Reframing Mental distress as a potential catalyst for positive change

John’s story is the epitome of how the trauma of a difficult start in life can catalyse transformation. John, also fondly known down under as the Mindfulness Mentor, now dedicates his life to supporting other people to transform their lives. A huge warm welcome John to the #Emerging Proud family! ❤

Gooday from Downunder! I was born in 1952 and experienced physical and mental abuse as a child. By the age of twelve, I was also sexually abused by a neighbour. By age fourteen, I was wagging school and out of control. By age sixteen, I was homeless, living on the streets and in trouble with the law. I spent time in youth detention and, with the help of an excellent mentor, was able to get my life on track. At age twenty-one, I got married and started a family, life was good.
At age thirty, and on my Dad’s 65th birthday in 1982, I died and was revived after a horrific truck accident. I believed that there was a reason why I was alive and started a quest to get answers. Despite extensive study into ancient history, cultures and religions, all I got was mental and addiction disorders.
My life fell apart, not so much because of substantial physical injuries, but because of the fifteen years of mental suffering that followed. My mind was like a drunken monkey, very busy and all over the place! I experienced psychosis later that year and spent time in a psych ward. I was diagnosed with mental ‘illness’ and prescribed medications. I had similar episodes in 1984, 1987 and 1992; the only thing that stopped me from suiciding was a tiny whisper that kept saying ‘There’s a reason… you’ll get through this!’
By 1997, I was rock bottom. Mental health professionals told me that I would never be cured, that I would have to take medication for the rest of my life and that I would never work again. I was ashamed that I had mental ‘illness’ and refused to talk about it or get help from outside the ‘system’. It was my dark secret. That was when I got my ‘miracle’. An old friend, who I hadn’t seen since before my accident, knocked on my door and told me his story. Two days later, I experienced a Spiritual Awakening and my life slowly started to change. No more depression and no more medications!
I now call that chapter of my life, my fifteen ‘dark’ years. It was a roller coaster of feelings, emotions and experiences. I value my ‘dark’ years now because I overcame many fears and learned heaps of life lessons. My quest for knowledge and answers continued. I now know the truth about what happened to me. In 82, 84, 87 & 1992, I experienced what is known as Spiritual Crisis or Emergency. I had no way of knowing what was really going on until my old friend shared his story. It was that story that led to my Spiritual Emergence in 1997. I got my life back and have never looked back, except to see how far I’ve come.
I also now know that bipolar is a gift. It’s not a gift that you would wish on anyone, that’s for sure! But when you wake up to what’s really going on, it is life changing. I have had times of ‘mania’ in 97, 03, 09, 13 and 2018. These are simply times when I am totally inspired. I require no medication because I am in control of my mind rather than my mind controlling me. Today, I live with both peace of mind and clarity of mind. Never lose hope my friends, there was a time when hope was all that kept me alive. Be well and remember… You are Not your thoughts!
Love, Joy & Peace Always!

More about John, An Author, Mindfulness Coach, Shaman and all round awesome human! …

I am an Australian Mindfulness Master, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist and ACT Therapist (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy). I am also a modern day Shaman and Spiritual Healer. I have vast experience mentoring people (including youth) who have been diagnosed with mental ‘illness’. I have put my heart and soul into gaining the knowledge and experience necessary to fulfil my purpose and have achieved great success. There are three main reasons for my success:

1. Lived Experience

Throughout that time, I felt that there was a calling on my life, something driving me. I wasn’t always unwell, there were times when I was well enough to function. In 1986, I completed my first course in counselling as a volunteer with the Smith Family. This connected me with my calling and I also completed Front Wheel Counselling in 1990 and Youth Counselling in 1996. I was happy helping others but, like all of us, I was still struggling with unhelpful and negative thoughts.

2. Knowledge

The skin of knowledge is love, as your knowledge grows, so does your love! I value my ‘dark’ years now because I overcame many fears and learned heaps of life lessons. My quest for knowledge and answers continued. I now know the truth about what happened to me. In 82, 84, 87 & 1992, I experienced what is known as Spiritual Emergency. I had no way of knowing what was really going on until my old friend shared his story. It was that story that led to my Spiritual Emergence in 1997.

