Implementing recovery and the important things in life

Ron’s trip to Palestine is going well. For 2 days he worked with a small group of inpatient nurses in Bethlehem hospital. They have completely immersed themselves in recovery since we did the making recovery champions course there. Ron says it is wonderful to see such enthusiasm backed up already with early results. Each patient they are caring for now has a set of recovery notes, these include the persons personal narrative and a PATH of where they are aiming for. They are already seeing the patients respond differently. The place is completely under resourced, the nurses wages are tiny, yet they are implementing recovery. The third day he met other staff still as enthusiastic as well.

How is it then our resource rich NHS finds it so difficult to do the same? Its also interesting that the WHO pilot site study in to recovery from schizophrenia found it was the so called “third world “ nations that had the highest rates of recovery, using very little medication and with very few resources. Is it to do with the powerful pharmaceutical industry, or our benefits system which rewards people to stay ill?

Perhaps it is something to do with how we now live in the West that is the problem. We have lost touch with what we are on this planet for. I read an article the other day that stated that teenagers were getting back problems which were much more associated with old age; it seems this was caused by them always walking on concrete. When was the last time you felt mud, dirt or sand amongst your toes?

I think this was one of the reasons I have come to Lewis, my feet are firmly planted back in earth, my vegetables are growing in the garden. I am eating my own chickens eggs and breathing really clean air - I can feel my mental well being growing by the day. My blood pressure which was high when I arrived on the island is now back to normal, I haven’t lost any weight but it is turning to a little more muscle. Two nights ago I went down to the end of my croft to watch a beautiful sunset over the Atlantic, I started to cry, but it was tears of pure joy as I realised this was not a dream but my reality , my home.

Ron in Italy