NHS Lothian team ensures it’s a mentally-well Fringe

Did you know that for the past two years NHS Lothian staff have hosted a series of drop-in taster sessions for performers and participants at the Edinburgh Fringe? 

Following a successful first year, Dr Alison Wells, Clinical Psychologist, NHS Lothian and Dr Alana Davis, Division of Clinical Psychology – Scotland agreed with Edinburgh Fringe to return in 2018 for a second year. The event was run as a single workshop, on three consecutive Fridays, providing experiences commonly used in psychological therapies.

British Psychological Society – Scotland Chair, Beth Hannah said: “As the city bursts into life, signalling the start of the month-long, non-stop festival atmosphere, it can be easy for performers to let their mental health take a back seat.

“The pressure of ticket sales, getting on stage, and keeping up with the hustle and bustle does take its toll – we all need to take a moment to look after ourselves and I hope performers can benefit from the great services offered by our applied psychologists and NHS Lothian.”

A small team of about twelve staff from Applied Psychology, Psychological Therapies and Arts Therapy were kept busy running a diverse range of ‘taster sessions’, each lasting about fifteen minutes that were designed to offer an insight into psychological therapies, and provide some relief from the stresses and strains of performing at the Fringe.

This year’s experiences saw people listening to a guided meditation of a visit to the seaside, trying out mindfulness techniques such as walking in silence and even mindful eating. Mindful eating is when we eat something like raisins or even chocolate but we slow down the process to appreciate the experience. These techniques help to deal with stress and improve general health. The sessions also explored how our relationships influence how we feel and what we might do about it. Other activities included therapeutic art and music activities. These activities were designed from evidence-based therapies, practised within NHS mental health services.

Feedback from visitors was very positive, commenting on how refreshed they felt and several reviews have already appeared in mainstream and social media.  People commented on how important it was to have ‘this kind of thing’ at the Festival.