Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM
By Graham Stannard
Learning about and finding solutions to mental health issues, including conversations with experts and survivors.
Cover art photo provided by John O'Nolan on Unsplash: unsplash.com/@johnonolan
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FMMar 03, 2019
Mental Health Matters | Darkness To Destiny and #21by21 | Episode 12, August 2019
The August 2019 Episode of Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM. Featuring my conversation with Gwynneth Sunshine and Bob Simpson speaking with Dominic Fenton:
Gwynneth Sunshine has had an eventful life of many ups and downs. I learned about her when she was publicising her book which has documented her journey- Darkness to Destiny, published in 2017.
Through dabbling in the occult, overworking herself at a young age to breakdown, helping homeless people and addicts to becoming one herself, she has been through a lot.
What has been a common thread through the journey has been her connection to God and Jesus Christ. Discovering Him at a young age, becoming distant during the tough times, to then reconnecting to help her through.
Some of it has mirrored what I have been thinking about and discussing on the show, such as the effect on addiction and homelessness on society. And on a broader prospective, how a disconnection from God can be creating a vacuum in society. As people are tending now to look to material pursuits and alternatives to fill the void.
You can purchase Darkness to Destiny here:
www.eden.co.uk/shop/darkness-to-destiny-4535161.html
The emotional wellbeing of children is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health allows children and young people to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.
Mental Health awareness week was in May so it was great to hear that there is now a new campaign to support young people who may be suffering.
Essex rugby coach, Dominic Fenton, and his team mates at Chelmsford RFC are joining Dame Kelly Holmes, TV doctor Zoe Williams and 200+ UK sporting organisations, in helping to launch #21by21 – a UK sport and mental health campaign. Bob Simpson spoke with him on his One2Three show.
#21by21 website https://www.connectsport.co.uk/21by21
E-Mail Dominic here: dominic@dfsportsandevents.co.uk
Or via Twitter here twitter.com/fentos1
Mental Health Matters:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/category/mental-health-matters/
Mental Health Matters | Rapid Transformation and Homelessness | Episode 11, May 2019
Episode from May 2019, including interviews with Myra McHale and Rob Saggs:
Myra McHale returned to the Mental Health Matters podcast to talk to me about her continuing journey with learning ways of helping people. She now specialises in Rapid Transformational Therapy, a new blend of hypnosis, cognitive therapy and other techniques.
In our interview she talked about how quick the results are and Myra explained the process and gave some examples of success stories.
She has also created a program which has a course including her Mindfulness training.
Find out more :
http://www.myramchale.com
https://www.facebook.com/mchalemyra/
My conversation with Rob Saggs from homeless charity Chess Homeless. In our interview we discussed his journey with helping homeless people and how he got involved with Chess.
We also talked about some of the causes of homelessness, the effects on mental health, along with some shocking statistics. Rob also shared some good advice on how to help homeless people you come across, including using their service Street Link.
https://chesshomeless.org
https://www.streetlink.org.uk
Mental Health Matters:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/category/mental-health-matters/
Mental Health Matters | Lions Barber Collective and Declutter | Episode 10
Ken Hermes had to deal with grief and trauma from an early age when his father committed suicide when Ken was only 15. Ken talked to me about his process of eventually processing his grief. Ken now use his newly found job as a barber to help save lives and get more men to open up and talk about their personal issues. The latest figures show that suicide is still the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK.
Ken explains the heartbreak he went though: “Losing my dad to suicide at 15 left an empty place in my heart. If only my dad could have spoken to someone about how he felt. Maybe he would still be here? I want to help educate others to spot the signs of need, and start the conversations that change lives. Working for a large barbering group means that I can pass this education to 100+ barbers and really make a difference in our communities.”
British barber Tom Chapman set up the Lions Barber Collective mental health awareness and suicide prevention charity back in 2016.
Their aim is to turn barbershops into safe spaces for men using the opportunity of a regular haircut to start conversations about mental health. The group is having an enormous impact with men who traditional mental health services can struggle to reach.
Tom organises a professionally run training programme, which is teaching barbers to ‘recognise, talk, listen and advise’ clients and works with the Samaritans charity – signposting the services they offer to clients in need.
Previous research suggests that barbers are in a very unique position to help men in their battle with depression. A survey commissioned by the Lions Barber Collective and The Bluebeards Revenge male grooming brand revealed that more than half of the men in Britain now feel more comfortable discussing sensitive mental health issues such as depression with their barbers/hairdressers than their doctors.
Ken recently met Prince William at an opening of their latest salon in Paddington, London. William discussed Men’s mental health projects with Ken and acknowledged that suicide is the most acute form of grief.
Find the Lions Barber Collective here:
https://www.thelionsbarbercollective.com
https://www.facebook.com/TheLionsBarberCollective/
Also in this episode of Mental Health Matters I recorded an interview with Professional Organiser, Declutter and Life Coach Louise Simpson. We spoke about the issues people have with clutter, some of the extreme cases, how she asses and treats each client differently and steps we can all take to improve our relationship with our material goods.
