Frith is an old word to mean peace, security, sanctuary
Stability and mental health
Many people are searching for greater stability in their emotional and mental health. Perhaps their life experiences have made it harder to feel safe, to trust and to have a positive sense of self; perhaps their mental health problems keep getting in the way of their personal, relationship or employment stability; or perhaps they just want to get some peace from worry, rumination, self-doubt, self-criticism or negative thought spirals…
If we develop mental health problems, we may also start to worry about what they might mean. We might feel ashamed or embarrassed about them; we might wonder if we’re going ‘mad’; we might wonder what impact this will have on our worth (as a partner, parent or employee, for example). We might feel an understandable urge to hide or ignore the problems, rather than face them. But mental health ‘symptoms’ are often adaptations – signs that our minds and nervous systems are trying to adapt to something, to cope with some kind of real or imagined threat, for example. If we can come to understand this, then we can reduce our judgements about ‘symptoms’, find the meaning and purpose in them, and make more informed decisions about how we respond to them.
Another meaning for ‘Frith’ is freedom, and in this context, being free means making your own judgement about what you need, at this time. Some people need to prioritise being able to function, so they want treatment that is going to allow them to do that as quickly and effectively as possible. They haven’t got the space in their life to do anything else at the moment. For others, just treating the symptoms feels deeply unsatisfying, and they want to address underlying patterns or causes. Others may want to direct their energy into lifestyle changes, healing the body and becoming present in the moment. We are born unique, we have our own unique life experiences and we develop in our own unique ways – so it’s not surprising we need the freedom to choose our own unique treatment path!
Psychiatry is practised in many different ways. By choosing the name ‘Frith’, I hope to recognise the importance of mental stability, emotional safety and the freedom to choose.
