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool
The myth that schizpohrenia is a genetic disease

Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling, University of Strathclyde
Are the facts friendly? Person-centred therapy in an era of ‘evidence-based’ practice

Jacqui Dillon, Chair of the Hearing Voices Network, England
The history and work of the Hearing Voices Network – the personal is still political

Stephen Joseph, Professor of Psychology, Health and Social Care, University of Nottingham
The positive psychology of the person-centred approach

Joanna Moncrieff, Senior Lecturer, University College London, consultant psychiatrist
Mother’s little helper: The politics of consumerism and psychoative drug use

Lisbeth Sommerbeck, clinical psychologist, accredited specialist in psychotherapy
Danish Psychological Association
Rebutting criticisms of applying person-centred therapy with clients diagnosed with psychosis

 

PCCS Books is celebrating 20 years of independent publishing this year with a one-day conference bringing together experts in their fields who share the desire for honest, democratic, equal and fully informed care for people in distress. The speakers represent the dominant themes in PCCS Books’ lists: person-centred psychology, critical psychology and psychiatry, and service-user perspectives.

Of interest to service users, carers, professionals, academics, students and everyone interested in critical debate on mental health care.

 

Fees (including lunch and refreshments):

Earlybird: £65.00 before 30th August; £75.00 31st August – 14th October; Service-users:£20.00. Please note there will be an additional £10.00 administrative charge if you want your organisation to be invoiced for your place.  

Book your place here:  

 

Venue:  The Clarendon Suites, 2 Stirling Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B16 9SB. For venue map follow this link: 

 

Travel: 

Driving: The Clarendon Suites are easily accessible from Junction 3 of the M5 motorway. There is ample free parking on site.

Train: Birmingham New Street station is 2 miles from the venue. £6.00 taxi fare; bus route information to follow.

Plane: There are regular trains links from Birmingham International Airport to Birmingham New Street train station.

 

Accomodation:

The Clarendon Suites are on the intersection of the Hagley Road and Stirling Road. The Hagley Road and surrounds have many options for accomodation to suit every budget. This link will get you started: http://bit.ly/13100AC

We have preferential rates at the Menzies Strathallan Hotel, directly opposite the venue: http://bit.ly/18et9eP. Please phone 0121 455 9777 to find out rates, mentioning that you are attending a Clarendon Suites event. Rates start at £56.00.

 

 

 

The Surviving Spirit Newsletter – May 2013

 

 

      Healing the Heart Through the Creative Arts, Education & Advocacy 

 

           Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health

 

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.  – Kahlil Gibran

 

The Surviving Spirit Newsletter May 2013

 

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” Brian Tracy

 

Hi Folks,

 

Aahh…gratitude, and how to cultivate that when down and out from life’s troubles and our respective challenges with trauma, abuse and mental health. I know for myself it has helped me immensely when taking the time to acknowledge the good in my life despite whatever horrors, hurts and losses I have known – it is not an easy task for me at times. But the payoff is huge.

 

I always take time to reflect upon the good friends in my life who have stood by me no matter what…even when my post traumatic stress and depression issues were ravaging my mind, body and spirit – they didn’t waver in their support and I will never forget that and I am so grateful for their love and friendship. I think of all the wonderful people I have met since my ‘breakdown/breakthrough” back in 1993. So many of us have been hurt by life, but we found a common bond from our healing journey and shared experiences and now we have friendship that grew out of sorrow and suffering – not bad, so that too I am grateful for.

 

I am grateful to all of you in your advocacy endeavors and helping of others who struggle and who allow this newsletter to be sent to you…and thankful for the sharing that you do with it – Thank You!

 

So perhaps take a moment to think of what you are grateful for in your life….and let us be thankful for the wonderful shared resources in this newsletter.

 

I recognize that there are a lot of resources to look at and don’t expect anyone to be able to get to all of them – but in the age of “Tweeting”, instantmessaging and texting, etc…it is still nice to be able to take some time to read about others who are helping to make the world a better place. 

 

Speaking of resources, please do send them to us to share in future newsletters and from our website – and if I have forgotten to share your info, please ‘gently’ remind me…..

 

 

I was a guest on this show last night and we covered a lot of ground; music, creativity, martial arts, peer support – good and bad, trauma, abuse, mental health, meds, loss of children/alienation, hope, healing, and help and so much more – please check it out when you can. Here’s one response of many I received –

 

“Great job!!! I wish they would make all psychiatrists and treatment providers listen to the show”

 

Survivors World – Butterfly Dreams Talk Radio w/ Trish McKnight

 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Michael Skinner devotes his speaking and his work to bring attention to that very cause. Helping to see past the diagnosis and medications to what lies underneath that might have caused the traumatic events which haunt us with PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, and for some Dissociation and various types of Personality Disorders.

