Book summary
The Burning Breath Chapters is an educational text based on first-hand accounts of therapy by published writers, as well as award-winning filmmakers, project managers, and experienced frontline practitioners, who work full-time in the criminal justice and mental health sectors.
It is published by Collective Inks and features work from service users at the Royal Bethlem hospital it is endorsed by leading figures at the South London and Maudsley foundation trust and funders such as MSN. This is currently available at WHsmith and waterstones. The book is co-authored by a young published poet named Mase Okor and peer worker Jason Harris from a trust in Norfolk. Service users from the Royal bethlem hospital contributed to this. This project will see the creation of spoken words whilst recruiting artists for employability opportunities and royalties given to the service users who contributed to the book to advance their careers.
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The authors’ work journeys through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and maturity, exploring the overcoming of traumatic experiences and adversities in urban communities. These writings focus on the practice and approach of mindfulness meditation and its incredible power to transform the hearts of those who have found themselves at the edge of society’s experiences. This book describes these life stages through a range of mindfulness textbooks of leading authors and case studies, as well as works in philosophy, social sciences, Zen Buddhism, and psychology. There is a focus on alternative and radical psychiatric views throughout the text.
Review
Victoria Hart, Social work and safeguarding lead, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
‘This is a remarkable book which shares the author’s experiences in an accessible and inspirational manner to both tell there story and growth, learning and reflections through prose and poetry, but also shares insights for those of us who work in mental health services with an ambition to drive improvement. This narrative speaks from the heart and there unique journey is one that allows those of us on the outside, to step inside the feelings of mental illness, pain and disruptive life events. The use of poetry, in particular is compelling in expressing the feeling behind the actions. The authors marry together the storytelling, poetry, reflection and learning to build a unique, creative book which drives improvement and change within mental health services and mental health professionals and I am grateful to them for that.’
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