The International Storytelling\nfor Health Conference at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once upon a time, there\nwas a conference, unlike any other conference that had been before. The\nbusiness suits and ties were transformed into floral prints, casual dress and\nfunky outfits. When night was nigh, I walked in to hear a metaphorical story of\nprincesses, soldiers and devilish monsters. Accompanied by a violin and cello,\nthis performance is presented to an audience with athletic imaginations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Norwegian woman is\nintroduced. A bright yellow chiffon dress appears, with a clash-tastic pink\nshawl. She combines physical performance with Nordic mythology, intertwined\nwith the heart-breaking story of her son, a fellow storyteller, getting mouth\ncancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hosted by Arts for Health,\nthis is the second Storytelling Conference for Health to be held. The\nconference runs with a morning introduction session, a tea break, followed by\nseveral parallel sessions across different nearby sites, each with a theme. Attendees\nare encouraged to go where they will be inspired most and where they will want\nto share their story. There is an atmosphere of creativity, welcomed critique\nand compliments. Requests to share and delve deeper into someone\u2019s story are\nthe ultimate gestures of flattery, breaking the British barriers of personal\nspace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may be imagining a\nroom full of archetypal hippies, Professor Trelawneys and poets in\nhand-me-downs, with a vegan buffet at lunch time. There was a vegan buffet – it\nwas delicious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
PowerPoints are barely acknowledged\nas stories are told from the mind and mouth. There is a myriad of thoughts,\nwords and sounds. The stories are sculpting the minds of the healthcare\nprofessionals, service users, patients of past-times, relatives and industry\nworkers who are attending. It is a world away from the computers and case notes\nwe are used to. The performances take time and are purposefully indulgent. The\nsocial class does appear constant, with the few specks of diversity speaking on\nbehalf of their unrepresented community. I hope not to hear too many stories from\nan already outspoken group. I learn of digital stories, patient experiences and\npowerful recitals, evoking something beyond an endeavour to employ teamwork and\nleadership skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling is described\nthroughout the conference as an innate ability. Related to anecdotes and ghost\nstories, the familiar warmth of the event strikes me the most. Ever told a\nstory to a group of friends and had an appreciative response? It is a\nconference of that amplified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some may think, well,\nwhat\u2019s the point? Just go down the pub and discuss the week\u2019s shenanigans. But\nin healthcare, telling a story of a previous patient to comfort someone who has\njust been diagnosed, can be the difference between alienation and peace of mind.\nIt is the influence of the lived experience, with no reference made to\nstatistics. The culture of the conference is to allow someone to take control\nof the narrative, especially for patients. Storytelling is praised as an\nameliorative mechanism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My first session covers \u201cWriting\nfor Wellbeing\u201d. Speakers talk of the mindful effects of writing and how they\ncan feel isolated without it; their motto being write, rest, restore. I can\nrelate to that feeling, knowing the delightful relief of manically typing when\nI have an urge to write. There is very little fear of humiliation or shame,\nwith all speakers repeatedly describing the conference as a safe space. Chairs\ntalk of the courage needed to write as we claim our validity through telling\nthe story. There is a willingness for self-responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One speaker sums up storytelling in an insightful way. She sees it as an equaliser. Whether there is direct involvement, sympathy or just an interest, everyone loves to listen to a story.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anne-Marie et al. present BORDERLINE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Three women stand in a\nline. The first steps forward and tells us, \u201cThis performance is dedicated to\nKirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anne-Marie: a mental\nhealth nurse for 30-odd years turned lecturer, emotionally bombards you with\nher performance, recounting childhood to present day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She begins with a punch in the gut, highlighting the woes of the NHS amidst our Brexit crisis, and scouts you with a plea bordering that of a beggar. With the industry growing, Anne-Marie foresees the mass anxiety that will cloak the world when the demand overwhelms the supply of mental health staff. Brief glimmers of smiles and laughter from her childhood story draw you in, sucking on the lollipop she\u2019s gifting you, until she snatches it away, saying we\u2019ve not yet done enough to deserve such sweetness. Exposing her own family affiliations and influences, she bares herself and her passion, illustrating the generational developments within mental health. Her devotion for her work is evident. Nicky: an extraordinary\nwoman with nothing but great intentions, and clearly no stranger to the stage.