 

“We rely upon the poets, the philosophers, and the playwrights to articulate what most of us can only feel, in joy or sorrow. They illuminate the thoughts for which we only grope; they give us the strength and balm we cannot find in ourselves. Whenever I feel my courage wavering, I rush to them. They give me the wisdom of acceptance, the will and resilience to push on.” Helen Hayes

 

1] Wellness Works Initiative – Art, Poetry, Song & Video 

 

What is the Wellness Works Initiative? Peerlink, the National Empowerment Center, and the other Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers—the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse, NAMI Star Center, and the Family Cafe TA Center – are showcasing original creative work expressing what wellness means in our lives and for our communities.

 

We hope the Wellness Works Initiative will help raise public awareness about the importance of embracing a wellness-based perspective, in mental health services as well as our communities at large. We embrace a holistic approach and endorse the eight dimensions of wellness – Emotional, Financial, Social, Spiritual, Occupational, Physical, Intellectual, and Environmental – as proposed by Peggy Swarbrick and supported by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

 

I’m honored to be a part [“Walk With Me – music & lyrics and “Brush Away Your Tears”- live video performance] of the many creative artists, musicians and poets featured at this website – please do visit and be inspired

 

I’M NOT IMPRESSED WITH YOUR TITLE AND DEGREES

COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING DO MORE FOR ME

CAN YOU SHOW ME, SHOW ME YOUR HUMANITY

INSTEAD OF TALKING, TALKING DOWN TO ME

CAN YOU SIT WITH ME, CAN WE TALK A WHILE

AND THEN I KNOW YOU WOULD SEE ME SMILE

OH I KNOW, YOU WOULD SEE ME SMILE         Walk With Me © Michael Skinner Music

 

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”  Melody Beattie

 

2] Sound Therapy Radio “Be Kind to the Mind”

 

Sound Therapy delves into the intricate world of the creative mind, interweaving great music, lively guest interviews and insightful discussion.

 

Join host J Peachy, Lauren, June and Megan and guests as they share fresh, inspiring perspectives on creative expression, issues of mental wellness, health & disability, and offer alternatives in self-care and personal well being.

 

Join us every Tuesday at 7pm on CJSF 90.1 FM, and online at cjsf.ca. In addition, all episodes are archived. In addition, we broadcast video portions of our radio content on local community television, contact us if you want our program in your region.

 

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust

 

3] Where is the Self in Treatment of Mental Disorders? By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

 

The focus for most treatment professionals is on a patient’s symptoms and the alleviation of symptoms. Few professionals delve into how a disorder — likebipolar disorder or clinical depression — changes our identity. Everything we know about ourselves.  Everything we thought we knew about ourselves.

 

That’s why this recent piece in the NYT Magazine by Linda Logan exploring this issue is so interesting and timely. [Link posted below]

 

Our identities as unique individuals with well-worn and familiar roles in life – mother, confidante, partner, employee – are quickly stripped away when a new label takes over: patient. Inpatient. Psychiatric inpatient. In all of society, there is almost no worse label that could be applied.

Mental health professionals across all professions – psychiatry, psychology, social work, etc. – should be more aware that this loss of self identity is a very real component of some people’s mental illness and subsequent treatment. It should be addressed as a regular component of mental health treatment, especially when the loss is acutely felt.

 

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Albert Schweitzer

 

4] Linda Logan , New York Times article – The Problem With How We Treat Bipolar Disorder [Long read, but well worth it folks]

 

How much insult to the self is done by the symptoms of the disorder and how much by the drugs used to treat it? Paradoxically, psychotropic drugs can induce anxiety, nervousness, impaired judgment, mania, hypomania, hallucinations, feelings of depersonalization, psychosis and suicidal thoughts, while being used to treat the same symptoms. Before getting to the hospital, my daily moods ranged from bad to worse, each state accompanied by a profound depth of feeling. The first drug I was given was amitriptyline (Elavil), which, in the process of reducing my despair, blunted all my other emotions. I no longer felt anything. It was like going from satellite TV to one lousy channel.

