Reflections on mental wellbeing
Dwell Time will be a Sheffield Railway Station on Wednesday 15th May for Community Rail in the City 2019.
Our partner Penistone Line Partnership have invited us to join them for the annual event for Community Rail Partnerships taking place at major stations for the day. This event at Sheffield Station is 10am-4pm on Wednesday 15th May. Come along to see the work of Community Rail Partnerships and pick up a copy of Dwell Time.
Excited to announce that Dwell Time will be at South Square Wellbeing Weekend with some copies of Issue 1 and inviting people to participate in interviews about mental wellbeing for Issue 2!
South Square Wellbeing Weekend
Saturday 18th May 2019
Begins at 10am
South Square Centre presents it’s very first wellbeing dedicated event. Bringing together local practitioners and friends of South Square to support a more centered approach to being well. Try out activities which already happen at the centre such as; Yoga and Tai Chi, plus meet tenants who provide complimentary therapies and friends with a passion for creative healing. We’ll end the day with a live music from Japanese band KUUNATIC. Daytime activities are free of charge.
= Workshops for the mind and soul =
Self Esteem // What Makes You Well? // Death Cafe // Sound Session
= Complimentary Therapies =
Reflexology // Indian Head Massage // EFT Therapy
= Try a new practice =
Yoga // Thai Chi
PLUS:
Meditative Soundscapes
Lipbalm Making
Aromatherapy
Mood-boosting refreshments by Plenty
Live gig from 7pm:
KUUNATIC – Psych sounds from Tokyo
What a fantastic launch week!
SHEFFIELD LAUNCH
More documentation to follow…
We excited to announce our launch programme 20th-22nd March for Penistone Art Week for Pensitone Art Week (16th – 24th March), International Day of Happiness (20th March) and World Poetry Day (21st March).
Featured artists: Amber Agha, Anna-Maria Amato, Teri Anderson, Mr Anon, Amelia Baron, Ben Barton, Chloe Belcher, Sue Bevan, Simon Bolton, Alice Bradshaw, Elise Broadway, Geoff Brokate (dir.), Spencer Brown, Emma Burleigh, Robert P. Clarke, Bob Clayden, Donna Coleman, Klara Cservenka, Paula de Sousa, Lita Doolan, Eddy Dreadnought, Oliver East, Roderick Huw Evans, Donald Falconer, Ben Gaffrey, Sue Gardiner, Vanessa Haley, Laura Harris, Andy Hollinghurst, Hannah Honeywill, Brian Horton, Janice Howard, Janina Karpinska, Saima Kaur, Brian Kielt, Mel Kirkham & Yasmin Baddley, Mary Lee-Slade, Alison Little, Nicolette Loizou, Make DO Theatre, Christopher Marsh, Nick Maynard, Patti Mckenna-Jones, Gill Melling, Nazanin Moradi, Cynthia Morrison, Diane Murphy, Ben NCM, Debbie Nicholson Wood, Henry Noyes, John O’Hare, Susan Plover, Laura Potts, Greg Przybyszewski, Andrew Pullan, Anak Rabanal (dir.), Bobbi Rae, Tania Robertson, Damian Robin, Katya Robin, Robert Roth, Amy Rowe, Robert P Ryan, Rachele Salvini, Rebecca Saunders, Jessica Russo Scherr, Julie Shackleton, Richard Shields, Lucy Simm, Marnie Simpson, Jackie Smith, Michael Szpakowski, Lenny Szrama, The Train Lady, Danny Verno Smith, Victor, Kate Walter, Brain Webster, Dan Weatherer, Emilia Wilson, Jon Wilkins. Curated by Alice Bradshaw, Vanessa Haley and Lenny Szrama in collaboration with the Penistone Line Partnership.
Full details here: https://dwelltimepress.wordpress.com/launch-programme/
Self Portrait II (2018)
I am someone who has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (as well as depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis) on account of being subjected to multiple traumatic instances stemming from early childhood and continuing into my adult life. The fact that my trauma started when I was just 2 years old makes me feel like I was never given a chance to become the real me. On account of my trauma, and because it started before I ever had the chance to truly establish a sense of self, the ideas of identity and belonging are often lost on me.
Part of my PTSD involves avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma. As a result, over the last five years of my life, I have been constantly on the move – travelling from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Colombia to Dawson City, Yukon Territory. To put that into perspective, I have traveled the equivalent of crossing Europe 6 times). I have lived in both houses and tents; I have experienced homelessness. I have slept on beds and couches, in vans, abandoned buses and buildings, and under the night sky. The reality of such a tumultuous living arrangement, coupled with my PTSD diagnosis, is that the ideas of belonging and of community have become skewed to me.
With my PTSD, I also experience episodes of dissociation involving both depersonalization and derealization; I often feel as though I am drifting through time and space with high levels of anxiety and a sense of displacement. I lose attachment from my immediate surroundings, feeling both a loss of the sense of self and that the world is unreal. With dissociation, I feel divorced from my own personal self by sensing that my body sensations, feelings, emotions, behaviors etc.do not belong to me. I’ve had a difficult time feeling connected to the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met throughout my life. Even the most familiar of places and faces will often appear alien, bizarre, and surreal.
Moreover, I often ponder if the identity I hold now would be the same without my experiences of trauma and intrapersonal strain. I constantly am asking myself: Who am I? What does it mean to be a person? How does one identify with themselves and how does that identity fit in with its community? Is identity formed by belonging to a particular group, by performing a role in life, or by background and biology? Is one’s personal identity contingent and changeable? Similarly, is belonging simply calling somewhere home? If so, what happens if we are forced to move or are subject to a major change in our environment? Can one belong to a community if they don’t have a fixed address?
It is my intention to encourage discussion surrounding these topics in the arts, while overcoming the negative stereotypes that seem to loom over those with disabilities. I believe everyone should be given the chance to authentically exist and succeed in the world regardless of ability, age, gender, ethnicity, creed, sexual orientation, social status or economic status. I believe that it is important to foster the acceptance of those whose differences enhance our lives. Furthermore, the subject of mental health has been in the closet far too long. It is extremely important for people with mental health issues to be able to freely discuss their experiences without the shame and stigma that is too often accompanied by them. Speaking up about our lived experiences can make an incredible difference to the lives of a countless number of people – it can literally save lives.
As someone with PTSD, I have become enthralled with the theme and exploration of the philosophical concepts of identity and belonging – in both an interpersonal and intrapersonal context. Experimenting with the relationships between colours, lines and textures, I allow myself to be present in the moment by reflecting on my emotional and physical self. Each art work I create is a self-portrait in and of itself in that it is a visual display of my own state of mental health, gender identity and expression.
Dissociation 1 & 2
Abstract & Abstract 10
I got angry again on Saturday
Out of the blue in self defence
After, I knew I had, though didn’t quite remember
It’s my shame
They blame it on the wine
Say I drink too much
Though these days I barely do
I got annoyed again then
Blame laid at the wrong feet
Because no matter how many times I tell them
I HAVE PTSD
They simply cannot see
How much its changed me.
I hide it way too well
Don’t talk in depth about this living hell
The rage, frustration and intrusive thoughts
Chewing me up inside
I cannot sleep, I cannot stop, there is no rest
I’m a natural born pacifist
Now filled with boiling rage