I got my life back and worked again. I fulfilled a childhood dream and opened Shearers Cue Sport which was a pool hall in the main street of Wagga Wagga. My counselling skills got a workout in those excellent years between 2003 and 2009. Teens especially benefited from my one-on-one sessions. They didn’t realise that they were being counselled which I believe was a huge factor for my successful mentoring.

Early in 2009, my wife and I decided to move to a warmer climate due to her asthma. What would I do? I searched my heart and decided to surf the internet to find out the latest news in mental health. What I found was a book called The Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ Harris. It was about ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) which is a mindfulness based therapy. I started a personal mindful practice and was trained by Russ as an ACT Therapist.

We moved to Grafton later in 2009 where I started working as a part-time youth mentor with Juvenile Justice and also started my part-time business called Mindfulness Coach. I felt driven by my purpose, so I started what was to become over 9,000 hours of intensive study. I researched the many aspects of mindfulness as well as learning valuable techniques in hypnotherapy and psychotherapy. I gained much knowledge and wisdom before retiring from Juvenile Justice in 2017 to focus on my mindfulness work. Today, thanks to a sound mindful practice, I live with both peace of mind and clarity of mind. I have the answers I was seeking, but my quest for knowledge will never end.

3. Wisdom

Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from living. I will always be very passionate about my purpose which is sharing my wisdom. On 11-11-11, I launched a facebook page called Mindfulness Mentor which now has over 650,000 ‘likers’. In May 2014, I invited Australians with mental suffering to an online event called Mindfulness Day. (1st Sunday in May) 4,700 people attended the month long event and it was hugely successful with hundreds of lives transformed. The event became my first book Mindful Actions.

In 2015, I founded mindfullyMAD.org (mindfully Making A Difference). My vision became our vision as many others joined me. Our vision is world mental health without medication. Our mission is love, peace and happiness through the practice of mindfulness. Our objective is to lobby for mindfulness in schools. Our focus is prevention of mental suffering and suicide. It is also a place to find a mindfulness mentor or tell your story.

In 2016, I founded the Mindfulness Mentoring Institute to train people to be mindfulness mentors by way of a certificate course called Keys to Mindfulness Mentoring. Mentor means a wise and trusted counsellor, teacher or coach. Parents and GP’s have also found the course to be very valuable.

In 2017, I launched my year long mentoring service called Mindful Insights. It is aimed at people who have a heart to help others but need to work on themselves first. It is the culmination of my vast experience, knowledge and wisdom packed into 52 weeks. The first 6 weeks is devoted to having a good look at yourself. The next 33 weeks is learning how to develop a genuine mindful practice. The last 13 weeks is learning the skills for Mindfulness Mentoring.

Be Mindful… Pause… Connect! 

Mindfully Yours with Love, Joy & Peace Always! – John Shearer MM

Hannah Hardy came along to the CRAZYWISE film screening this weekend and felt inspired to share her story…

Hannah’s psychic experiences as a child didn’t concern her, it was the Western culture in which she was raised that made it into a problem. This is such a common theme, and Hannah has channelled the pain of her enforced childhood denial into setting up a service for children so that their natural abilities can be welcomed and nurtured.

Thank you so much Hannah, you most certainly should be very proud ❤

Hannah explains:

The vision of children.

It felt natural to me as a young child that I could travel beyond my body, that I could see and commune with spirits and I could see the hidden suffering in others. This truth felt safe to me as it was just that, the truth beyond our illusion. The difficulty arose when I realised that I was seeing things and experiencing things which others could not. I had no peer support and my family (apart from my father who is also very psychic) began to stigmatise my view of the world.

I remember being about 7 and realising that I needed a special nature of community support, but had no vocabulary to contextualise what I needed. As there was no fear connected to my heightened vision, I felt that I was experiencing something very special and felt a deep sense of sadness for others around me who were trapped in their own illusion of what they concieved reality to be, as I experienced it as expansive, connected and all loving. To survive amongst my peers I chose to play the game and conform to what society told me was normal.

Over the years incredible things happened which quietly confirmed my higher guidance such as several events in which my life was saved miraculously. For example, my guides telling me not to get the train I was intended to go on (the Potters Bar incident), someone in a pub trying to swing a chair at my head and it miraculously rebounding in the air. Another time I had my children in the car and was coming up to a give way with a blind corner and my guides told me to stop several meters before the line. At that moment an enormous lorry appeared from behind the blind corner and would have smashed into the car had I gone up to the line. I feel blessed that my life has been filled with this magic and these miracles.

