Dennis Baldwin from Salford, is a multiple suicide attempt survivor. He is bringing together other suicide attempt survivors in a peer to peer creative arts support group that is running at START, a leading Mental Health Charity in Salford.
When talking about his recovery from his suicide attempts he said “I couldn’t live in the moment, I was catastrophizing about the future, destroying myself about the past. I had a constant internal dialogue/conflict – my emotive self vs rational self. I was just tired, worn out, exhausted with this illness that turned me against myself.”
“That is when I tried to take my own life the first time. It wasn’t until after the second attempt that I started to get any type of help or support”.
“I didn’t know how ill I was until I started recovering, I got into a friend’s car and the radio came on I could hear the words of the song, it blew me away. The white noise of my internal dialogue was getting quieter, I was getting better, but I didn’t know where I ended and the illness began.”
“I had to learn how to communicate again. Learn what emotions were, what they are and how to deal with them. I now can live with my mental illness, but still have times where I am only just surviving it.”
“START a leading mental health charity in Salford was literally a life saver, it gave me access to therapeutic creative arts and mental health support that I so desperately needed. Through Photography I learnt to engage with the world again, through the lens of a camera. Seeing the beauty in the mundane and reconnecting with the world that I had lost”.
“That’s why I set up ‘Surviving Suicide’. We were lucky enough to get funding from CRH Charitable Trust to set up the peer to peer support group. We can share our experiences and use art as recovery tool, to help us to cope, and ultimately survive our suicidality.”
“It’s not just surviving suicide it’s all that comes with it. I became homeless, moved onto benefits from a well-paid job. I have lost over a quarter of a million pounds from lost pay due to my illness. The realisation that I’ll never own my own home is heart-breaking. I lost everything and am working so hard to keep myself well and trying to have a good quality of life. I’ve learnt so much on my recovery journey. Having people that have been through similar struggles and sharing our tips and supporting each other is incredibly powerful”.
If you are recovering from a suicide attempt, experiencing or have experienced suicidal thoughts and/or ideation come along and join the group. The art group is led by a professional artist with extensive experience. The sessions are built around basic skill sets that will be built upon each week, seeing you conceptualise, design, plan and create your own works, with all materials being supplied free for you.
You will learn creative art skills including various mediums and art forms. The group will be designed and delivered through an ongoing organic consultative process that will actively seek the involvement of all participants. The sessions allow plenty of opportunities for the development of peer to peer support for connection, community, recovery, inclusion and creative expression. This group is to complement the support given by your mental health team.
The group takes place Fridays 10.30am-12.30pm at START, Brunswick House, 62 Broad Street, Salford M6 5BZ. For more information or registration please email dennisb@startinspiringminds.org.uk
To keep up to date and join ‘Reach Out; Start to End Suicide’ visit: www.startinspiringminds.org.uk/reachout and follow us on social media @reachoustes
For support for yourself or someone you know please visit ‘Shining A Light On Suicide’ http://www.shiningalightonsuicide.org.uk/
