Trauma & Art

Article 8 from Peter Kinderman’s Manifesto for the Reform ofMental Health and Well-being Services, contained in his book  A Prescription for Psychiatry (2014)

Article 8: we must establish the social prerequisites for genuine mental health and well-being

‘Our mental health and well-being are largely dependent on our social circumstances. To promote genuine mental health and well-being we need to protect and promote universal human rights, as enshrined in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Because experiences of neglect, rejection and abuse are hugely important in the genesis of many problems, we need to redouble our efforts to protect children from emotional, physical or sexual abuse and neglect. Equally, we must protect both adults and children from bullying and discrimination: whether that is racism, homophobia, or discrimination based on sexuality, gender, disability or ‘mental health’ or any other characteristic. We can all do more to combat discrimination and promote a more tolerant and accepting society. More generally, if we are serious about preventing mental health problems from developing, and about promoting genuine psychological well-being, we must work collectively to create a more humane society: to reduce or eliminate poverty, especially childhood poverty, and to reduce financial and social inequality. We need to work harder to promote peace, social justice and equity, and ensure that citizens are properly fed, housed, and educated, and living in a sustainable natural ecosystem. We need to promote social mobility and social inclusion, encourage actions aimed at the common or collective good (for instance through practical support of local charitable activities), and reduce both corruption and materialistic greed. In a fair society, in a society that protects our mental health and well-being, we would ensure that everyone had a meaningful job or role in society and we would eliminate unhealthy organisational cultures at work’

Extract from an article on Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, developmental trauma and internal working models, procedural actions and mindful exploration of present moment experiences during therapy by Pat Ogden at:

(PDF) Ogden Wisdom of the Body, Lost and Found – The Meadows – https://www.themeadows.com/…/Trauma…/P_Ogden

‘Influenced by Kurtz, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy uses a specific clinical “map” for the purpose of inquiring into the direct moment-by moment internal experience of working models. In the clinical hour, the therapist attends both to following the client’s narrative or “story,” and tracking present-moment internal experience — emotions, thoughts, five-sense perception, movements and body sensations– that emerge spontaneously in the therapy hour. These five elements comprise the present-moment internal experience of every waking moment but often occur outside of awareness and become the focal points of mindful exploration and change in the therapy hour (cf. Ogden, Minton & Pain 2006). Instead of conversation in a therapy hour, present moment experience become targets of mindful exploration. In particular, procedural actions can be inroads into their working models and the troubled early histories that shaped them. The automaticity of physical actions are interrupted by becoming mindful of them, and by doing so, the client can identify, rather than identify with, working models and self-states (Ogden et al 2006). Importantly, unlike most mindfulness disciplines, mindfulness is integrated with and embedded within what transpires moment-to-moment between therapist and client, rather than taught through structured exercises or practices (Ogden, in press)…’