I chose to conform and it got me through, but not satisfied, feeling a sense of incompleteness and lack.

In 2012 whilst living in France my young cat had an intestinal problem and the vet wanted to put him down, I was told to take him home to say goodbye and to bring him back in the morning. I cried with my cat and not knowing what I was doing I was guided to open my heart and to send my cat love. In the morning my cat had transformed, he was sprightly and glowing. I took him back to the vet who did the checks and scans. When the vet returned he looked amazed and just said “What have you done?!” my cat was cured. This event showed me that my higher vision was not an illness but a gift which began my journey in healing

Trauma healing.

We all have our own truths, as these exist they are real and need to be given the safe space to be seen and released. I visualise this as going to a still lake with a pebble, you throw the pebble in and it creates a ripple effect. In modern medicine they often deal with the outer ripples (often masking the problem). Through energy healing I am able to get right to the centre, to the point of impact, to bring the pattern back to alignment and flow. To allow the energy to flow with ease rather than ‘dis-ease’. In my healing practice I use muscle response to allow the higher self of the person to guide me to energetic blockages with the intention to support the person back to alignment so their energy flows harmoniously through all levels of their being. Trauma is held in our energetic memory, this trauma can be held from childhood, from past lives. And from our collective trauma.

From working with many people and witnessing many miracles, I increasingly understand that my role is to hold safe space of non judgment for the soul to witness itself and flow through. Many traumas are stored in our subconscious and act as ‘safety blankets’ meaning that we have carried them around for so long that we believe that we are defined by them- but they are just patterns which can be released. The more I clear my own hidden traumas and the traumas of others the more I realised that we are clearing collective patterns and that we are all connected in consciousness.

The power of compassion and connection.

This takes us back to the simplicity of healing, creating a safe space to remember compassion and connection, which can emerge anywhere at anytime, we have the power in this moment to change our past, present, future and our collective consciousness.

The building of community.

Due to my lack of peer support as a child I founded The Free Spirit School, a visionary group to support the avatars of tomorrow in a safe held space. The children range from 7-11 and I amazed at the ease, grace and joy in which they connect to their higher vision and share this with their peers. Normalising their higher vision, exploring ways to encourage compassion and connection and ways in which they are able to help themselves, others and to connect with their life purpose. We explore Indigenous spiritual cultures and how they connect the personal to the universal, we invite highly experienced holistic practitioners and it feels such a powerful experience in supporting the children to ground and trust in their own higher truth.

Hannah Hardy is a prize winning artist she is a shamanic healer. She has founded The Free Spirit Network and The Free Spirit School for the visionaries of tomorrow, which is about to be launched as a book and online course with a percentage of sales being donated to Survival International.

Stories heal. Hearing Demi’s story through her songs was all it took to turn Abbie’s life around, and now she wants to do the same for other young people who might be struggling like she was…

Here Abbie tells her story:

Growing up I was bullied. I began to self harm and feel incredibly suicidal, it was something that I would think about every day, from what car I could jump in front to what building I could jump off. It sort of became a way of life for me. I didn’t realise then but I had depression, I just thought there was something wrong with me as no one was talking about this kind of thing so I felt completely alone. This happened right up to the age of 18.

One day in January 2014 I was sitting in the car with my mum, Skyscraper by Demi Lovato came on the radio, it was the first time I’d really listened to the words, I was choked up, there was so much depth in those lyrics that I’d never heard before.

Later that night I was feeling triggered, I was numb and needed to cry, remembering how Skyscraper had made me feel earlier I searched it on YouTube, I cried. The words were so powerful to me. At the side were suggestions, Demi Lovato’s Warrior. I listened to this wonderful song and I just broke down, how could someone I’d never met be able to sing all the words and feelings I’d ever wanted to be:

‘Now I’m a warrior

Now I’ve got thicker skin

I’m a warrior

I’m stronger than I’ve ever been

And my armour

Is made of steel you can’t get in

I’m a warrior

And you can never hurt me again’.

Another suggestion came up of Demi’s Believe In Me, I clicked it, once again she sang the most powerful lyrics but this time is was everything I was feeling right now, all those words I just couldn’t say:

‘I don’t wanna be afraid

I wanna wake up feeling beautiful

Today

And know that I’m okay

‘Cause everyone’s perfect in unusual ways

You see I

Just wanna believe in me’.

