Mindfulness and connection practices for helping people experiencing psychosis

In the developing world recovery rates for schizophrenia may be much higher than in Western society with our current medical practices. This may relate to differing use of pharmacology & cultural variation. What can we do as a society and as individuals to help people recover and live a full life?

Anthony Fidler will explore how mindful non-judgemental awareness can ease the process of living with extreme emotional sensitivity and challenging experiences often not shared or understood by those around. He will cover psychiatries issues with this and attempt to bring perspective to the risks.

Anthony will also explore how human connection practices in particular using touch can help people learn to connect more authentically with themselves and others. When you are well connected to others, you are less likely to re-experience psychosis and if you do, it will be easier to return from and re-stabilise.

About Anthony Fidler:
After graduating from Cambridge University in 1992 with a degree and a breakdown, Anthony managed 3 years in professional work before abandoning the pretense that all was well. What followed was a 20-year journey exploring Zen, Tai chi & Japanese Hara Touch while navigating, over a 10 year period, recurring mild to extreme psychosis/spiritual states. Apart from an 8 month period in 2001, this was lived without medication or psychiatric supervision.

We will start the talk at 7 but feel free to come from 6.30. We will be done by 8.30pm and those who want to can come to the pub. The David Spicer lecture theatre is in the Mile End road campus of Queen Mary, University of London, near Mile End Tube. Its building number 31 on this map:

http://www.qmul.ac.uk/docs/about/26065.pdf