I got off island today with the kids to join Ron
We are running our making recovery happen training at Drumoig in Fife next week.
I love this weeks training, watching how people develop over the week and "recover" - they all leave with a very deep understanding of what recovery means to them, the "them and us" of worker – service user - disappears as everyone realises they are all human beings with strengths, gifts and some failings.
I am always proud of the presentations they do on the last day of the programme, usually very creative, one group in Perth - Western Australia did such a fine drama that they have just filmed it and put it into a competition I hope they win’ it is fantastically powerful; we will soon have this on our site for people to down-load.
This particular week has been sold out for over 6 weeks, which is fantastic, I first had the idea for this course over 5 years ago and S.A.M.H agreed to run the first course for their staff and service users. What was fascinating was watching what happened to the service users on the course, within weeks one had left services to set their own business up in cultivation. One decided they didn’t need services again and another, Agnes Smith, became a fine speaker and trainer in her own right which was fantastic especially as she hit 60 I think the week of the course.
Ron and I would love to have a pot of money to run and research this course for a few groups of service users and watch their progress, any brave NHS trusts or organisations with a few spare pounds please come forward, we believe that courses like these could safe millions in the future from service users discharging themselves because they are well.
One of the biggest bug- bears of training is watching consumers struggle at our events because they are over medicated and have distressing side effects. In Melbourne we met up with John Watkins, a hero of Ron’s who wrote a book a few years ago called "Hearing voices a common human experience". He was a lovely modest man who has fought for better services for years in Melbourne.
He has written a book called Healing Schizophrenia-using medication wisely; it is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn more about their medication, possibilities of coming off it and alternatives. He has done some impressive research for the book and some very surprising quotes emerge. For example Bleuler the father of schizophrenia says quite categorically that no more than 10% of people with schizophrenia should be kept on long- term anti psychotic medication, something I wish our present day psychiatrists would adhere too.
Anyway read it for yourself, the book is now available through our website as we felt it was important that this book was known about more widely.
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hello Karen and Ron - carolyn fisher here from Perth WA - great to make contact with you and to hear you will be in Perth in April. Since I saw you last in November last year, so MUCH HAS CHANGED FOR ME. It is exciting to have signs of illness drift off or be in the background and to finally start dipping my toe in the water of the real world. Just want to let you know that since doing Making Recovery Happen in March last year - can't believe it was then - seems like light years away - I have been consistently working on my promise to give back to the recovery movement whose love and support this last year has given me so much - don't have enough or adequate words to describe it's value to me. Next week I am giving a lecture on recovery to Edith Cowan University Occupational Therapy students on recovery. I showed the lecturer it last week and SHE WAS BLOWN AWAY by it. Said it was the best thing she had seen re rehab/recovery. I am very proud of it, I have put a lot of work into it, so would love the chance to share it with you and get your feedback when you are in Perth. I will be in Sydney to welcome the arrival of my first niece/nephew from 19-23 April, but will be home after that. Also I wanted to let you know how my beautiful friend Cass is doing. His life has radically transformed since I did MRH and took on board the wonderful advice you personally gave me Ron on how to help him. I defied the doubters and the "no can do-ers" and now he lives independently in his own beautiful little flat - close to transport, shops and me. It is in a security building which is great because he can control who turns up at his door. He has his money managed by the public trust which he loves because finally he always has smokes, food and the rent paid, plus leftover for treats. It is beyond words the joy I feel seeing him so happy, his wicked sense of humour back and to finally hear him talk about his dreams. He has done a work trial but decided that is too stressful just yet. He is about to get his drivers license and I am arranging a car for him. He hopes to start his own business !!!!!! soon doing gardening for people in his area. His drug/alcohol misuse has all but disappeared without any formal intervention and his distressing symptoms are way, way, way in the background now. This brings me more happiness than anything else in the World - to see him finally growing comfortable in his own skin and believing he is a valuable human being. I will always remain humbly grateful for the opportunities meeting you have brought into my life. I often mention you in my prayers and ask God to continually shower you with many blessing you so rightly deserve. Truly hope we can catch up when you are here. Love Carolyn
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