Chairman's Messages
'The greatest of human actions is measured by the extent to which they inspire others'
Louis Pasteur
In a 2nd edition reprint Stuart Miall describes in his 4th and final volume of books that good English is easy to understand, and pleasant to hear. He goes on to say there is real music to be made with words and this music of words is poetry. Further on in his chapter on poetry he empathises how poetry can thrill us with their loveliness - can also have a hypnotic power particularly if related to personnel or national tragedy.
ABBA music some 60 years later from Miall’s description of poetry where the scores to their music are absolute gorgeous so are the words to poetry.
I have a dream
A song to sing
To help me cope
With anything........
Also not forgetting, “This is my song” with words put to the music of Finlandia (Sibelius) by the Americans Lloyd Stone and Georgia Harkness with the orchestral version of Finlandia - breathtakingly beautiful.
The 2nd line of the song highlights what the world needs to take stock of.
“A song for peace for lands afar and mine”
Chair of the Swindon Trauma Group was encouraged to write some poetry first time in 54 years and found it therapeutic. Concentration on poetry moves anything from negative to positive.
What follows is poetry from members and supporters of the group. Hope people enjoy reading them.
References
Miall S (1957) Chapter 9 Section 12 The Fine Arts Volume 4 The World of Children The Caxton Publishing Company Ltd
Mamma Mia- Here We Go Again- The Movie Soundtrack Song 6 I have a Dream Polydor
This is my Song - The Saint Pauls Concert Chorale Brookland MD – conducted by John Smetstrad
on YouTube Published 22 May 2009
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Thought for the day
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy
Anne Frank
The days and weeks that are a coming are going to be roughSo we need to be toughHow can we go from being unhappy?Then happyIt is to face and not run awayThat is to swayFrom the negative to the positiveGood luck everybodyLet all around the world work together solidly
Dick, Swindon, Wiltshire - 29 March 2020
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Thought for the day
To live without hope is to cease to live
Fyodor Dostoevsky
What a lovely walk and the sky is blueInto Lydiard Park and the morning dewThe lake looks magnificent and the birds sing as never beforeThen home to listen to the inspirational Max Bruch-Classic FM to the foreMy hope remains in tactThrough these very challenging times a walk, listening tomusic both popular and classical then relaxing in the gardenheightens my hopes for the future - that thankfully is a fact
Addendum
Lydiard Country Park is a breathtakingly beautiful park on the outskirts of Swindon, Wiltshire, UK
From Dick, yomping, 19 May 2020
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UNPRECEDENTED TIMES by Peter from Oxfordshire
A lockdown imposed, COVID-19 far and nearAn emergency, a crisis, a pandemic to fearDidn’t close our borders, were we too slowTo prevent a calamity, to slay the unseen foeUnprecedented times, everything came to a stopThe sombrero had to flatten, mustn’t reach the topEmployees furloughed, a haemorrhaging of our wealthSelf-isolate, stay at home, protect the nation’s healthHospitals under pressure, so many lives lostTragedy upon tragedy, an unbelievable costNo marriages, no funerals, certainly no wakeHardship and sorrow, a worldwide earthquakeCommunities helped the needy, we heard the birds singAir pollution disappeared, at least one positive thingNHS staff became heroes, carers and key workers tooWe saluted them on Thursdays, painted post boxes blueBoris taken to intensive care, it was all doom and gloomWe resorted to Facetime, had meetings on ZoomThe Queen was indomitable, lifted spirits with her talkCaptain Tom inspired us with his 100th birthday walkWe’re crawling up the walls, cooped up every day like thisCan’t see our grandchildren, can’t give a hug and kissIs there any good news, will humour have its dayWhat’s on TV tonight, thank goodness for Peter KayTime to ease restrictions, avoid a second spikeStaggering of journeys, better to use a bikeWhat about the elderly, will they throw away the keySome highly vulnerable, so many fit as a fleaHow do we compare with others, Italy and SpainAre we the worst in Europe, suffering so much painNew acronyms to confuse us, SAGE and WHOBut who is responsible, who caused this terrible woeSocial distancing pervasive, how long will it lastWhat’s the new normal, has normality passedOh Oxford we desperately need one, a vaccine to be trueSunny pastures lie ahead, was it merely a bout of flu?In the final analysis, will we look back in dreadAt the mistakes made, the wrong things saidWill we learn the lessons, overcome all our fearsRemember 2020, one of the most historic years25 May 2020
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The Gulf Between
The first and last time I held a gunwas in my final year at school. A greenbag by the door, remember the holidaysin Switzerland some years before. New bikesfor Christmas, mum and dad holding hands, tripsto Barry island with girls too shy to ask,‘could we ride on roller coasters?’ Ice mornings,excited by cold, summer all year long. 1990, I was 15.’91 was different if only at the time,when war shook dad from behind the sofa,‘Gas! Gas! Quick Boys!’ Revising lines October1917. Dad was shipped off nowhere fast, beyond reachof mum’s arms, brother too young to understandwhy mum cried alone. How do you explainher tears and fears for the Six O’clock news?‘Time for Scud alerts: Bio Hazard broadcast live!’Kitchen too small for us all, let mum alone.At school no one understood, just teachers,what do they know about 1917?An ecstasy of fumbling in open air fieldsI partied to escape. ‘Ban the Bomb’stickers on Renault Fives, so many you’d thinkthey could see through their blindness. Made eyesat some, lashed out at others. Fake nothing,nothing except hate. My friends watched as Iembraced dad and then I remembered the old lieDulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori.( It is sweet and honourable to die for one’s own country)Keith from Devon read his poem at Swindon Trauma Group Workshop Wednesday 13 June 2012
Three to Five Ways to Help us all Through these Difficult and Challenging Times
First Please observe the Government Guidelines
Wash your hands to a tune you like up to twenty seconds
Observe social distancing 2 metres apart (or for people like chair of Swindon Trauma Group 2 yards 6 inches)
Group members’ ways to help
Stephen........