We talked about how Louise would wish two words were no longer used in the English language- Should and Perfection and why. And how she is often the only person that some clients speak to about the real problems they face- another theme that comes up in the podcast a lot.
APDO - Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers if people want to find out more about the industry - www.apdo.co.uk and people can use 'Find an organiser' to search for organisers in their area. https://www.apdo.co.uk/find-an-organiser/
You can find and get in touch with Louise here:
Her site is www.louisesimpsoncoaching.co.uk
Telephone - 01245 330636
Email - hello@louisesimpsoncoaching.co.uk
Instagram - lscoaching_essex
Facebook - LouiseSimpsonCoaching
Twitter - CoachingSimpson
As part of Spring Clearing Week, she is offering a 20% discount off the first session bringing a 3 hour session to £120. She offers a free 15 minute phone/video call for all clients to discuss their requirements so that you can see if she can help further.
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM | Chat 1st & Healing Through Creativity | Episode 9
An interview with Nicky Smith, Leisure Services Manager at the Brentwood centre and Melvyn Cooper who runs the Community Garden project there, as part of the latest Mental Health Matters podcast on Phoenix FM.
We talked about the new Chat 1st program at the centre and how it helps peoples mental and physical health.
You can listen to it all here:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/2019/02/25/mental-health-matters-chat-1st-healing-creativity-depression-february-2019/
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM | Narcissistic Abuse, Present Moment & Amazing Me | Episode 8
It was a pleasure to welcome Lorna Slade, who returned to the Phoenix FM studios to talk further about her therapy & counselling practice, but also specifically about her specialisation in Narcissistic Abuse.
She talked about her journey to specialise in it, the symptoms and results of it, some of the causes and how to spot if it's happening to you.
I spoke to Mario Lalli, founding member of the influential desert rock band Yawning Man in Manchester during their recent tour. We ended up talking about how we were & where we got to in life. How he is now, in his 50s, busier with the band than he ever was before. That it can only happen now and we talked about how it was possible to have happiness in the moment.
I also shared a conversation of another return to the Phoenix FM studios. Tracy Richardson came back to speak to Bob Simpson on the 1 to 3 show to speak more of her work with Amazing Me - Tackling Mental Health and Wellbeing in schools.
Show page:
http://bit.ly/2odGfaJ
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM | Find Focus & Ancestral Healing | Series 2, Episode 7
Martin Böddeker has achieved a lot in his young life, from a professional poker player, through to starting his own company. One thing he noticed as he worked for himself was how easy it is to be distracted while working online. It is a problem I have faced and it has affected my well being in the past, with being stuck and procrastinating.
Martin spoke honestly about his journey and how his solution to reduce being distracted became the creation of his new business- FindFocus.net. You can learn more about it here:
https://findfocus.krtra.com/t/FbDtKIrWwCZa
Marie Delanote is a Brentwood based therapist. Over the years she developed meditations and coping mechanisms to deal with these emotions.
She has had great success with them and has also published books- The Healing Of The 1lb Baby and now the children’s meditation book- Acorns To Great Oaks. Marie is also able to help others with a variety of therapy techniques.
Here is the full show page:
http://bit.ly/2rFWb6P
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM | Fitness In Mind & Good Guys 2 Great Men | Series 2, Episode 6
First of all it was lovely to speak to Phoenix FM's own Chris Hood, who also works for Fitness In Mind at the Brentwood Centre in Essex. It is an initiative designed to promote, encourage and provide physical activity as an aid to mental wellbeing.
Also included in this episode is another conversation I was looking forward to recording ever since I first saw Steve Horsmon's videos on his Good Guys 2 Great Men YouTube channel.
A bit like the isolation I mentioned above, issues in relationships have a major effect on our mental wellbeing. I was able to record an online conversation with Steve and his UK based colleague Dan Dore, who both wonderfully described what they do and how they are able to help.
You can check out the show page here:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/2018/03/17/mental-health-matters-fitness-mind-good-guys-2-great-men-series-2-episode-6/
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM | Mindfulness, Philosophy & Growth | Series 2, Episode 5
'Live To Think'' is a Youtube creator who posts videos talking about and sharing his experiences with personal growth and mental healing. Much of it is described from a philosophical perspective, but also very grounded and easy to hear and feel how it applies to our lives and what we've been through.
He offers his e-mail address to get in touch and have a Skype session to talk about what is on your mind. He is open, listens and reflects back what his understanding is of what he hears.
Here is his channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSQNrzusweppBVJzzV-wjw
Local Mindfulness Teacher and Practitioner Myra McHale, based near Brentwood, Essex.
