On 12th May 2020 we hosted our first VAMHN webinar on understanding violence, abuse and mental health. We were delighted to welcome our incredible speakers; Prof. Joanna Bourke (Birkbeck, University of London), Nicole Jacobs (Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales), Akiko Hart (National Survivor User Network) and Laura Fischer (artist, activist and researcher). You can watch the recording of the full webinar below.
Joanna Bourke
Skip to 00:04:10 to watch Joanna's presentation
"In England and Wales today, 11 people are raped every hour, affecting approximately 85,000 women and 12,000 men; another half a million adults are sexually assaulted. These figures do not include the millions of victim-survivors who never report their assault. Rates of sexual and domestic violence are guaranteed to dramatically increase as couples and families are forced to stay inside their homes due to Covid-19. The historical, social-scientific and legal literature on sexual and domestic violence has tended to focus on questions of law enforcement, legal outcomes, and public responses rather than on the emotions. What happens when we put to the forefront the sensual and emotional experiences of victim-survivors? It is well known that the harms caused by sexual abuse are legion. They include physical injuries, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies or parturitions, and psychiatric illnesses. Even those victim-survivors who do not suffer such harms routinely report experiencing debilitating and painful sensory and emotional aftermaths. The most shattering to their self-esteem is shame, a complex, multi-formed, and often elusive emotion. In this talk, I explore the role of emotions in dissuading victim-survivors from reporting their abuse and receiving help. I conclude by addressing what medical professionals and other concerned people can do to help forge more equitable and just worlds."
1. See www.shame.bbk.ac.uk for resources, articles, and blogs
2. Joanna Bourke, Rape: A History from the 1860s to the Present (Virago, 2007)
3. Joanna Bourke, ‘Police Surgeons and Victims of Rape: Cultures of Harm and Care’, Social History of Medicine, 31.4 (November 2018), 679-87 at http://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hky016
4. Carine M. Mardorossian, ‘Toward a New Feminist Theory of Rape’, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 27.3 (spring 2002)
5. Janet Weston, Medicine, the Penal System, and Sexual Crimes in England since 1919: Diagnosing Deviance (London: Bloomsbury, 2017)
2. Joanna Bourke, Rape: A History from the 1860s to the Present (Virago, 2007)
3. Joanna Bourke, ‘Police Surgeons and Victims of Rape: Cultures of Harm and Care’, Social History of Medicine, 31.4 (November 2018), 679-87 at http://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hky016
4. Carine M. Mardorossian, ‘Toward a New Feminist Theory of Rape’, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 27.3 (spring 2002)
5. Janet Weston, Medicine, the Penal System, and Sexual Crimes in England since 1919: Diagnosing Deviance (London: Bloomsbury, 2017)
| Joanna Bourke VAMHN .pptx |
Nicole Jacobs
Skip to 00:26:25 to watch Nicole's presentation
"Nicole speaks about the impact of the lock down measure in the COVID-19 response and her work from a national and local government perspective during this time including:
1. Need for workplan across government for DA relate work in relation to COVID-19
2. Practices from mental health trusts and helplines
3. Recovery and forward planning for work related to DA and mental health"
1. Need for workplan across government for DA relate work in relation to COVID-19
2. Practices from mental health trusts and helplines
3. Recovery and forward planning for work related to DA and mental health"
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Akiko Hart
Skip to 00:48:05 to watch Akiko's presentation
Violence and abuse in mental health services exist, and yet naming them is complex and politically charged. Professional solidarity can lead to defensive, #NotAll responses. The anger of campaigners is hard to hear and can be weaponised against them, with the content of their message being discounted. The space to raise these issues with decision-makers is so narrow that it becomes a feat of contortionism. And throughout, we see the disavowal of complexity.
How can we find the space to name violence and abuse in mental health services? And how might Covid-19 shed a light on this, through the stories and voices we are hearing (and those we are excluding) during this pandemic?Violence and abuse in mental health services exist, and yet naming them is complex and politically charged. Professional solidarity can lead to defensive, #NotAll responses. The anger of campaigners is hard to hear and can be weaponised against them, with the content of their message being discounted. The space to raise these issues with decision-makers is so narrow that it becomes a feat of contortionism. And throughout, we see the disavowal of complexity.
How can we find the space to name violence and abuse in mental health services? And how might Covid-19 shed a light on this, through the stories and voices we are hearing (and those we are excluding) during this pandemic?
How can we find the space to name violence and abuse in mental health services? And how might Covid-19 shed a light on this, through the stories and voices we are hearing (and those we are excluding) during this pandemic?Violence and abuse in mental health services exist, and yet naming them is complex and politically charged. Professional solidarity can lead to defensive, #NotAll responses. The anger of campaigners is hard to hear and can be weaponised against them, with the content of their message being discounted. The space to raise these issues with decision-makers is so narrow that it becomes a feat of contortionism. And throughout, we see the disavowal of complexity.
How can we find the space to name violence and abuse in mental health services? And how might Covid-19 shed a light on this, through the stories and voices we are hearing (and those we are excluding) during this pandemic?
- https://www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/blog/awareness/the-complaints-i-never-made (Rachel Rowan Olive, the complaints I never made)
- https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/07/angry-consumer-emotions/ (The angry consumer: embracing difficult conversations, by Nev Jones and Emily Sheera Cutler)
- https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/independent-review-of-the-mental-health-act (Independent review of the MHA)
- https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/MHRJ-01-2017-0011/full/html (Exploring the case for truth & reconciliation in MH, Helen Spandler & Mick McKeown)
Laura Fischer
Skip to 01:05:28 to watch Laura's presentation
My talk will explore the role of the body in experiences of violence and abuse and the role of the survivor in healing from trauma. In mental health, we know a lot about the impact of violence and abuse on the mind and we traditionally treat trauma with mind-focused therapeutic approaches. Yet, traumatic memories are predominantly held in body memory (emotional and procedural) and the body is the battleground where trauma is played out. This is critical to our understanding of the impact of violence and abuse because it explains why traumatic experiences are so difficult to put into words and why talk-based therapies can encounter important limitations (in particular with childhood trauma). Moreover, understanding the role of the body in trauma is understanding the potential of the body in treating trauma: the body doesn’t just hold trauma, it also holds the fertile soil for healing. Further, a body-based approach enables a crucial shift in power dynamics: the survivor becomes a leader in their own healing. I believe it is time we recognised the power that survivors hold and make space for survivor-led healing and growth – both at individual and cultural levels. This shift would not have changed the prevalence or severity of the abuse occurring as a consequence of the current pandemic and lockdown, but would it have made us better equipped to deal with it?
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30444-4/fulltext
- www.laurafischer-trauma.co.uk
- The Body Keeps the Score (book), Bessel Van der Kolk
- Trauma and Recovery (book), Judith Herman
VAMHN Funding Opportunities
Skip to 01:26:14 to hear our network lead, Dr Sian Oram speak about the upcoming VAMHN funding opportunities, including our Early Career Researcher Bursary Awards and our next small grant competition on the theme of Understanding Violence, Abuse and Mental Health which will launch in September 2020.