 

Over the years, I’ve talked to clinicians about why the self is rarely mentioned in treating patients who suffer from mental illnesses that damage their sense of who they are. If anything, it seems that psychiatry is moving away from a model in which the self could be discussed. For many psychiatrists, mental disorders are medical problems to be treated with medications, and a patient’s crisis of self is not very likely to come up in a 15-minute session with a psycho-pharmacologist.

 

5] Suicide Survivors Volunteer To Lead Prevention Effort Through Multimedia Public Forum Project – Aims To End Stigma, Shame, Anonymity

By David Crary, AP National Writer

 

Suicide survivors are leading a nationwide effort to prevent suicide through conversation and an end to anonymity.

They look intently at the camera, some impassively, some with smiles, all of them aware that they’ve just shared with an online audience a most personal story:Why they tried to kill themselves.

 

By the dozens, survivors of attempted suicide across the United States are volunteering to be part of a project by a Brooklyn-based photographer, Dese’Rae L. Stage, called “Live Through This” – a collection of photographic portraits and personal accounts.

 

6] Live Through This:Life on the Other Side of a Suicide Attempt   I am still seeking attempt survivors to share their stories for Live Through This.

 

“PEACE:  It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of these things and still be calm in your heart.” Author unknown

 

7] American Association of Suicidology’s “What Happens Now?” blog: http://attemptsurvivors.com/

 

What happens now? | Exploring life after a suicide attempt or suicidal thinking by Craig A. Miller

 

This week’s post is by Craig A. Miller, who contributed a strong post earlier about the difference between not wanting to die and wanting to live. Here, he talks about moving forward. Visit Craig’s website at Thisishowitfeels.com.

 

“Why?” As a suicide attempt survivor I can’t tell you how many times I have sat with people and tried to give them an answer to that question. When doctors would ask I would become frustrated, because they should be the ones with the answers. When family would ask I would feel guilty, because anything I said was misinterpreted as blame. And when friends would ask I would just become quiet, because no one could ever really understand what I was going through. For all the years I struggled with suicide and all the times I sat with family, friends, and doctors trying to understand why, I was never really able to come up with anything that truly explained it. It wasn’t until I sat alone and tried to find the answer for myself that I was finally able to do so.

 

“One person can make a difference and every person should try.” John F. Kennedy

 

8] Bristlecone Project  David Lisak, Phd Speaker/Trainer/Consultant

 

We will send a message: We were wounded. Now we thrive. We are your neighbors, your fathers, and your sons.

 

The Vision:  A mosaic of photographs and words that portray the reality of men who were sexually abused as children…

 

The Focus:  The present, not the past.  Who each man is. What defines him. What is the focus of his life. Each man will be portrayed through a series of photographs, a brief written portrait, and his own voice.

 

The Purpose:  To portray this reality – who we are now, living meaningful and dignified lives – to the many men who feel isolated and stigmatized by what happened to them. And to portray this reality to whole communities through the Bristlecone website and public exhibitions.

 

Participate Each man will be portrayed through a series of photographs, a brief written portrait, and his own voice. If you or someone you know might be interested in participating in this project, or for more information: Write to David Lisak at: david@davidlisak.com

 

bris·tle·cone – A high-altitude pine of western North America that thrives despite high winds, cold temperatures and thin soils. Bristlecones can live thousands of years, and so can be used to correct radiocarbon dating. Also used as a metaphor to describe the unique strength and will of the 1in6 men who were sexually abused in childhood.

 

[David is the real deal; I am honored to know him as a friend and a fellow advocate and proud to be a part [along with my dear partner, Mary] of this healing endeavor to help others.]

 

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

9] Mad in America  Mission Statement – The site is designed to serve as a resource and a community for those interested in rethinking psychiatric care in the United States and abroad. We want to provide readers with news, stories of recovery, access to source documents, and the informed writings of bloggers that will further this enterprise.

 

The bloggers on this site include people with lived experience, peer specialists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, program managers, social activists, attorneys, and journalists. While their opinions naturally vary, they share a belief that our current system of psychiatric care needs to be vastly improved, and, many would argue, transformed.    http://www.madinamerica.com/writers/#bloggers

 

When “I” is replaced by “WE”, even illness becomes wellness.

 

10] The Key Update is the free monthly e-newsletter of the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse  http://www.mhselfhelp.org

 

Here you’ll find the latest information on mental health and consumer/survivor issues. We include updates on important issues, linking you to news sources, funding opportunities and the most recent developments in the consumer/survivor movement. You’ll also find conference announcements and job postings from across the nation.

