The Importance of Deep LIstening

The Idea

Personal Consequences to Me

Breathe Connect Listen: I feel the profound significance of the content offered by our indigenous community. Breathing with one another, opening up space to connect and listen is unfamiliar to the Western ‘get ahead at all costs’ framework. Yet we are talking and listening now. So exciting. My first experience of the world of ‘mental health’ was after I had actually had a near death experience, upon returning, those who were there witnessing were in a lot of fear. Two days later I was taken to hospital by them as I was presenting as if I was having a psychotic episode. They denied the death out of fear, and I was then and there diagnosed as bi-polar. I continue to live with this diagnosis after 30 years. The initial diagnosis has taken precedence over all other evidence since. First contact has an enormous impact. Every subsequent document is written based on the first. I understand how easily we can be misconstrued, how easily symptoms can be assumed to be what they are not. I would love to see change in this regard. That there is always someone working who can breathe with, be with and listen to someone entering the system.