\nShe is telling Kirsty\u2019s story, a service user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Borderline personality\ndisorder (BPD) is an inescapable chaos. Consuming and controlling, it affects\nmore women than men, and to be diagnosed you must tick five of nine boxes. But\nwhat is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n With rapidly increasing\ndiagnoses of BPD, it is clear from Kirsty\u2019s account it is being stigmatised at\nan equally fast rate. Her stories prove the extent of just how much BPD has\nbecome a label. Doctors have refused to treat her, and she has been prescribed\nthe same medication that she overdosed on. Kirsty is, understandably, at the\nbrink of her trust in the system. She wants the realities to be known and to be\ntreated as a stand-alone patient. She wants mental health to become as routine\nas blood pressure and heart rate, and I can\u2019t see why it shouldn\u2019t. Nicky,\nwhether down to her acting ability or her own personal experience of mental\nhealth problems, is conveying the helplessness felt by many service users who\nwant to feel understood and not judged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sylwia: a newly qualified nurse who will make the profession proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally from Poland, Sylwia gives us hope. Enthusiastically recounting the \u201ccolourful\u201d people she was drawn to back in her hometown, she laughs about the influences of religion and being called \u201ccrazy\u201d on them. It\u2019s refreshingly palatable. During Sylwia\u2019s nursing\ntraining, Kirsty came into a lecture and told her story. For Sylwia, this was a\npivotal moment. She became emotional and felt a dynamic change amongst the\ncohort. Others began to share their stories, and the importance of holistic\ncare and non-judgemental consideration were emphasised. Sylwia has embarked upon\nher nursing career with change in mind, a desire to smash borders. I have no\ndoubt she will succeed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Together, they show a\ncollaborative approach to mental health services; a group of friends who share\na passion to make others aware of this pressing issue by telling their untold\nstories. It is their successive call for your bare-below-the-elbow arms that\ncompels, knowing each perspective is just as important as the last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kirsty intended to\nperform her story herself at the conference, however unfortunately, her mental\nhealth has deteriorated. This is a poignant point that screams louder than any\nof the stories told on stage. We wish her all the best and hope for a safe recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The International Storytelling for Health Conference at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. Once upon a time, there was a conference, unlike any other conference that had been before. The business […]","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":1048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,15,173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-mental-health","category-mental-health-and-society","category-mental-health-nursing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7swiU-rx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1276,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/mhnr2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":1707,"position":0},"title":"#MHNR2017","author":"Ben Hannigan","date":"27 September 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Cardiff welcomed delegates to the 23rd International Mental Health Nursing Research Conference (#MHNR2017), which took place at City Hall on September 14th and 15th 2017. This was the conference\u2019s first visit to Wales, with the theme for the year being Imagination, Invention and Inquiry. Papers were welcomed emphasising the need\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adult mental health"","block_context":{"text":"Adult mental health","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/adult-mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/09\/GettyImages-614138202-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/09\/GettyImages-614138202-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/09\/GettyImages-614138202-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/09\/GettyImages-614138202-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/09\/GettyImages-614138202-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/09\/GettyImages-614138202-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":552,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/mental-health-learning-disability-and-social-care-protecting-human-rights-in-the-austerity-crisis\/","url_meta":{"origin":1707,"position":1},"title":"Mental health, learning disability and social care: protecting human rights in the austerity crisis","author":"Julie Doughty","date":"9 July 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This conference held in Cardiff on 24 June, was organised by the Centre for Health and Social Care Law and Hafal, Wales\u2019 leading charity for people with serious mental illness and their carers. The aim was to bring together service users, carers, policy-makers, health and social care practitioners, lawyers and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adult mental health"","block_context":{"text":"Adult mental health","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/adult-mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Abstract watercolour mental health image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/HiRes.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/HiRes.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/HiRes.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/HiRes.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/HiRes.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/HiRes.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1527,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/new-ways-of-thinking-about-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-of-primary-school-aged-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":1707,"position":2},"title":"New ways of thinking about the mental health and wellbeing of primary school-aged children","author":"Stephen Jennings","date":"26 June 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Growing socio-political interest in child and adolescent mental health A broad consensus among research suggests that 10 percent of children and young people in the UK have a clinical-level diagnosable mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. There is a substantial research base which connects poor mental health in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Child and adolescent mental health"","block_context":{"text":"Child and adolescent mental health","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/child-and-adolescent-mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2018\/06\/GettyImages-670712598.