This is a personal piece by someone who attended the event and reflects there own opinion.
The Momentum Workshops 2014' Exeter Devon..with Mike Lew.
This 2 day ( non-residential) recovery workshop facilitated by Mike Lew, was for adult Male Survivors of childhood sexual abuse and other trauma. The sessions offered a recovery experience in a safe environment for shared healing. This workshop was open to non-offending male survivors only.
The cost of £180 is very high if you include transport and accommodation for non-Exeter residents. Although some concessions were individually negotiated, it is still, for one of the few events organised for male survivors in the UK, prohibitively expensive for people who are living in poverty, which could be due to chaotic lifestyles or in stages of recovery which mean they are unable to work.
The Venue Court Barn, Highfield Farm, Topsham, Devon is almost ideal being set in farmland but at one point there where complaints from neighbours about there fears for the punch bag.
Mike designs his workshops to be as free flowing and open as possible and having now attended a few they alter according to the participants needs and input. Having said that, Devon this year felt for me restricted by a certain amount of psychobabble, and with the numbers down an individual can dominate easily. Survivors need honesty and clarity, hiding behind terminology is just dissociation. I highly recommend Mike's workshops but I am sure I can't attend this one again.
Mike Lew, M.Ed. is a leading expert on recovery from childhood sexual abuse and the issues of male survivors. Mike is recognised and often quoted for his publications including 'Victims no Longer': the classic guide for men recovering from sexual child abuse, and 'Leaping upon the Mountains'. Mike facilitates and delivers public lectures, workshops for survivors, training and consultations for mental health, public sector agencies, clergy, law enforcement and other public, private and voluntary agencies throughout the United States, Canada, and in UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and South Africa. Mike is co-director of Next Step Counselling & Training www.nextstepcounselling.org and a video interview with Mike 'Don't give up' is on www.youtube.com
May 23-25, 2014 Norway. Victims No Longer #4 - A Men's Recovery Weekend
The 4th annual Norwegian weekend workshop for male survivors. At the same venue as last year, a lovely hotel on a fjord about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Oslo. With 20 plus men from the UK, Norway, Denmark, Germany and Belgium 2 1/2 days was not enough. Sharing our experiences internationally showed us we have much still to do but can learn from each other. Thank You ALL who attended.