NEWS

 

Had an informal get together with a small self help group explaining the programme and answering questions.

I feel some of what i said made sense to them and they could relate to it.

 

I spoke to two groups of people in Newcastle about the Freedom from Fear Recovery Programme.

Some were sufferers, or had a relative who suffered with Anxiety/Panic, one was unable to attend as they were too afraid so the persons mother listened to my presentation.

I asked the organiser for feedback as its not always easy to judge how i'm coming across. Whether that be good ot bad. I was told that my talk was ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! so that was encouraging.

 

I recently gave a talk to a social group of Mental Health sufferers about the programme that helped me.

The response was very good but by the nature of the beast i.e. Mental Health they can be the last people to reach out for help. For various reasons either fear, they have tried other things that havn't work why will this one etc.

I also gave a talk to East Cheshire Hospice about The Camino.

This went down well with lots of questions during and at the end of the talk.

One of the ladies had read a book about the Camino so she was extremely interested in what I had to say.

Just to give another update of what I have been up to.

 

I was invited to Manchester Business School to be on a panel answering questions about  Mental Health and Business. I met lots of people involved with business and Mental Health. I will just see if I can be involved in some way putting forward my ideas with the knowledge that some of the speakers have.

 

I went to a MIND LINK Northern conference recently. I wanted to see what MIND had to say for themselves.

There were only about 12 people there which I was surprised about ,but I know sufferers can find it difficult to get out.

They said that I could get involved in telling my journey to recovery story via the media. On saying that it's the media that dictates what goes in the paper. As in they say what 'type of person' they want to do a story on and MIND find that person from their members. For me this was the most interesting bit as I may through the media get a voice to send a message of hope to sufferers.

This week I managed to get on Radio Stoke LIVE  again ,telling my story of how  I was, and how my life was transformed with the programme!!

 

I am also doing a 3 day course with people that work in the Mental Health arena to see if I can have a voice to pass my message of HOPE to sufferers.

It was a really interesting 3 days. There was 3 presenters talking about Recovery using WRAP- Wellness Recovery Action Plan. A lot of it I felt I related to but not all of it.

The best thing about WRAP is that it isn't set in stone and you make a WRAP up that works for you ,put in what you like and leave out what you don't like. The presentation offers you some ideas and tips and basically you pick out what you want tokeep when you either do your own individual Wrap plan or one you are presenting to others.

I hope to be involved in this putting across information to sufferers and promoting Recovery using the Freedom From Fear Recovery Programme.

 

 

I have given another talk today about the programme Freedom fro Fear to a group of people.

They did well to attend as a few of them found the idea of coming along very frightening. Well done them.

Some of them related to what I had to say about the symptoms of anxiety and panic.

It is hard to determine how much people get from my talks. I get the feeling they may think through it after the event.

I can only do what I can do, it's hard not to have expectations for a good outcome but I domy best!

 

On thursday I spoke to several groups of people about the programme at a large recovery conference in Crewe.

It was very well received. What made it especially interesting was that the main speaker Vic Barlow from the Macclesfied Express said his journey to recovery was using the works of the person that the programme that helped me is based on - Dr. Claire Weekes !!

This adds strength to the fact that what helped me can help others.

I felt that people were really 'getting' what I said and it related to them.

It was a very worthwhile day.

Good News

I have just heard that someone who bought the programme and who's life was limited by her ability to go out is now organising trips out for all the others in the area she lives in.

This is such a success to hear someone's life has changed so much for the better.