 

For content, reproduction or publication information, please contact Susan Rogers at 800-553-4539 x3812, 267-507-3812 (direct) or srogers@mhasp.org.

 

“To be ill adjusted to a deranged world is not a breakdown.” Jeanette Winterson

 

11] Words of Wellness

As part of our vision to foster wellness and recovery, the Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey [CSPNJ] Institute for Wellness and Recovery Initiatives offers this newsletter, Words of Wellness. This publication features information and resources to help people to achieve and maintain wellness. You can read related content, or access previous editions on our website, www.welltacc.org.  We are eager to share the information in Words of Wellness, and we’re very happy when you share copies of the newsletter with your friends and colleagues. Feel free to make photocopies. However, we put a lot of effort into this newsletter, and we would like to get credit.

 If you would like to photocopy the newsletter as is, or forward it to interested parties, we welcome that. You might also want to recommend that others subscribe directly or access the newsletter online.

12] Mental Health Humor Newsletter – Chato B. Stewart  http://blogs.psychcentral.com/humor/  

Chato Stewart is a husband, father and mental health advocate. He is an artist and the cartoonist behind the Mental Health Humor cartoons. He creates positive, provoking, and sometimes even funny cartoons! The cartoons are drawn from his personal experience of living with Bipolar Disorder. Mr. Stewart strongly believes that there is power behind humor. His motto is humor gives help, hope and healing. His goal and mission is to tap into humor and use it as a positive tool to cope with the serious and debilitating effects of mental illness.

Chato B. Stewart is a Florida board Certified Recovery Peer Specialist – A (CRPS-A). Chato is also the 1st place winner of the DBSA 2009 Facing Us Video Contest. In his powerful public service announcement, he tells his personal story of living with a mental illness through a montage of his cartoons. Adding to his little list of accomplishments is being part of the 2010 DBSA Stand-Up for Mental Health comedy night and being invited back for the 2011 Conference to be a Stand-Up comic in the show.

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month and we are drawing 31 Heroes and posting them each week.  You will get a few extra emails in May.  Please help us by Tweeting and sharing the heroes with your friend.  www.mentalhealthcartoons.com

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy – the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” Brené Brown

 

13] Your Voice in Sheffield Mental Health – a Magazine and Website for Service Users, Carers and Professionals [ United Kingdom ]http://www.yourvoicesheffield.org/

 

Please do check out this helpful newsletter and their website and our good friend Judith Haire’s article on EMDR –
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy. It’s on page 11 via this link – No 67 Spring 2013 http://www.yourvoicesheffield.org/media/YV67final.pdf

14] And please note, we are also honored to share and sell Judith’s powerful book on her healing journey at our website/web store – “Don’t Mind Me” is the story of her dysfunctional childhood and teenage depression, her abusive first marriage and experience of rape and domestic violence, her terrifying descent into psychosis and her recovery.

15] Given it is Mental Health Awareness Month, we would like to share another one of our author’s book –

 

“Institutional Eyes“ by Denise Ranaghan

 

“Institutional Eyes” is an all-too-real account of a young woman’s struggle with mental illness and addiction. When author Denise Ranaghan was twenty-one and scarred from a lifetime of alcoholism and physical abuse, she fled her dysfunctional family for a hitch in the U.S. Army. Shortly after, she found herself deteriorating and unable to function in an adult world. Why was her sanity in jeopardy? And – WHY WASN’T ANYTHING HELPING?

At first Denise looks for quick and painless solutions; then, in rehab, she courageously begins to work her way through the problems of Borderline Personality Disorder, depression and substance abuse.

 

“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.”  Friedrich Nietzche

 

16] MS – My Story  A Collection of Inspirational Voices Stories about Living with Multiple Sclerosis Edited by Liz Pearl PK Press 2012

 

“They never give up. They dream big and reach far. They think positively and believe faithfully. They love deeply. They demonstrate courage, determination and gratitude. They smile, laugh and sing. They rejoice and celebrate life. These are the inspirational voices of MS – My Story.”

 

Liz Pearl, M.Ed., is an educator and therapist specializing in psychogeriatrics and the expressive art therapies. She is the co-editor of Mourning Has Broken – A Collection of Creative Writing about Grief and Healing (KOPE Associates, 2004, 2007) and the editor of Brain Attack – The Journey Back – A Unique Collection of Creative Writing about Stroke Recovery (KOPE Associates, 2005), and Living Legacies – A Collection of Writing by Contemporary Canadian Jewish Women Volumes I,  II & III (PK Press, 2008, 2010, 2011).

