Reframing Mental distress as a potential catalyst for positive change

Dear colleague, are you a licensed therapist?

Would you be willing to take 8 minutes to fill out a questionnaire for a research study?

Your participation would be very much appreciated!

Please see details on the study below:

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We cordially invite you to participate in a research study conducted by MSc students Martin, Paul, Katie, and Shabnam as part of Alef Trust’s graduate programme in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Transpersonal Psychology in collaboration with Liverpool John Moores University, UK,

The purpose of this study is to explore psychotherapists’ sense of connectedness with oneself, others, and the world.

If you meet the following participation criteria, we encourage you to complete an online questionnaire that will take approximately 8 minutes to finish:

– Licensed psychotherapist

– Minimum of 2 years of clinical practice

– Age between 30 to 60 years

– Proficient in the English language

If this is you, please follow the link below to access the questionnaire:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YFTTGL6

Your participation is voluntary, anonymous, and confidential, and you may withdraw at any time. Your responses will be used solely for research purposes.

If you have any queries or require additional information, please feel free to email any of us:

Martin Leitner: m.leitner@2021.ljmu.ac.uk

Paul Norris: P.S.Norris@2021.ljmu.ac.uk

Shabnam Faltenbach: s.v.faltenbacher@2021.ljmu.ac.uk

Katie Mottram: K.Mottram@2021.ljmu.ac.uk

Study Supervisor: Tadas Stumbrys, PhD. Email address: tadas.stumbrys@aleftrust.org

Thank you for considering contributing to this research project. Please feel free to share this with your networks.

With warm regards,

Martin, Paul, Katie and Shabnam

People diagnosed with having experienced an episode of ‘psychosis’ are often excluded from taking part in research, however, this study seeks to have an impact on understanding how psychedelics can harm or benefit people who have been excluded from previous clinical trials of psychedelics.

Click HERE for more information and to take part

At this time, we are only interested in the experiences of people who have used psychedelics after their first psychotic episode.

Click HERE for more information and to take part

“I am not an individual, I am an Ecosystem”

Reginald Haslett-Marroquin

Reconnect – Regenerate – Remember

Re-connect with the natural world around you.
Re-generate your love for our beautiful planet.
Re-member that you are an intrinsic part of the eco-system.

There is an invitation in the air at the moment for us to deeply reconnect to ourselves and the natural world around us. If you are drawn to doing this and are especially drawn to plant consciousness and sensing in to how to ‘speak’ to plants and the plant realm, there is an opportunity to come together and learn some techniques to do so.

Facilitator

Kate Fisher has always been a nature lover as so many of us sensitives are. She started her plant consciousness journey studying magical herbalism and self studied medicinal herbalism. Coming to the end of those courses she sensed into knowing there was a deeper level to know the plants and found the concept of plant shamanism. After reading up and learning as much theory as she could, for a while she wanted to experience it for herself, so travelled to different countries; Philippines, America and Peru, learning from the Shamans and plants there. It is now a part of her everyday life as she is continuing to live and learn the old traditions and permaculture and regenerative agriculture principles.

This inspiring course, offered by Kate, is starting near Yule (21^st Dec) on the weekend on 17^th and 18^th December as this helps connects us deeper to the cycle of the year and in doing so, the cycles of nature. Starting at this time helps us to feel into ourselves as a seedling being planted in the dark Earth, bringing what we need into us to germinate and create a seedling. It is beginning with self reflection so we can then differentiate the signals from ourselves (on all levels) and then have clearer conversations with the plant realm.

“We come in to go out, just as plants grow down to grow up” Kate

This will be an organic, ongoing offering that asks for a commitment so that the group can develop at a similar pace and grows trust amongst the participants.

“It helps us become a human grove; sharing knowledge, wisdom, tools, techniques and so much more.” Kate

AIM: Meeting once a month, out in the Norfolk (UK) countryside, for a few hours to develop skills and learn techniques for connecting.

