Maria Arpa
This week
Back in Dartmoor
Plus…
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness
and
The Wednesday Whisper
Our DRM Facilitators
Last week and this week we have been back at Dartmoor prison developing mastery in our Facilitators. It is one year since the new Facilitators first started supporting struggling prisoners and their capability and capacity is expanding with their experience.
Over the course of the year they have supported around 150 prisoners with each prisoner receiving six, one to one sessions before tailoring the following sessions. They have been working with all the usual issues that arise in prisons all over the world from despair and depression to self harm, suicidal thoughts, substance misuse, violence or simply not coping.
I also developed something called the Self Reflection Pack which is an intense programme for prisoners who want to turn the corner but don’t know how. Two Facilitators support an individual through 21 exercises over around 3 months in which the prisoner can work on who they are, how they are and what needs to change at the heart level to bring them back to living rather than existing. Each of our Facilitators has undertaken the pack and trained in how to facilitate it. They are now working with participants on it.
While prisons are grim places it’s important to give a shout out to the Officers and Chaplaincy who support our Facilitators and see the value in what they do.
It is truly humbling to see this group of men progress through the DRM journey to making such an enormous contribution while also recognising that they are not dispensing something. They are generating love and connection in a place where there can be very little light.
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness
The DRM teaches us that even the most resistant person can take the journey out of head and into heart to generate the love and connection that is the nourishment we all need to grow.
The Wednesday Whisper
Have you begun a journey out of head and into heart? Where are you now? Does your head keep pulling you back?
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