Brendan Cook is part of the T.H.O.M.A.S
TeamI will begin this article with a question. Should the learning process within education be about more than just memorising facts and training to do things? I believe the answer to this question is yes because it should also be about learning to value and understand ones deepest inner self which is made up of emotions, feelings, desires and aspirations and about how they affect our behaviour and relationships. This is a holistic educational approach which attempts to meet the educational needs of body,mind and spirit. At T.H.O.M.A.S. a safe space is created were these holistic learning needs are identified and met. Prior to entering the recovery programme many clients have little opportunity to meet these needs because of unsatisfactory home, social and educational circumstances. The painful experience of not being able to learn about oneself and the world in a meaningful way creates feelings of anger and hopelessness, which many on the programme learnt to anaesthetise with alcohol and drug. Therefore the recovery programme at T.H.O.M.A.S. tries to meet these needs through a holistic learning approach, which engages the whole person, body,mind and spirit. This learning process seeks not only to equip people with the rational skills needed for functioning and working well within society but also with the skills necessary to be able to explore the desire for ultimate meaning and purpose in life. This engagement with what some might describe as the spiritual aspect of life could explain the difference between being just a good worker and being also a good citizen. Spirituality in this context therefore is not defined solely by religion or ideas about God, but by everything associated with the human desire for ultimate meaning and purpose in life. Best practice models within secular statutory mental health care are increasingly recognising the importance of spirituality (religious or otherwise) within the process of recovery. Socrates said that 'the unexamined life is not worth living',words which continue to inspire educational endeavour. If these words are true it is reasonable to assume that the T.H.O.MA.S. recovery programme is a truly educational one because it strives to meet the educational learning needs of the whole person, not just those of the body and mind but also those of the spirit. The effectiveness of this holistic approach is seen in many young men who are successfully learning to live lives free from drug and alcohol addiction. |