This course is being offered via a gift economy. This means that in the outdated paradigm you would be asked to pay £20 or more to attend, however with the gift economy the flexibility allows trust to enable you to pay what you can. This way finances are not a hurdle for anyone to attend. If you are feeling abundant and can share more sometimes than others, your place is guaranteed.

If you would like to join us, please visit Kates page HERE

or email Kate directly at: kate-fisher@hotmail.co.uk

“I look forward to communicating with you” Nature 🙂

Don’t miss this ground- breaking event. A huge array of world- leading Speakers to enjoy:

Reserve your place via this link (donation only)

Reserve your place via this link (donation only)

Links to the recording of festival presentations will be made available to delegates after the event.

From a psychiatric perspective, psychosis is generally viewed as a psychopathological and often incomprehensible mental disorder of biological cause. In his book, Brian Spittles argues that this represents a rather limited view, and that a psychospiritual investigation of psychosis may enable a better understanding of its nature and determinants. His aim is not to negate the discipline of psychiatry, but to demonstrate the viability and efficacy of incorporating psychospiritual considerations into psychosis research.

Within these pages, Brian challenges several core psychiatric beliefs, and calls for the discipline to extend its investigative parameters beyond the limited epistemological bounds of materialism. The book uses an open-ended heuristic approach that enables the systematic examination and critical appraisal of views on psychosis across the materialist-to-metaphysical spectrum. This is structured in four ‘Focal Settings’ that sequentially examine the construal of psychosis within different paradigms of psychospiritual understanding, which provide a historical overview of evolving understandings of psychosis within the tradition of psychiatry, in which psychospiritual matters are generally not considered.

About the Author – Dr Brian Spittles is a member of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium which aims to integrate clinical, scientific, and spiritual paradigms to improve therapeutic outcomes. He is also a co-Director of the recently incorporated Australian Centre for Consciousness Studies. His research interests are eclectic and multidisciplinary. These include consciousness studies, transpersonal psychology, psychosis, mental health recovery, quantum physics, meditation, Buddhism, shamanism, mysticism, nature studies, and indigenous knowledge/healing systems. Brian is also involved in the climate emergency, environmental protection, and social justice arenas.

ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

Add the code: PS20 at the checkout to receive a 20% discount

We are sad to announce that our not-for-profit publishing arm of the campaign, Emerging Proud Press has officially closed.

With the first 4 Pocket Books of Hope and Transformation being created in a publishing frenzy in 2019, the impact of Covid-19 on our funding stream meant that we were unable to progress as planned with the next 4 books of the series. Despite this, through generous donations and royalties from initial sales, we were able to distribute over 500 free books worldwide to spread messages of hope to people in need.

Valiant efforts from the Eye Inspire Rep, Yvette and the Muslim Pocket Book team to raise funds to publish their own books, meant that we held the hope of keeping the company open to offer budding Authors the opportunity to publish and keep 100% of their royalties.

Eye Inspire, Emerging Proud through Eye Sight Loss will continue to be available HERE

Muslims Emerging Proud through Mental Distress will continue to be available HERE

The first 4 books in the series will unfortunately no longer be available for sale.

We do, however, have a small stock of books left, which we’d like to make available for free to any Mental Health support facilities / organisations / charities – please get in touch if you’d like to be sent a few complimentary copies.

We are so very proud of, and grateful to all of the incredible ‘Emergees’ who bravely shared their personal stories in order to support others going through similar challenges … this project was successful thanks to you all, and we believe that the ripples will continue long after our door has closed.

As one door closes… ❤

“Because labels don’t tell truthful stories.”

Check out out events from September – Mid November. We’ve got a lot going on that continues to challenge the culture of diagnosis and disorder and the pathologising of emotional distress.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE DONATION- BASED EVENTS

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR TICKET

This September 2022 Drop the Disorder are continuing to make waves and share common sense to the masses about why the current diagnostic mental health system is so harmful.

