Our Group Secretary, Dr Robin Croft, has collaborated with another knowledgeable source, Matte Loat, to create a series of three books that address the problems of addiction and mental illness.

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They have presented their works in a three-volume series under the general heading of 'Poetic Symbiosis'. The authors portray, in no uncertain terms, the dreadful conditions and mindsets of those individuals consigned to this dreadful way of life.

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Yet, despite all the adversities, the authors show that there is some humour in the situation and that it is possible to survive these problems and rejoin a normal living environment.

 

These books have been widely acclaimed and have been adopted by some GPs for therapeutic advice.  

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Our other senior member of staff, Steven Mortimer Hodder, has written three non-literature books - although these are of a scientific nature and unlikely to be of interest here!

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetic-Symbiosis-Surviving-Addiction-Illness/dp/1908837152/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetic-Symbiosis-II-Addiction-Illness/dp/1908837187

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetic-Symbiosis-Vol-III-Embracing/dp/1908837241

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The authors met by chance, through a mutual connection, in 2019 and soon recognised their joint interest in writing poetry as a therapeutic tool for dealing with their own afflictions. One suffers from lifelong and complex mental health issues whilst the other is an alcoholic in sustained recovery. They initially agreed to write one joint poem and, over the next three years, produced this hard-hitting trilogy. They have pulled no punches in describing the struggles associated with their own conditions, their management and hopes for the future. They both have experience in supporting others with broader addiction issues. Despite the differences in their own conditions and academic backgrounds, throughout this process they found a lot of common ground in their own management. Impressively, they both found the process to be cathartic and of tremendous value in remaining stable throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, although it did limit their ability to co-write.

They would also like to thank Takahe Publishing Ltd for having the courage to publish their works and produce the fantastic illustrations that accompany the poems!