 

To order a copy  http://at.yorku.ca/pk/ms-order.htm  Follow PK Press on Facebook   www.facebook.com/#!/PKPress

 

Link to PK Press http://at.yorku.ca/pk/ms.htm  Liz Pearl, M.Ed. Therapist /Editor Liz_pearl@sympatico.ca

 

“You can’t patch a wounded soul with a Band-Aid.”

 

17] Dr. Gabor Maté on the Stress-Disease Connection, Addiction and the Destruction of American Childhood – Democracy Now! – A daily independent global news hour with Amy Goodman & Juan González [article/transcript & video]

 

From disease to addiction, parenting to attention deficit disorder, Maté’s work focuses on the centrality of early childhood experiences to the development of the brain, and how those experiences can impact everything from behavioral patterns to physical and mental illness. While the relationship between emotional stress and disease, and mental and physical health more broadly, is often considered controversial within medical orthodoxy, Maté argues too many doctors seem to have forgotten what was once a commonplace assumption, that emotions are deeply implicated in both the development of illness, addictions and disorders, and in their healing.

 

Dr. Maté is the bestselling author of four books: When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection; Scattered: How Attention Deficit Disorder Originates and What You Can Do about It; and, with Dr. Gordon Neufeld, Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers; his latest is called In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction.

 

“I’ve always thought of wholeness and integration as necessary myths. We’re fragmented beings who cement ourselves together, but there are always cracks. Living with the cracks is part of being, well, reasonably healthy” Siri Hustvedt

 

18] Bring Your Life Into Balance: A free self-guided program for becoming a healthier, happier you

 

Stress or mood swings rock everyone’s balance from time to time. However, when too much stress, anxiety, depression, or worry interferes with your health, career or personal relationships, it’s time to make a change. No matter how difficult things seem, by learning how to harness overwhelming stress and manage your emotions, you can become healthier and happier, and have a more positive effect on those around you.

 

Daily life can seem like a never-ending ride, leaving you feeling frustrated, anxious, depressed, and unfulfilled. But it doesn’t have to be this way; you can get off the emotional rollercoaster. You can bring your life into balance by learning more about:

 

• Stress and how to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
• Why your emotions matter to you and to others.
• What you can do to harness the energy of your emotions and make them work for you.
• How you can become calm, energized, focused and more aware of yourself and others.

 

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Albert Schweitzer 

 

19] Dealing with Depression: Self-Help & Coping Tips to Overcome Depression

 

Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to do what you need to feel better. But while overcoming depression isn’t quick or easy, it’s far from impossible. You can’t beat it through sheer willpower, but you do have some control—even if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there if you make positive choices for yourself each day.

 

Recovering from depression requires action, but taking action when you’re depressed is hard. In fact, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like going for a walk or spending time with friends, can be exhausting. It’s the Catch-22 of depression recovery: The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. There’s a difference, however, between something that’s difficult and something that’s impossible.

 

“If a man comes to the door of poetry untouched by the madness of the Muses, believing that technique alone will make him a good poet, he and his sane compositions never reach perfection, but are utterly eclipsed by the performances of the inspired madman.” Socrates

A ‘gentle’ reminder that the Surviving Spirit is nonprofit 501C3 and your gift of time, talent or treasure is greatly appreciated.

 

Take care, Mike, Mary, Zsuzsi, Rachel, Cynthia Lynn & Mary Ann

 

 

ps. Please share this with your friends & if you have received this in error, please let me know.

 

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

                                               A diagnosis is not a destiny  

 

The Surviving Spirit  – Healing the Heart Through the Creative Arts, Education & Advocacy – Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse & Mental Health

 

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mike.skinner@survivingspirit.com   603-625-2136  38 River Ledge Drive, Goffstown, NH 03045 

 

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“BE the change you want to see in the world.” Mohandas Gandhi

 

 

Normalising The Experiences of Voices, Visions & Paranoia – Two Day Skills Based Workshop

 

Normalising the Experiences of Voices, Visions & Paranoia

Two-day skills based workshop delivered jointly by Paranoia Network UK , Hearing Voices Network, Sheffield, and the Institute of Mental Health .