With world- renowned speakers, including Professor Joanna Moncrieff who has splashed media headlines recently with research which capsizes the chemical imbalance theory, this is an event not- to- be missed.

Please sign up to join us and please help to spread the word as much as possible.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR TICKET

Hosts:

Dr Lucy Johnstone, Jo Watson, John Wilson, Dr Akima Thomas

Schedule:

9am BST John Wilson – Open and welcome

Jo Watson – Introduction to the festival.

Dr Lucy Johnstone – The critique of psychiatric diagnosis and why we need a better way forward.

Matt Ball & Indigo Daya – Activists for change in Austrailia

Dr Margot Sunderland – On trauma informed work in schools.

Panel discussion – Psychiatric Drugs

Prof John Read

Stevie Lewis

Zev Faith

Prof Joanna Moncrieff

Dr Rani Bora

Dr James Davies – The Politics of Distress – How the mental health sector came to serve Neoliberalism.

Dr Gabor Mate – A Conversation about Gabor’s new book “The Myth Of Normal”

Panel Discussion – Is climate change making us crazy?

Dr Lucy Johnstone

Annie Mitchell

Gareth Morgan

Carla Denyer

Dr Khadj Rouf

Dr Akima Thomas OBE – Title to be confirmed

Bob Whitaker – The Scientific Collapse of the DSM’s Model of Care

Panel discussion – Are we on the brink of change?

Prof Peter Kinderman

Rebecca Donaldson

Hári Sewell

James Barnes

Keynote presentation by Dr Jacqui Dillon – First Do No Harm – a keynote talk on iatrogenic harm.

Close of day – 5.30pm

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR TICKET

Don’t miss this ground- breaking event. A myriad of fabulous speakers – more to be announced soon…

In additon to the inspirational Dr Gabor Mate, Dr Margot Sunderland will be joining the AD4E Online Festival line-up on 16th September

Reserve your place via this link (donation only)

Links to the recording of festival presentations will be made available to delegates after the event.

Margot is Director of Education and Training at The Centre for Child Mental Health London, CEO of The Higher Education Psychotherapy training college, The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education ( academic partner of University of East London), Honorary Visiting Fellow at London Metropolitan University, Senior Associate Member of the Royal College of Medicine, and Co-Director of Trauma Informed Schools Uk. Dr Sunderland is also Child Psychotherapist with over thirty years experience of working with children and families.

She is also  the author of over twenty books in the field of child mental health, which collectively have been translated into eighteen languages and published in twenty-four countries.  Her internationally acclaimed book, “The Science of Parenting” (Dorling Kindersley) http://www.dorlingkindersley.co.uk, won First Prize in the British Medical Association Medical Book awards 2007 Popular Medicine section. (Paperback version entitled “What Every Parent Needs to Know”). The book, endorsed by one of the world’s leading affective neuroscientists, Professor Jaak Panksepp, is the result of ten years research on the long-term effects of adult-child interaction on the developing brain. Dr Sunderland has two doctorates, one in child psychotherapy, thesis entitled “The Application of Art and Science to the Psychological Treatment of Children

Dr Sunderland was a member of the Early Years Commission, Centre for Social Justice, Westminster and co- author of the cross party advisory report “The Next Generation” (early years intervention). She is also founder of the “Helping Where it Hurts’ programme which offers free arts therapy to troubled children in Islington Primary schools. She directed the Gulbenkian funded research study, which in liaison with University of Cambridge School of Education, measured outcomes for this intervention. Dr Sunderland makes TV and radio appearances as a child and parenting expert. Overall, she is concerned to ensure that parents, teachers and mental health professionals alike, are offered the most up to date psychological and brain science research on how children and young people can be enabled to thrive. She is passionate about social change for a kinder, warmer world.

Reserve your place via this link (donation only)

Reserve your place via this link (donation only)