During the conversation we heard about her background, why she chose to pursue mindfulness, it's benefits and the teachers who inspired her.
Here is where you can find out more about Myra, her work and how to book a session: http://myramchale.com
Here is the show page on the Phoenix FM website:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/2018/02/17/mental-health-matters-phoenix-fm-mindfulness-philosophy-growth-series-2-episode-5/
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM - Series 2, Episode 4 - December 2017
With Chris we continued with topics including the effects of nutrition on mental health, the confusion with genders and societal and political changes and continuing to look at solutions.
Based in Suffolk, but practices around London and through Essex. He wouldn’t specifically call himself a mental healer, with all the technical connotations that would convey, but a lot of work certainly helps along those lines. And he was able to fully describe what he does and how he is able to help people.
You can learn more about him and get in touch here:
https://www.facebook.com/darren.deojee
http://nativereservation.one
http://www.alternativeanswers.net
And find out more about his nutrition and amino acid business here:
https://www.brightpresence.co.uk
During the episode I also included a video clip from a Youtube creator called Wild Thing who covers many topics on how we can improve and move forward in life. In the clip he talks about how we can listen to our bodies more and life around us. I have recorded a conversation with him to share in the next episode.
The full details are on the show page:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/2018/01/06/mental-health-matters-phoenix-fm-series-2-episode-4/
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM - Series 2, Episode 3 - November 2017
The latest episode of the Mental Health Matters Podcast on Phoenix FM.
Featuring conversations with Andy Valliant of stoner rock band Oak and mental healing practitioner Chris Deojee.
It was great to finally be able to speak to Chris Deojee, though when we did we had a technical problem which meant the recording wasn’t saved. Thankfully, we were able to meet again and we managed to record a conversation, maintaining a lot of the energy of what we spoke about in the first. In fact so much that I’ve decided to split it into two parts over two episodes, with this one being the first.
Based in Suffolk, but practices around London and through Essex. He wouldn’t specifically call himself a mental healer, with all the technical connotations that would convey, but a lot of work certainly helps along those lines. And he was able to fully describe what he does and how he is able to help people.
We spoke about many of the distortions in society which cause a lot of imbalance in each of us and how we’re not shown great examples of emotional dexterity growing up by those around us, compared to how we are physically for example.
Also we talked about the distortions caused by the difference in subjective and objective reality that are imposed on us, and the increase in confusion in gender and use of language.
The continuing part in the next episode will include how important nutrition is to our mental health.
You can get in touch with him here:
https://www.facebook.com/darren.deojee
http://www.alternativeanswers.net
Before I played that conversation with Chris, I included a chat I recorded with my friend Andy Valiant, the singer from stoner/ doom metal band Oak who I have often featured on my Musical Meanderings show. We spoke about the issues men have with mental health from our own perspectives, including issues connecting with the feminine, how men and women are interacting at the moment and possible causes of male suicide.
Full details of the show:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/2017/12/13/mental-health-matters-phoenix-fm-series-2-episode-3/
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM - Series 2, Episode 2 - October 2017
The latest, October episode:
Darren has been a guest previously on my Musical Meanderings show and I knew he would have great perspectives on some of the broader issues and causes for mental health issues that I have been thinking about. We discussed ideas such as the nature of work and schools and how many don't enjoy it and how money is tight. We touched on some controversial ideas, such as whether Mental Illness is actually something tangible and real and how positive the concepts of psychology and psychotherapy actually are.
In the end there was optimism with how things can unfold for humanity, especially if Love can embraced for all.
Sheila Moses is a practitioner in numerous fields, including mindfulness, NLP and emotional freedom technique tapping. She talked about her background and journey in learning about each and how she is able to help others.
Here is the full show page:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/2017/11/02/mental-health-matters-phoenix-fm-series-2-episode-2/
The conversation with Darren Allen is also available on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/fERABJ0ayJ0
Mental Health Matters on Phoenix FM - Series 2, Episode 1 - September 2017
Welcome to the return of the Mental Health Matters podcast on Phoenix FM. It’s a subject I've been interested in for a number of years, partly because of my own journey with it & self discovery, but also thanks to all of the people I've been grateful to meet who have been involved in the field, studying areas of psychology & working through a lot of the causes and effects.
In this extended first episode I shared conversations which I think have set the tone & painted the picture of the topics I'm looking forward to covering over the coming episodes.
First of all was Elisavet Tapini, an Existential Integrative Psycologist who has had a long journey of self discovery & academic career, then it was also lovely to speak to Colin Wade from Brentwood Mind who spoke about his early youth work & his music background & how much day to day work is needed to keep the organisation going.
Here is the full show page:
https://www.phoenixfm.com/2017/09/18/mental-health-matters-phoenix-fm-series-2-episode-1/
You can also hear them on youtube
https://youtu.be/eOug5Z-olDU
https://youtu.be/oTi1618mRVg