One more suggestion came up at the side, ‘Demi Lovato opens up about cutting’

My world was turned upside down by this video, how could this Disney princess silently go through so much? That night I realised that if Demi could go through all this and more in the limelight then I could too and come out better. That night I didn’t hurt myself.

Of course it hasn’t been an easy journey, I relapsed a few times. I met Demi in September 2014, she was sweet and hugged me tight.

I relapsed again in the October of that year, but I have not hurt myself since, I am proud to say I have been self harm free since October 17th 2014.

In January 2015 I posted a video of my story to that wonderful song that made so much difference; Warrior. Is has racked up around 50 thousand views and I am so proud.

Ever since then I have been making videos online on my Facebook page Abbie Foster’s StayStrong. Spreading the messages of recovery & positivity far and wide.

I also work with a few charities such as Fixers, Respect Yourself, The Missing Kind,  The Being Me Campaign & more. I am also working with the BBC radio and online to share my story.

Thanks to Demi and her story, I am able to make a difference & I am forever thankful to her for this and much more.

Without her opening up I wouldn’t be here and that I’m sure of.

I want to continue making a difference as much as I can, I want young people to know that their lives will get better & they will feel stronger. Just like I did.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Have a beautiful day 💕

Abbie 
Abbie Foster’s StayStrong

Well done Abbie for your dedication to help relieve suffering ❤

Follow Abbie on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AbbieFostersStayStrong/

and YouTube 

The 17th March 2018 saw over 120 people gather at the Puppet Theatre in Norwich to watch the inspirational CRAZYWISE film, talk with Producer Phil Borges, and be entertained by the Norwich Rock Choir!

During the event we asked the audience to consider the question;

“What resources would you most like to see provided by mental health services in order to support people better?”

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE IDEAS PEOPLE SHARED IN AN OUTCOMES REPORT

A visual depiction of the outcomes…

With huge thanks to all the Attendees, KindaListening, Norwich Rock Choir, NSFT and Norwich MIND for your support in making this such a successful event ❤

Transcendence: A Spiritual Emergence Showcase

This exhibition will be held in NYC on May 12 as part of International Emerging Proud Day 2018.

We are currently accepting inspired artistic expressions. Visual, musical, and poetic submissions that were inspired by the spiritual emergence process will be accepted through April 15.

Please send entries (jpg images, audio files) and a brief description of the piece to Katrina at events@thecuriousspirit.org

Entries that are not selected for the NYC live show will be included in a virtual multi-media gallery both in NYC and possibly at Emerging Proud events all over the world.

Because transcendent experiences are non linear and ineffable, creative expression offers a non-threatening way for these experiences to be shared. Many who have been through spiritual emergency have been traumatized by erroneously being diagnosed and treated for a mental illness. The hallmark of spiritual emergence is that, while it may sometimes display regressive ailments due to repressed trauma coming up to heal, it can inevitably lead to a higher level of functioning. This event is intended to normalize, build community, and offer resources for those undergoing spiritual emergence/spiritual emergency.

Thank you to Tee and Katrina at The Curious Spirit for this inspired work and your continued support of #EmergingProud! ❤

Here’s a sneaky peek of what we have in store for those of you joining us for this unique event in Norwich on Saturday:

There’s still time to grab your seat! BOOK HERE NOW 

In line with NSFT’s ‘Sustainability Transformation Plan’, We’ll be asking all attendees the question: “What resources would you most like to see provided by mental health services to support people better?”

Come along and have your say… All voices matter ❤

There’s still time to grab your seat! BOOK HERE NOW 

We are really excited to announce that we’re soon to launch the first Emerging Kind Online Peer Support Group!

To watch the film for FREE between the 19th March and the 9th April,  CLICK HERE, click on ‘Rent’ and input the password: EmergingKindFreeview  These are the kind of experiences that Ellie will be providing space to discuss and support to integrate. Thank you Ellie, from the bottom of my heart and from all of the peers who need a space to feel validated and heard, you really are an Emerging Kind! ❤ 

Amy’s story is sadly common for women; self- depreciation and self- loathing can lead to compulsive and destructive behaviours. But Amy managed to turn her life around, and now she inspires others to do the same. Here is Amy’s emergence journey:

How I started to heal my relationship with my body.

