Company Paradiso: Blog

Many studies over the last 20 years have confirmed that writing about emotional experience brings increased wellbeing. Broadly speaking, not talking about important psychological phenomena is a form of inhibition causing low-level stress and health problems. Letting go and talking about experience reduces the stress of inhibition. Translating experience into language, spoken or written, can change cognitive and lingustic processes and bring better health.

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I have recently come across some fascinating research by American psychologist James Pennebaker www.psy.utexas.edu/Pennebaker   For many years he and others have demonstrated that when individuals write about emotional experiences, significant physical and mental health improvements follow.  Writing programmes of 15 minutes a day for 4 days that focused on deep emotions had health outcomes such as reduced visits to the doctor and better immune function.  He describes this:
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Tim Loughton,
Minister for Children and Families

This week I took three young people who have been through the care system to see Tim Loughton, Minister for Children and Families, at the Department of Education in London.  He had agreed to meet us following an interview we did with him as part of the ‘Handle With Care’ project back in May.

One of our young people had spent 6 months on the street age 16 in church grounds, sheds and a tent, before getting a room at The Foyer in Slough.  Next week she will begin a degree in Theology at Kings College, University of London.  An amazing story of achievement.  The young people talked on the journey about how to describe their backgrounds on CVs and university applications and she thought ‘living independently’ was the best way.  I don’t think it describes the half of it.
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This week has seen rioting in London and major cities in England.  Many times during the last few days I have heard young people referred to as ‘feral’ or ‘mindless’. 
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Over the last 5 years company Paradiso has had a great time working with young offenders, prisoners and ex-offenders, people supported by mental health services and children in care, to enable people to tell their own stories.
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‘Company Paradiso’ was set up in 1996 as a paradise for creative artists. In reality, we were a touring theatre company – but we wanted each person in the company to feel creative and inspired in their different roles.
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