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Refreshing the spirit
Refreshing the spirits other events don’t reach
Spirituality has traditionally been sidelined within mental health services as a no-go area when dealing with service users. But the challenging message of SPN’s most recent study day was that services had to acknowledge peoples’ spiritual needs, if they wanted to bridge the gap between themselves and service users, and be truly holistic and person-centred in their approach.
Entitled Reaching the Spirit, the study day brought together over eighty people in Derby on 4 April to look at issues around spirituality and mental health. Chairing the day, the Very Revd Arthur Hawes said the day was a “milestone” in terms of developing national and regional networks around spirituality and mental health.
Survivor and disability and mental health activist Jacqui Christiani, felt it was “great to be at an event at which there were so many different projects and initiatives represented, and seeing people talking with each other without a sense of professional, communal or other boundaries. I really felt valued - this was simply the best conference I’ve been to for a long time”.
Delegates and presenters came from an exceptionally diverse range of backgrounds, even by SPN standards, and included an ex psychiatric nurse turned performance poet, religious and community leaders, psychiatrists, community engagement workers, a Nigerian shaman, academics, service users, social workers, and a Buddhist nun.
Setting the tone with his “Let’s just get the humanity right” message, keynote speaker and survivor Peter Gilbert said “Spirituality is about the search for meaning, and what is deepest in us – what gives us direction, motivation and enables us to survive difficult times. It’s what helps to make us human, and goes beyond membership of narrowly defined faith groups”. This was not to ignore the fact that some spiritual paths could also stigmatise mental distress, but the way forward was for services and faith groups to engage in greater dialogue.
Part of “getting the humanity right”, according to survivor speaker Manjula Sood, Leicester City Councillor and winner of Leicestershire Woman of the Year 2006, was about ensuring that mental health services “see mind, body and soul as one” and begin incorporating this into their care plans. Manjula’s story of family bereavements, breakdown, her fight against stigmatising attitudes from within her community and finding strength from her faith was a “humbling and powerfully moving experience” according to one delegate.
The emphasis on practically incorporating spiritual needs within assessment and treatment was picked up by Albert Persaud, whose presentation dealt with international perspectives on spirituality and clinical practice. This highlighted the need to have spirituality as a key element of cultural competence training, as well as the positive mental health benefits of being part of a spiritual community. “We so need the East meets West from Albert’s perspective, which was very challenging of selves and organisations”, said one delegate. Albert is one of the principal architects of the report Inside/Outside - Improving Mental Health Services for Black and Minority Ethnic people which played a fundamental role in developing black and minority ethnic issues within mental health. He is also lead for NIMHE East Midland’s programme on the Mental Health Act, Traditional Medicines and International Mental Health. He is also Director of the CARE International Foundation.
SPN Joint project co-ordinator and study day organiser Raza Griffiths said “this study day reaffirms SPN’s commitment to providing a platform for discussion around mental health from an holistic social perspective, and a recognition that, for many people, spirituality is an integral part of what makes them feel whole and well”. We aim to publish a Paper which will be a permanent resource in the field, and will be keeping in touch with the work of contributors and delegates in order to flag up the issues raised and move the agenda forward”.
Do you have any views or personal experiences you'd like to share on spirituality and mental health? If so, we'd like to include your insights on the SPN website - please email us on spn@scie.org.uk
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