First each morning I get up and challenge my grey matter by completing the Microsoft Mahjong Daily Challenge which is a set of three puzzles of varying degrees of difficulty from easy to medium, to hard, to expert which starts the day with a sense of achievement.
Due to caring for my wife, I then get her breakfast and sort out her daily needs.
I have started a daily spring clean rota room by room including the outside.
My relaxation is taken up by listening to piano music, reading and watching videos on Netflix. I exercise at least 30 minutes a day, using a stepping machine. I also enjoy gardening as I find it very relaxing and if I may add maintaining all my fishing gear and preparing new pole float rigs and top kits in readiness for getting back on the bank once the lock-down has been lifted.
For those at the front line the advice I would give is to ensure you always wear your protective clothing, be compassionate with each patient as each case is different, give support to relatives and always clean your hands after each case.
Dick.......
First of all connectivity with family and friends for me is by phone and I enjoy a walk particularly in these trying times for example around Lydiard Park - observing social distancing.
I am a great fan of Classic FM and often when I switch the radio onto the station it reminds me of happy times in the past and I will also play records and CDs on the family Sony system.
On a lovely summer’s afternoon listening at the moment on a LP HMV Concert Classics to the haunting beautiful Andante Cantabile by Tchaikovsky and also from a composer from the USA Samuel Barber’s 'Adagio for Strings' exquisitely played by the Philharmonia Strings.
On VE day and days that follow why not listen to Anne Shelton’s 'I’ll Be Seeing You'? Or to hopefully put a smile on your face, Flanagan and Allen 'Run, Rabbit, Run'.
I will be also spending time out in the relaxing garden which I enjoy.
Having a family pet in these difficult times helps - the family miss tremendously our cat Nico but have fond memories of him that often puts a smile on our faces.
For those who are keeping the country running particularly being on twelve hour shifts try a 20-30 minutes break then an hour for lunch or night supper followed by the same break for the latter shift. Decent nosh is essential - if the RAF catering services can cook delicious baked Alaska in the Arabian Desert hopefully local services can do the same for those who are caring and treating patients.
Pete.......
During the pandemic I have been working full-time from home. I work for a company that connects green energy projects to the national grid. I have colleagues around the UK, Poland and Germany so we have been using remote access (Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp) for many years. I spend my days drawing underground cable routes, building designs and circuit diagrams on the computer using AutoCAD. I am currently working on the installation of charging points for electric vehicles, something for which the Government has just announced a large investment package.
So I do not have much time to worry about the virus!
While I work I do listen to music on Amazon Prime, mainly Electronica and Steampunk (if you have not heard of the latter, Steampunk (also known as retro-futurism) is a branch of Science Fiction where Victorian technology and settings are still in use – Steam locomotives, Airships, Clockwork, the Wild West, Pirates, Time Travel etc. The music can be from any genre but always involves stories of such things. Great fun, decent tunes and interesting lyrics! As an introduction, try this: Steampunk Revolution)
Exercise consists of going out with Sue to give Milly Guide Dog a walk and free run in Shaw Forest.
In the evenings we watch recordings of films and and TV shows. Sue has a device that records the picture, sound and audio description for the Blind. Watching recordings also means we can skip the adverts! By the way, next time the adverts are on try closing your eyes - many do not mention the product on the sound track so you have to guess - not very inclusive...
Others......
Other members of Swindon Trauma Group are occupying themselves with art work, doodling, listening to Golden Radio, walking, enjoying cooking and keeping in contact with family and friends
Chairman's Message - May 2020 - Those Books to read
Two thoughts for the day:
“You have to accept whatever comes, and the only important thing is that you have to meet it with the best thing you have to give”.
Eleanor Roosevelt
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing but rising every time we fail”.
Nelson Mandela
Unlike members of my family, I have never been an avid reader of books, except at school reading “A Town like Alice” and “Cider with Rosie”. For books I have read and found reassuring, please see the recommended reading page. In these challenging times I would recommend people reading them, particularly those at the front line.
