HAIL has worked with Smashing Times to explore expanding comfort zones through exercises with the workshop facilitator. Also, the exploration every week has been beneficial to everyone who has taken part. The following are narratives from participants that were involved in workshops as part of the Stage of Mind project and express how each person felt in a reflective narrative. Also there are some statements taken from feedback forms and are verbatim what peers thought of the exercises.
‘I was feeling a bit nervous on the first day. I didn’t really know any-body and I stood outside for a while, thinking would I go in or not. Eventually, I took a deep breath and walked into the room. There was six other people there, together with the facilitator. I learned that some were Peer Support Volunteers from HAIL, and some were people like me, who had come along to see what it was about. I felt self-conscious in the beginning. Sometimes I find it hard to mix and feel at ease with new people. But everyone was friendly, and I realised that they were unsure about things too. I felt a bit better then. We did a few relaxing group exercises and fun role play. It was great to have a break, to have tea or coffee and to have a chat with other people. The facilitator was very good in encouraging us to use our imagination in a gentle way. Before I joined, I thought that everybody would be confident and very good at acting and that I would feel left out. It’s not like that at all. We all support each other and help each other. I feel at ease now, I have fun every week and I look forward to continuing.’
‘When we have a long, complicated, and maybe heavy personal story, telling it to others can be both healing and scary. It can be healing, when we manage to connect with supportive and understanding, like-minded people who help us feel better about ourselves, feel heard and accepted. At the same time, it can be scary, as we may fear other people’s judgement, the possibility of being pushed aside or abandoned by people we care about, just because they don’t understand, or they are, themselves, afraid. To everyone who has experienced or is experiencing mental health difficulties, stigma is a real thing, and it can hurt.‘
‘To make sure everyone attending the workshops would feel safe, our great facilitator has put in place safeguarding measures that helped us feel safe and empowered to tell our own story. We had a chance, from the very beginning, to express what we wanted to achieve from the workshop in a group contract and to express to the group all that we needed in order to feel safe. We have been playing, but according to our own terms and within our own boundaries. It felt great, and everyone enjoyed the experience.‘
‘As with new projects, meetings, and new undertakings, before broadening my horizons, there is always that anxiety and the imagination can go overload with asking questions of “what ifs” or “how about” and “will I withdraw”. But with a bit of courage and giving a bit of motivation and humour like, “it will be alright of the night”, I can approach each workshop with honesty that I will make mistakes but to “hang in there” and learn also to keep trying. As always after the first meeting there needs to be time for reflection and to listen to the group’s soul and the feedback from members and to not take yourself too seriously. Getting to know new people and their own unique creativity, and individual input, that only they can provide, and to grow with the group as individuals, in a growing organic whole. The facilitator and everyone who attends share their soul energy and after feeling silly at first, we are now a much more confident and productive body regarding the growth of the project. Especially in the final two weeks of first part and I will face after the break with renewed energy.‘
Feedback taken from the participants’ evaluation forms:
‘I am meeting like-minded people therefore I feel less isolated.‘
‘I always had a yearning for theatre but no opportunity to follow anything or even go there.’
‘[The training is] making me more focused‘
‘[The trainers are] friendly and make drama entertaining, rewarding, and insightful.’
Cover photo by Nadim Merrikh on Unsplash
