Quing – A New Trauma Treatment Model
Quing is a new health model. At first sight the word appears more Far Eastern than Manx, but Quing (in Manx Gaelic) means to ‘yoke together’ to support one another – in case you’re not fluent in Manx. The yoke in this case, is not something runny and yellow, but is solid and binding – in a good sense. Why has Quing been formed? Well, to quote Manx born founder, Graham Clucas “there is a hole in provision”. Enough said. The current treatments are medical and social models while Quing is building on recovery capital for the troubled individual. Quing looks to find strengths and to ‘capitalise’ on them – not just continue a ‘treatment’ model focussed simply on individual problems.
Escaping Our Prisons
Graham has first hand experience of deep trauma having been sectioned for previous years of his life – including time spent in prison. He is also a reformed addict, and now, a trained Psychotherapist. His was a long, and often painful, journey. What was never addressed by the system (the current model) was his previously deep seated trauma. He knows that others, via Quing, can also turn their lives around.
Quing has already undertaken peer mentoring, working with 50 people so far – supporting them as they move through their trauma, aiding their own recovery process. Deep seated trauma, is a problem that in a fast paced world, is barely recognised. People exist and stay adrift, under the radar. As Graham says “it’s not sexy. The people that Quing work with have been stigmatised and criminalised and are caught in extreme behaviours which society finds difficult to deal with”. The recovery journey starts with that single step, to receive help.
Going Behind The Mask
Graham highlights “the aim is to look at the trauma behind the behaviour, as we often don’t see all the hurt behind the actions. In some ways it may be worse on Island than elsewhere. It’s a unique place, some of what occurs here is more pronounced, but hidden – people don’t want to see some things. Part of our project will be to revitalise buildings to use them for community activities. That will encourage people to use building and craft skills or re-find them after being out of regular activity. The people who do this work will find a way to reintegrate back into society, to find a new place of meaning and value – both to themselves and to others”.
Getting into his stride and growing into his new role, Graham continued: “with peer mentoring we find a way to help people turn their lives around, people just like me. It’s a process I went through and we can help others to do the same. In time, we aim to build a World class research base of peer reviewed, trauma treatment, evidence. We will develop a highly relevant and unique Quing Protocol”.
As Easy As: A, B, C.
Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is the way to go. It utilises all the ‘capital’ in society. Not just capital in the monetary sense, but in the loose connections and hidden ‘capital’ that supports us all. The kind of support that allows us all to fully function. But for some, that capital has been broken by others, or hidden from view in a learned helplessness way. Time for us all to lean in, and learn.
Health – Was Done: To Us, For Us, or With Us
Despite ever growing budgets, as we move towards a self healing and self actualising model, we steadily replace the existing ‘top down’, hierarchical, and reverential, health model. In the words of political commentator Tom Wheeler, the author of ‘Take Command’, we need to enable the empowered self to finally find their true voice.
But Wellness – Will Be Done: By Us
Over the long term, Quing is about Recovery (stopping the behaviour), Rehabilitation (having people re-address their sense of self), and Reintegration (to regain meaningful working and life roles). That way society, but more importantly, the individual wins. Their voice becomes amplified and services start to address their unfiltered needs. Better still, it best serves the long term aims of all.
What’s Eating You?
One observation regarding people suffering trauma, is their almost uniformly ‘poor’ diets. When a mind is in a constant whirlwind, then, so often, diet gets overlooked. Sadly, that’s not helped by a ‘meds to the max’ culture where toxic, chemically based medications, are heaped upon the unsuspecting person – more readily, and commercially referred to as, a patient. The sugar spikes of modern processed diets just add to the burden of brain fog. More so, as physiologically when sugar ‘tapers off’ in the brain, adrenaline spikes take hold – compounding an often ‘vicious’ circle.
Run For The Hills
But, as regular contributors to ‘Mad in America’ state: exercise beats Zoloft. It certainly does in real world trials and as presented by Robert Whittaker to a British Parliamentary Committee last year. The new model of mental Wellness and kinder support beckons, with exercise and healthier foods as a newer, cheaper, and gentler ‘prescription’. One that is more compassionate than current offerings. But that new ‘offering’ will need a climb down, by some and an amplified ‘patient’ voice, from others. Those reluctant to climb down from their medical model may well end up with egg, or at least yoke, on their faces. The Quing yoke, to me, and others studying all the evidence – has much more appeal.