I will focus on three of the books:
‘A Short Journey into Trauma’ by Frank Parkinson. This is a very worthwhile read of which I will highlight the Life Beliefs Theory by Professor Janoff- Bulman from the USA. Frank and the professor state that, as human beings that we have three fundamental beliefs: that of ‘Invulnerability’, that we are all invulnerable and will live forever; that life has ‘Purpose’ and that, as human beings, we have objectives in life including marriage and working. Finally, the importance of ‘Self Esteem’, that we are good people and do things to the best of our ability. However, when you go to war your beliefs can be shattered and this can be the same for any traumatic event. For example, the nurses at the front line, trying to bravely save lives , may well be frightened and feel vulnerable and the IPE they are wearing can challenge their vulnerability. The purpose of these nurses, and not forgetting others at the front line, will be to save lives - but that will not always happen.
As a student nurse, I remember a sixteen year old girl on a respirator under the supervision of the nurse in charge and a doctor at a military hospital. The doctor and family felt the respirator needed to be switched off. I questioned the purpose of this and its meaning. The doctor invited me to the post mortem and very sadly the patient’s brain had been damaged beyond repair. My previous beliefs had been changed from negative to positive by a caring doctor and family who had allowed me to go the post mortem.
I imagine that what I experienced 50 years ago will be happening now.
Ending with ‘Self Esteem’, concerning the above sad event, I felt I had the right to challenge what was happening but the decision from the doctor and the family was a good thing to be done.
The next book is ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, The Invisible Injury’, by David Kinchin. This is another excellent book and I think his exercise in the book based on the game Snakes and Ladders is particularly interesting. What the author highlights is that following a traumatic event, once the person is on the road to recovery, they will not go back to the beginning when the event happened but there will be peaks and troughs.
The final book I would like to mention is Professor Gordon Turnbull’s book ‘Trauma from Lockerbie to 7/7’. This explains how trauma affects our lives and how we can fight back. He highlights “The Pint Pot theory” in which, if we allow stress to overwhelm us, the Pint Pot will overflow and our lives will be more challenging. It is also about reminding us how to deal with and relieve stress.
My GP said I should do what is underrated such as going for a walk, something I do most days and this helps me to relax and get vitamin D when the sun is out. I try to have 10,000 steps recorded on my mobile phone in one hour of exercise.
Best wishes
Dick
Dick (Richard) retired RAF RMN
Chairman's Message
Thought for the day - "Reading poetry aloud in a group is fun"
Keith Hilling
Dick Hilling writes:
Many years ago when serving in the RAF my bosses had the foresight to further train myself and colleagues. I did a number of excellent training courses with an organisation called The Association of Psychological Therapies (APT).
One course on Post Trauma Stress run by a superb presenter Marion Preston took place in September 1990 in London. My memories are of realising the significance of Critical Incident Debriefing with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Also a visit to the Freud Museum has had a lasting impact on me - a brilliant place to visit which sadly may be seen as second league compare to other inspiring museums in London. Also the role play was interesting, powerful and emotional considering the content. The positive morale and friendliness of students enhanced by good tutor leadership helped.
Further courses by APT would introduce me to FREDA which I will explain more in the coming weeks.
The Thanet Phobic Group celebrated their 40th Anniversary last year. I first came in contact with Sylvia Hadley the Chairman of the group) way back in 1992. Sylvia was part of a comprehensive Flying Phobia Programme that successfully got people flying following significant traumatic events concerning people flying. This programme was implemented by the RAF Psychiatric Services at the Behaviour Therapy Unit at Princess Alexandra’s RAF (Hospital) Wroughton between 1991 and 1995. What I remember about Sylvia is her encouragement, empathy and humour in helping people to “face their fears” before embarking on their Fear of Flying Programme at Wroughton Hospital.
What is the STG’s mission?
1. To hold an AGM
2. To hold further workshops on Post Trauma Stress and Gulf War Syndrome - TBA
3. Update STG website on a six weekly basis.
4. Encourage new members to join the our group, and to hold further scones, tea, or coffee sessions at Lydiard Park Conference Centre.
5. The making still of a film to help educate and empathise with those with an interest in trauma as well as survivors.
Appearing on our website is an update on the Links page and information from local and national papers concerning trauma and sometimes the consequences Post Traumatic Stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
When I served in the first Gulf War one of the support systems I found invaluable was The British Red Cross - Coping with Personal Crisis. An update of the pamphlet is highlighted on the STG Website courtesy of the British Red Cross. Also included are references to excellent books and films.
There are self help books for survivors of trauma available at Swindon libraries which can be used as an excellent adjunct to CBT and Critical Incident Debriefing.
The history of the STG group and information on counselling, and CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) will be appearing in the website soon.
As chairman of the Swindon Trauma Group I hope over the coming weeks, months and years that people will find the website interesting and for friends of the Swindon Trauma Group, who are asking we will continue to hold our Annual successful Conferences.
Here’s to the future.
Best wishes
Dick
R.W. Hilling ARRC
Chairman Swindon Trauma Group