I remember being 12 or 13 years old, about to go and meet with my boyfriend at the time. Looking in the mirror and dissecting everything that was “wrong” with me. I had facial hair, my nose was wonky, I had crinkles under my eyes, my teeth were crooked, I was too big, my shoulders were way too broad.

This was my reality. It only grew worse from there. The never ending black whole of self-criticism, self-judgment and self-rejection followed me around, feeding on my self-talk, every day it grew and grew, until eventually it was so heavy it was unbearable to be with.

I had always turned to food for comfort. Whether I was stressed, anxious or even just bored. Food was my number one source of relief. It provided a temporary release of pain and a safe haven for the intense emotion that oftentimes felt too much for me to hold in my body.

When I was 18, things got real bad. My skin was red and angrily inflamed with severe acne. My eating was out of control I was spending so much money on processed, empty foods. I was stuffing myself until I could barely move. I felt embarrassed and I felt ashamed.

I felt like I was a terrible human with no willpower and what I saw in the mirror confirmed that every single day.

I just remember thinking “Why is this happening?”

I discovered 2 things:

1. Eating Psychology and Mind-Body Nutrition, that helped me see my body was not the enemy, it was not out to get me. I learned that both my soul and my body were communicating to me through different symptoms and habits. This was key for me to really start to heal my relationship with my body and embrace my soul. I started to understand that my body was doing the best it could with the internal and external environments I was providing for it.
2. A quote that changed everything for me:

“What if like isn’t about becoming anything, what if it’s about Unbecoming everything that isn’t you so you could be who you were meant to be in the first place”– Unknown

I realised that for as long as I could remember I had been being and doing what I thought people wanted me to be doing or what they expected of me. I realised that I had no sense of what emotional intelligence was, what my purpose in this lifetime was. I had no idea who I was and so began the process of Unbecoming and UNlearning the limiting beliefs I had embodied and told myself every day. Things like “I need to be pretty, flawless and thin to be someone in this world”

I started asking questions like “what do I really want?”  “Why am I here?” “How best can I help other people?”

I couldn’t possibly have spent any time on these questions before because all my time and energy was concentrated on self-loathing. It was spent on wondering why I wasn’t as pretty, as flawless or as thin as the other girls and women around me.

My mind was consumed with toxic beliefs that made me feel worthless, powerless and undesirable.

Healing our relationships with our bodies doesn’t come from obtaining the “perfect” body because there is no such thing. It comes from being kind to ourselves, from appreciating all our beautiful imperfection and understanding that our bodies are our ally in life, not our enemy.

By no means is my binge eating eradicated completely or is my life a self-rejecting free party. It’s a life-long journey of recovery and some days are easier than others to be kind and compassionate to myself. But the freedom that self-acceptance has provided me is tremendous and has inspired me to help support others on their journeys.

Welcome to the #EmergingProud community Amy! ❤

Amy will be joining a group of brave #Emergees to share their stories on International #EmergingProud SoMe day in Norwich on the 12th May 2018. Pop by and talk to her!

Amy is a Certified Eating Psychology Coach, specialising in Compulsive Eating, Cultivating a healthy body image culture and empowering women to transform the relationships with the food they eat and the body they’re in from one of shame and guilt to one of nourishment and pleasure.

She is Founder and Director of the social enterprise SoulShine which aims to empower people of all ages to live their fullest and most authentic lives.

Find out more information at www.soul-shine.org.uk

Join Amy’s Facebook group: “Embrace” Yourself & Your Body with SoulShine

Facebook: @soulshinehealingAmy

Instagram: @soulshine94

Twitter: @soulshineyou

Even the most famous spiritual figures are speaking out. This week saw Oprah talk about  how childhood trauma impacts people’s live, and Teal Swan made a video expressing her anger at the current mental health paradigm. I couldn’t agree more, it’s SBBS (spiritual bypassing bullshit) to deny strong emotions, and can keep us stuck in non- action.

We need people to speak out in order for necessary change to occur. In order for people who are already traumatised, not to be re- traumatised by a system that focuses only on the problem and not on the solution.

In actual fact, if you have been diagnosed with a label of pathology:

“There is nothing wrong with you….your behaviours are adapations which occured to keep you safe in trauma.” 

As our society progresses, diagnoses won’t exist at all. Touché Teal, Touché ❤