Month: July 2010

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Community of Western Australia visit Mental Health Project

The mentally ill in Bali continue to be ignored, mistreated and abused. It has been estimated that over 7,000 people in Bali suffer from serious chronic mental illnesses, the majority of whom will never receive any treatment. It is likely that the true numbers will be much higher. For this reason, the community of Western Australia sent their volunteer to see the reality behind the story. There were four volunteer sent to Bali namely, Karen Urguhart, Julie Quicke, Peter Cornish, and Jeannig Cornish. “Seeing is beleiving”, said Peter as the oldest member of the volunteer.

“I felt like creating a new tourist destination in Bali’, said Professor Luh Ketut Suryani dispite her sadness seeing the reality of her government doesn’t want to continue support her work in community. Her approach to mental health, which is community-based using a biopsychosociocultural (i.e. holistic) model is applied to this devastating condition. This means that mental health services are provided in normal community settings close to the population served. The symbols, values, and traditions of the community become grist for the mill in working with patients and families.


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Suryani asked Taxi Demonstration to be calm

Hundreds of local taxi drivers staged a demonstration in June, demanding the closure of the Bluebird taxi company in Bali for allegedly operating on the island without a permit. The tension between Blue Bird and other taxi operators in Bali started early this year when the provincial administration’s Transportation, Information and Communication Department sent a letter to the company questioning the legal standing of the Bali taxi operation. The letter, dated Feb. 1, 2010, questioned the use of the Blue Bird brand on taxis operating under permits issued to Praja Bali.

For that reason, Professor Luh Ketut Suryani tried to be the mediator between taxi drivers with Bali’s governor. “I try to find the balinese way in handle a problem, not by demonstration or any destructive way, but can we sit together and talk in a peacefull way”, said Suryani during the gathering with taxi driver in Governor Office temple.

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SHAT sends 1000s students in trance

Spiritual Hypnosis Assissted Therapy (SHAT) is being extensively and successfully used in clinical practice in Bali for over a decade now and for a variety of mental disorders, emotional distress (specifically grief and bereavement), sexual, relational, and sexual orientation problems, and PTSD. As a new, alternative, and both culturally and spiritually sensitive method of treatment and prevention of mental health problems, Professor Luh Ketut Suryani applied the method for the new high school and junior high school students in Denpasar, Bali. There were thausands students joined the program. Most of them had to cried out loud and scream due to the traumatic memories that they re-experience during the program.

“The approach focuses on memory and the unconscious mind, and considers the effects of proto-experiences on the (dys)functional psychological development of the individual. It utilises spiritual, psychodynamic (in particular clinical hypnosis), CBT, and humanistic therapeutic elements”, said Suryani after the program.

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Trieste Mental Health visit the reality in Paradise

After heard brief discription of the condition in Bali from Professor Luh Ketut Suryani, Maurizio Constantino who was the operational director and co-ordinator for the Trieste Mental Health Department in Italy finally had the chance to see the reality. He was shocked and amazed at the same time. He shocked to see the condition for the patients in community, but he was amazed to see the work of the volunteer. “Their work really showed the compassion that the patients and families need beyond the medical setting”, said Maurizio.

During the visit, the team had the chance to see one patient that just found by the volunteer and 3 other patients that have been treated and getting better. All of them were in chained and now been released and in their maintanance phase. “I need the families to have understanding that any tiny change is a progress for the patient mental health”, add Suryani to the families as they really want her miracle work. She has to manage her time and the money that most of it come from her own pocket after Bali’s governor cut 90% of his previous budget without any consult with her.

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