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2018\/06\/GettyImages-670712598.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2018\/06\/GettyImages-670712598.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2018\/06\/GettyImages-670712598.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2018\/06\/GettyImages-670712598.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2018\/06\/GettyImages-670712598.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":588,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/alzheimers-cure-or-incurable-hype\/","url_meta":{"origin":1707,"position":3},"title":"Alzheimer\u2019s cure or incurable hype?","author":"Professor Petroc Sumner","date":"29 July 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday many newspapers claimed a major breakthrough in dementia treatment: \u201cScientists create first drug to halt Alzheimer\u2019s\u2019\u201d (The Times); \u201cScientists discover first drug to halt brain decline in Alzheimer\u2019s\u201d (The Sun). Is this true, or is it yet another exaggerated false hope for patients and their families? Digging in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adult mental health"","block_context":{"text":"Adult mental health","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/adult-mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/Drug-Trials.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/Drug-Trials.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/Drug-Trials.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/Drug-Trials.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/Drug-Trials.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2016\/07\/Drug-Trials.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":954,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/social-media-and-mental-health\/","url_meta":{"origin":1707,"position":4},"title":"Social media and mental health","author":"Paul Allen","date":"27 January 2017","format":"video","excerpt":"Social media has rapidly become part of our everyday lives and, like the rise of any new technology, questions are inevitably being asked about how it might be impacting on the way we live - and feel. Two years ago I found myself reflecting on whether my habitual Facebook checking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adult mental health"","block_context":{"text":"Adult mental health","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/adult-mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/01\/iStock-532609287.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/01\/iStock-532609287.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/01\/iStock-532609287.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/01\/iStock-532609287.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/01\/iStock-532609287.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1316,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/world-mental-health-day-mental-health-in-the-workplace\/","url_meta":{"origin":1707,"position":5},"title":"World Mental Health Day: Mental health in the workplace","author":"Amy Sykes","date":"10 October 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"World Mental Health Day is October 10 2017, and this year the focus set by the World Federation for Mental Health is mental health in the workplace. At Cardiff University we are taking an institution wide approach to addressing mental health and wellbeing for our staff and students. As part\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adult mental health"","block_context":{"text":"Adult mental health","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/category\/adult-mental-health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/10\/world-mental-health.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/10\/world-mental-health.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/10\/world-mental-health.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/10\/world-mental-health.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/10\/world-mental-health.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"meta_box":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/502\/2017\/03\/mental-health-2019924_1920.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1707"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1714,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1707\/revisions\/1714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
She questions safeguarding and support for the healthcare professionals themselves, the burnout we have all become accustomed to on the news. Nurses are the ones who make you feel comfortable, who don\u2019t step out of line and are trusted. Beneath Anne-Marie\u2019s words is a sense of desperation and frustration. She is someone who has been silenced by the reputation of her job and seems exasperated. She is an unusual witness and her views are refreshing to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then, abruptly, she reminds us why we\u2019re there. Her friend, pushed to the edge by ridicule, died by suicide with no apparent forewarning.
She relates the struggle of mental health to the language barrier she experienced when she moved to Wales. Sylwia wants us to unite in our shared difficulties and daily challenges, where some may need more support to manage than others. She does not segregate her patients from the general public, understanding the ease of slipping into a mental health emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n