(This workshop is targeted at all mental health workers, criminal justice personnel, third sector agencies and people who experience voices, visions and paranoia)

 

Venue

The Quaker Meeting House, 22 School Lane , Liverpool L1 3BT – 5th and 6th  September 2013

                                        Facilitators: Pete Bullimore and Chris Tandy

Workshop Content
Day 1 Understanding paranoia through the history of psychiatry ·         The problem with diagnosis Making sense of paranoia The three stages of paranoia Making sense of ‘delusion’ Trauma and paranoia	Day 2 History of understanding voices and visions using a psychiatric perspective The difficulty with diagnosis Limitations of traditional therapy The three stages of voices Trauma and unusual experiences Understanding voices and visions Helpful approaches

Workshop Outcomes

Day 1 Gain a contemporary understanding of paranoia and other alternative beliefs. Gain a critical understanding of current bio-medical constructs of paranoia. Construct a collaborative understanding of paranoia with service users in a respectful, ethical and therapeutic manner. Understand the potential connection between trauma and paranoia.

Day 2 ·         Take a critical and thoughtful     perspective on traditional ways of understanding voice hearing and visions. ·         Understand the potential pitfalls of the claims made from other therapies. ·         Take a respectful and ethical approach to the experience of voice hearing and visions. ·         Understand the potential connection between trauma and voice hearing and visions. ·         Develop new ways of talking to and working with people who experience voices and visions.

 

Some quotes of previous attendees from these workshops:

 ‘A truly inspiring training experience. This gave me so many useful strategies ideas for working with voice hearers’

‘Gained a really good understanding of ways to work with someone with Paranoia’

‘The concepts of frozen terror and the trapped trauma model have made me revaluate how I work with people in practice’.

 ‘Excellent trainers who have the expertise of lived experience and working across a broad range of mental health practice settings’’

 

Costs (for both days): Full time employed £150, Part-time £60, Unwaged £30

 

Apply now: please email Karen Sugars karen.sugars@nottshc.nhs.uk 

 

Your Voice in Sheffield Mental Health Magazine – Article on EMDR Therapy

Check out the Spring edition of Your Voice in Sheffield Mental Health magazine http://www.yourvoicesheffield.org/

My article on EMDR therapy is on page 11

We Need A New Language For Mental Health

The Reader Organisation is calling for a new language to talk about mental health, with senior health professionals, readers and writers discussing the idea in the opening session of the charity’s annual conference, ‘Shared Reading for Healthy Communities’ at the British Library on 16th May 2013.

 

Unlike the growing number of ‘Books on Prescription’ and ‘Bibliotherapy’ schemes, The Reader Organisation, which is commissioned by health services across the UK, has chosen not to limit the description of its model as ‘therapy’. Literature exists to address the human condition.

 

Jane Davis, The Reader Organisation’s founder and director, says:

 

“Those medical words – prescription, therapy – which at first glance carry a medical imprimatur of seriousness, have largely come from the pharmaceutical and psychotherapeutic industries, and actually point to a re-positioning of the inner life as a problem to be solved by experts, by others.”

 

Working with health, library, education, adult social care services and other bodies, The Reader Organisation provided 92,400 unique shared reading experiences in 2012. The personalised model, which enables even non-readers to join in as everything is read aloud in the group, is now backed up with strong qualitative and quantitative evidence from researchers.

 

At the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust in Liverpool, patients are currently taking part in a shared reading group as part of a chronic pain research project, the initial findings of which will be revealed at the conference.

Dr Andrew Jones, consultant in anaesthesia and pain medicine, at the hospital, says:

 

“Early indications are showing that the reading group is making a difference to people in our hospital but there is something intangible, a deeper impact beyond that, which we can’t measure using existing qualitative research methods.”

 

The conference will also explore how the benefits of the shared reading model extends beyond the traditional definition of ‘health’, addressing issues of reoffending, isolation, community cohesion, and reading for pleasure with young people.

 

A group member at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, said:

 

“The reading group has boosted my self-esteem and given me more self-confidence when I have discussions with staff and in general; it has encouraged me to read more in my spare-time, which has released a lot of stress off my shoulders as I have been suffering from depression.”

 

“Great literature connects people. There’s nothing more ancient, nor more deeply healing than that”, states Jane Davis.

 

“But we increasingly feel the pressure to talk about our work in medicalised terms – intervention, service, outcomes – terms which limit the power of what humanly it is that is making the difference. I want to find a new language, so that people don’t have to say, ‘I’m sick’, when they’re suffering the human condition.”

 

For more information on the ‘Shared Reading for Health Communities’ conference visit: www.thereader.org.uk/conference