Nurse Wellbeing Mission
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EP 19: A nurse’s journey through psychosis and recovery with Emma Henry
Nursing seemed like a good career path for Emma Henry. She had finally found a profession she enjoyed, where she felt she could make a difference.
But things changed. She had stressful experiences with her young children. She had stressful experiences at work. As things deteriorated, the unimaginable happened: She started experiencing hallucinations and delusions. She was having a psychotic episode.
Listen to this powerful conversation as we dive deep into Emma’s mental health journey and subsequent recovery.
We’ll see what factors led to Emma’s decline in mental health, and hear all about how she has now retrained as an Emotional Freedom Technique therapist and helps nurses with their own stress.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM EMMA’S JOURNEY IN THIS EPISODE
It is not healthy when somebody tells you to go back to work when you do not feel safe to go back to work.
Having at least one compassionate person who will make you feel heard is vital.
Nursing culture makes it hard to have open discussions about mental health. Emma did not feel she could share anything about her mental illness as she did not trust that her managers would be adequately trained or in a position to appropriately hold what she had to say.
Emma experienced thoughts about ending her life. We talk about how suicidality is a complex and individualized topic that can arise in different people for different reasons.
Emma did not want her kids to have any trauma, and that thought stopped her from acting on suicidal thoughts.
Emma would like to introduce coping mechanisms in nurse training if she were to redesign the support the staff is receiving.
She believes there should be better education about mental health.
After quitting nursing, Emma found EFT an effective tool that made her feel better.
EFT, or the Emotional Freedom Technique, is what Emma helps other people with, teaching them about coping mechanisms.
Today's Guest:
Emma Henry, a former UK nurse, faced challenges with her mental health after experiencing prenatal and postnatal depression following the birth of her first child.
Emma decided to leave nursing. During this time, she encountered two coaches who introduced her to Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT proved to be a highly effective coping tool that was unavailable to her during her struggles as a parent and nurse.
Recognizing the value of EFT in improving her well-being, Emma embarked on a journey to become an EFT Practitioner. Through her newfound profession, she now helps others by teaching them coping mechanisms and providing support using EFT.
Connect with Emma Henry here:
https://www.instagram.com/emmahenryeft/
https://m.facebook.com/p/Emma-Henry-EFT-Practitioner-100075966822830/
https://twitter.com/EmmahenryEFT
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/emma-henry-257074195
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