My sessions as volunteer at the mental health organisation I have chosen as a placement for my DMP practice are progressing well. Today I got to know more service users (otherwise known as members) and learnt about coping with a member who has stopped taking medication and is about 'to have an episode any time'. Let's call her Neela, a beautiful Indian name that means 'Sky blue'. She is not of Indian origin of course, in fact she has beautiful blue eyes. But the name suits her.
I spent most of the morning cooking for the members. The cook was away, so together with another volunteer I offered to make lunch. Preparing a simple healthy meal for the service users is an essential task. For many of them this is their only cooked meal in the day. It is cheap and nourishing, something they really need as they may not be able to do it for themselves.
After lunch she insisted on listening to her favourite CDs, all with Christmas hymns, and began to do some karaoke to them, and also miming the words through body movements and actions. I noticed how uncoordinated she was, with a seeming lack of proprioception. I was later told she was in great pain. She is currently reliving in her mind a rape ordeal she went through when she was much younger. Occasionally she aggressively swears at people, then she begins to cry. She finds comfort in the Christmas hymns. She is absolutely terrified, convinced that she is being stalked and harassed. She keeps on seeing her abuser everywhere and often mistakes people's identities. She trusts no one.
She is in a rebellious phase and refuses pointblank to take her medication. Coming to the centre is a good thing for her, at least one can keep track of her movements that way. Volunteers are not counsellors, so all we can do is provide a safe environment for her and wait for appropriate action to be taken. I know she is being monitored but no more than that, volunteers do not get further involved with referrals, counsellors deal with that. All I know is that people cannot be forced to take their medication unless they are sectioned.
When I got back home I read up about paranoia. Most schizophrenics suffer from paranoia which is defined as being overly suspicious, without a good reason and fearing an attack of some sort. Neela is paranoid schizophrenic. But I was intrigued to find out there are other types of paranoia, less dramatic but equally insidious. One of them is the Paranoid Personality Disorder, characterised by the following:
A Personality Disorder can be alleviated through self awareness, low dose medication and through therapy. So far the recommended therapies are the 'talking therapies' but here there is room for movement therapy to make an intervention. At this point in time I prefer to call it movement therapy rather than dance therapy because to many people, including service users, the word dance conjures up some unrealistic ideas and expectations. DMPT is improvisational and it follows the body's natural ability to move, it is not about teaching anyone to dance in a conventional way. It goes deep and works with the unconscious, through authentic movement. The skill of the therapist is to be able to help dealing with what the practice of movement brings up.
The first step though, especially in the case of a Personality Disorder, is recognising that there is a problem and that therapy can help. Unfortunately there is no way to convince someone that they have a problem if they don’t think they do. That first step is decisive and can make all the difference in learning to cope with a Personality Disorder and thus improve the quality of one's life and of those around.
(All photos modelled by Alex B. )
Photographer: Marcello Pozzetti
I spent most of the morning cooking for the members. The cook was away, so together with another volunteer I offered to make lunch. Preparing a simple healthy meal for the service users is an essential task. For many of them this is their only cooked meal in the day. It is cheap and nourishing, something they really need as they may not be able to do it for themselves.
Photographer: Darren Brade
Neela turned up at lunchtime. I was immediately told that as she has stopped taking her medication she is suffering from severe paranoia and can be very unpredictable. Indeed she was. She immediately took a dislike to me and began to say she knew what I was. What I was, not who I was - I was being reified. She then started telling another volunteer that I really was evil, I had been following her from home and she feared for her own life. "She is creepy. She is a prostitute, I know that. She is going to contaminate me". I was advised not to reply, just go along with her every statement and not to sit next to her. "Go away, leave me alone" she kept on saying. I had to eat in the kitchen, till she calmed down. Soon her attention wandered and she forgot about me but continued to behave erratically. At some point she stole one of the social workers mobile phones but returned it soon after it was discovered in her bag - someone rang the number and the mobile phone went off. She was not even aware that she was stealing.
Photographer: Darren Brade
After lunch she insisted on listening to her favourite CDs, all with Christmas hymns, and began to do some karaoke to them, and also miming the words through body movements and actions. I noticed how uncoordinated she was, with a seeming lack of proprioception. I was later told she was in great pain. She is currently reliving in her mind a rape ordeal she went through when she was much younger. Occasionally she aggressively swears at people, then she begins to cry. She finds comfort in the Christmas hymns. She is absolutely terrified, convinced that she is being stalked and harassed. She keeps on seeing her abuser everywhere and often mistakes people's identities. She trusts no one.
Photographer: Darren Brade
She is in a rebellious phase and refuses pointblank to take her medication. Coming to the centre is a good thing for her, at least one can keep track of her movements that way. Volunteers are not counsellors, so all we can do is provide a safe environment for her and wait for appropriate action to be taken. I know she is being monitored but no more than that, volunteers do not get further involved with referrals, counsellors deal with that. All I know is that people cannot be forced to take their medication unless they are sectioned.
Photographer: Bob Adams
When I got back home I read up about paranoia. Most schizophrenics suffer from paranoia which is defined as being overly suspicious, without a good reason and fearing an attack of some sort. Neela is paranoid schizophrenic. But I was intrigued to find out there are other types of paranoia, less dramatic but equally insidious. One of them is the Paranoid Personality Disorder, characterised by the following:
- Extremely sensitive to experiencing failure or rejection
- Holds grudges against people and will refuse to forgive insults, injuries or slights
- Very suspicious and will often misconstrue the friendly or neutral behaviour of other people as being unfriendly or hostile. Also constantly suspicious about the fidelity of sexual partners
- A preoccupation with personal rights and personal boundaries and a sense of these being infringed even when this is not so. Often self centred and self important
- Prone to believing in conspiracy theories about events affecting their own lives and in the world at large and in creating their own conspiracy theories to explain what is happening to them
Photographer: Paddy Johnstone
A Personality Disorder can be alleviated through self awareness, low dose medication and through therapy. So far the recommended therapies are the 'talking therapies' but here there is room for movement therapy to make an intervention. At this point in time I prefer to call it movement therapy rather than dance therapy because to many people, including service users, the word dance conjures up some unrealistic ideas and expectations. DMPT is improvisational and it follows the body's natural ability to move, it is not about teaching anyone to dance in a conventional way. It goes deep and works with the unconscious, through authentic movement. The skill of the therapist is to be able to help dealing with what the practice of movement brings up.
The first step though, especially in the case of a Personality Disorder, is recognising that there is a problem and that therapy can help. Unfortunately there is no way to convince someone that they have a problem if they don’t think they do. That first step is decisive and can make all the difference in learning to cope with a Personality Disorder and thus improve the quality of one's life and of those around.
(All photos modelled by Alex B. )
Over the years I have come to realize that my ex-wife probably had a personality disorder, maybe "borderline" or maybe not so borderline. As such, she perhaps was not responsible for individual actions that hurt me--but she was still responsible for refusing to admit she needed help. I freely admit I was not easy to live with! But I knew I needed help. And in fact, I was in counseling for four years, until the divorce was finalized.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the hardest part of healing is the first step of admitting you need it.
"Authentic movement" therapy sounds very interesting!
Oh, and as usual, your pictures are just gorgeous.