Six experts – with three PhDs and millions of book sales between them – come together for two days in Amsterdam. The question: how do you turn a theory – a research-based idea about how to improve mental wellbeing – into something practical? A simple, effective and enjoyable programme that can help change people’s lives. Turns out that the easy bits are hard and the hard bits are easy. That simplicity is complex and stripping out great ideas is part of a challenging process of creating something workable.
If there was the danger of this turning into a reality-TV nightmare, with egos crashing like bull elephant seals, it didn’t happen. Nobody agreed on everything but everyone agreed on something. And so, piece by piece, we bolted together what we hope will be the framework around which Movement for Mind is built.
The meeting began with an open, honest introduction from everyone. No-one was afraid of a little vulnerability and the whole workshop operated in that spirit of respectful positivity. We talked about how to make mindfulness accessible to the yoga-phobic and how a mixed ability group can run or walk together with no-one left behind. About the simple things nature offers us in every space and how to allow ourselves to notice them. We talked for hours about encouraging people to open up in a natural way and removing pressure while retaining a challenge.
And at the end? Well, we didn’t have a final programme, but we did have its core. We knew the structure and the tone. We had something to form the basis of our feasibility trial in January. And we had the tangible bonds built within a group that had a shared purpose. We left with the feeling that we were onto something and with more hard work, open minds and plenty of science, we just might be able to create something special.
