The importance of being truly heard - with Dr. Russell Razzaque

Russell Razzaque is a consultant psychiatrist working within the NHS, and author of “Breaking Down is Waking Up” (Watkins, 2014), a book that explores the relationship between psychological breakdown and spiritual awakening. His work involves research around creating systems of care based on mindfulness, embodied listening and giving patients agency in the decisions made around their treatment. For a number of years he’s been involved in bringing a revolutionary new psychiatric treatment modality called Peer Supported Open Dialogue to the England and is currently the project lead, overseeing a major country-wide clinical trial. 

In this episode he talks about how his first experience of a silent meditation retreat taught him more about his mind than all his years of psychiatric training. He talks openly and lucidly about examples of difficult situations in his personal and professional life, and discusses the importance of creating a safe space in which to articulate our suffering, and how compassion and deep listening (both with yourself and others) are essential.