What is the Book About?

The Burning Breath chapters is an educational text based around firsthand accounts of therapy. This leans on and utilizes 28 case studies from frontline work in the criminal justice and mental health sectors whilst also using 2 in depth case studies that explore the impact of Mindfulness. 

Our work centers on a journey through the stages of early childhood, adolescence, adulthood and maturity exploring the overcoming of traumatic experiences and adversities faced by those from urban communities. The writing has a focus on the practice and approach of mindfulness meditation and the incredible power of this form of therapy to transform the hearts of those who have found themselves at the edge of our society’s experiences. A large part of the manuscript captures authoritive descriptions of life stages combined with a range of mindfulness textbooks by leading authors, case studies, leading works in philosophy, social sciences, Zen Buddhist theory and psychology.

Although descriptive nonfiction accounts provide a strong basis for our work, we have found that some experiences were best suited to creative expression to capture the intensity of experiences, emotions and insights and so we have included factual poems that act as case study accounts of the life stages explored.

What is The Story Behind the Book?

Recently, Synergi which is an arm of the National survivor’s network was holding a exhibition and accepting submissions for music, poetry and other things like articles. Jerome Sewell spoke to them and decided to submit a piece about trauma and the impact of Mindfulness as a poem called Burning Breath. He felt the need to do this because although it has been wonderful and something that he thinks is transformative for society that Mindfulness has exploded in the way it has in the UK and elsewhere, he sensed there is a gap:

Jerome felt that the impact of Mindfulness on those with criminal pasts and those with psychosis is something overlooked. He felt very strongly and passionately about this due to his life experiences. Mindfulness was a key part of his journey and he credits this approach with transforming his life and being the most crucial factor in both sides of his rehabilitation. 

So together, Jason Harris, Mase Okor and Jerome Sewell decided to write The Burning Breath Chapters to explore the impact of Mindfulness on those with the type of histories described whilst leaning on strong amounts of professional experience.