Mad in Ireland: Fields of Healing

Liam Mac Gabhann in conversation with Martha Griffin, Ciara Glynn and Rebecca Fitzpatrick 
Peer Support in Mental Health as an accredited national qualification since 2016 is entering a second decade. Six years into Sharing the Vision (2020), mental health policy intending to embed peer support working into all aspects of statutory service and support peer led community services. One could imagine that as a discipline, peer support is thriving; mental health service teams have radically shifted form an insular biomedical coercive approach to a relational empowering service provision; and evidence based mental health interventions are generally peer led or at the very least co-delivered with other professionals. Let's not imagine, lest we get lost in fantasy. Instead, we have a chat amongst three people who have been involved in the evolution of peer support in Ireland and are at different phases of that timeline. All three have been peer support workers, with Rebecca most recently qualified and now a peer support worker. They introduce themselves at the beginning of this podcast. We hope you find a moment in time commentary on the state of play, interesting.

Liam Mac Gabhann of Mad In Ireland in conversation with Siobhan Madden, Engaged Eco Artist
'Ecological Art' is a genre that emerged in the 1990s but in which was largely influenced by practices which had come in to movement in the 1960s.  Some of the principles and themes which underpin these practices are stewardship of interrelationships, emphatical approach to non-human species, connectivity, ecological and ethical responsibility, exploration of the complexities of life.  As well as the ability to bring awareness and pro-activism to environmental issues, eco-art aims to cultivate joy by drawing upon an instinctual love of life in which an empathic connection with Nature births.  There is a restoration of the body, mind and soul when direct contact and awareness of Nature.  A dialogue occurs where the movement of what crosses you by no longer seems random and meaningless.  Nature's patterns mirror your internal world and when seeking harmony and cultivating better health for the external environment, naturally this occurs inside the human body too, for we are the space we are in, and we are interconnected with all of Nature.  When engaging with nature materials like nettle cordage, felted wool or wild clay, it brings a directness to what came before you and empowers you with this recalling, where your body remember a vast language of survival, sustainability and celebration.  Pressing in to clay actually interplays with much deeper neurons in the body which opens new neural pathways in the brain.  Creativity has the ability to heal.  Our instincts naturally tell us to seek green spaces, with shade, food and water.  Our bodies naturally relax in these spaces.  We co-regulate with Nature with the ions of rain, the rhythm of a waving branch, our hands in the soil, the breath of a horse.  Ecological Art is a way of being, an approach and a call and an action to restore harmony between humans and non-human species.
During the period of 2009-2019,  I worked as both a Special Needs Assistant in the educational system and a Health Care Assistant in a Public Hospital setting which supported my studies and my travels.  I also embarked on a deep healing path beginning with reiki and then to shamanic medicine.  In my memory it is times sitting with intention at a tree in the forest, noticing the shapes of shadows and light dancing, sound and movement of water, a fox, a squirrel or a bird that would catch my attention, that really grounded the big energies that were occurring on this path.  It brought safety, stillness and sanctuary and allowed my body and mind to come out of flight and fright.  This is what brings health. The herd of horses and the way they would signal to move, the sound of their hooves and snorts, the warmth of their breath and rhythm of their large bodies brought me back to my own. My yearly art pilgrimages to a roadless and carless village of Ginostra  with Art to Heart brought heart-centered way of giving space to artmaking in myself and in holding space for others with sensory engagement as a central role.

When we consider much of the recent mainstream news coverage and indeed government bypassing of due process in relation to legislation and the reiteration by psychiatric soap boxes of the need for enhanced coercion in mental health, one might imagine that all notions of personhood, self autonomy, choice and voice by people with mental health challenges are being overridden. Whilst this onslaught against personhood and autonomy is rife, beneath the veneer of media bias and misguided government action, there is clearly a rising tide that seeks to embrace the international mandated paradigm in mental health that overrides and indeed has condemned outdated harmful psychiatric practices to the annals of historic cruelty.
On the cusp of this tidal wave, Open Dialogue as an evidence based human rights based approach to mental health care in therapeutic intervention floats across oceans to many many lands, even Ireland. Most people that may be reading and listening to this will have some idea what we mean by open dialogue and Mad In Ireland have described it elsewhere  when publishing  on the effectiveness of the West Cork Open Dialogue approach as the service was withdrawn a few years ago. The effectiveness of Open Dialogue Approaches in its purist form and indeed in a more pragmatic dialogical practice form is probably indisputable at this stage, though there are critics who argue for more randomized controlled trials to be sure to be sure.

Welcome to the latest Mad In Ireland Fields of Healing podcast episode. It seems fitting that as we move into the time of Imbolg the time when ewes are pregnant with their spring lambs, that we are speaking to a sheep farmer and how he has integrated Social Farming into his family's organic farm. I realise when talking with Matthew that the 'social' in the faming programme is key and can incorporated anything from weaving folklore into the names and traverses of the landscape to popping in for a spot of lunch to the local community centre.
Social farming provides a deep connection to the land and the seasons. It increases self-esteem and improves health and well-being on many levels.  The meaningful farm activities that allow people to participate in day-to-day farm activities are only one aspect of the experience.  The beautiful scenery, trips in the jeep, social connections, home cooking, and family welcome add a different level of expertise that is unmatched by any other opportunity, in Matthews's opinion.  Another aspect of social farming is the interaction with the local farming community. Participants can feel at ease and become part of the community while they are out on their placement.  It is a fantastic opportunity for people living in town settings like Dundalk, who usually wouldn't have the chance to work outdoors and be in nature.
Social Farming in Ireland has the potential to grow, transform and support the well-being of many more people across the generations, from teenagers seeking to leave school to older adults.  Matthew celebrated with social farming teenagers who reached important life milestones, and he recently had a lady participate in social farming on her 80th  birthday. Social farming has been proven to be effective for participants across a range of services, including intellectual disability, mental health, physical disability, addiction services, asylum seekers, long-term unemployed and at-risk youths.

This podcast is with Thom Stewart We met in Dublin city recently where Thom showed me two of his favourite trees. Thom introduces himself as having a foot in two camps. Thom speaks about system change and working inside and outside and his involvement up a peer cafe in Galway - The Galway Community Cafe. Thom outlines why he thinks peer support is a contradiction within a health system. Thom has a wonderful overview of society, systems, care and the professionalisation of peer support: Peer support is relational Requires a real emotional connection Can be practical in nature Thom talks about systems, managerialism and service culture using humour and sarcasm while bringing it back to how people who receive services are sometimes failed. Thom then looks at the health services and how professionals jossle and where peer support fits and how peer support can be prejudiced against. Thom finishes with what peer support would look like in a cooperative and the social determinants of health. Care - Cork University Press Cassie Thornton (feministeconomicsdepartment.com)