APS holds talk by Dr Ali Madeeh Hashmi on ‘from ill-being to well-being’
The Armacost Psychological Society arranged a talk on Wednesday 29 October 2014 by Dr Ali Madeeh Hashmi, Associate Professor at King Edward Medical College and Consultant Psychiatrist at Mayo Hospital Lahore. The talk was on the topic ‘From ill-being to well-being’ and focused on the various perspectives of treatment of psychological illnesses that exist within the society; ranging from spiritual healing to the treatment strategies that have been brought forward by science.
The event started with a heart rending yet eye opening video that showed a glimpse of the myths of treatment that have existed from the ancient times and still linger on in the society, such as exorcism and trephination. This video was followed by another one that consisted of a compilation of the opinions of the general public from within and outside FCC, regarding mental illnesses and its preferred mode of treatment. Furthermore, to provide a more valuable learning experience to the audience, the interviews of Mufti Mohammad Zubair and Bishop Alexander John Malik were showcased, in which they presented their learned views regarding spiritual healing of psychological problems. The interviews were conducted by the Armacost Psychological team prior to the event. In order to lighten up the mood of the audience there were musical performances that took place in between the showcase of the videos that centered upon the theme of positivity, hope and healing.
Lastly, the guest speaker, Dr Hashmi talked about his views and valuable experience regarding treatment of mental illnesses. He provided a detailed view of the treatment that was used in the ancient times as compared to the advancements that science had made currently, along with relating a number of personal examples from his practice. His use of humor at just the right places kept the audience completely involved and enthusiastic to learn more, as the students and faculty members also actively participated in the Questions and Answer session that followed.
All in all, the talk provided a blend of both the dos and don’ts of treatment, awareness regarding the myths that exist in society and played a role in boosting up the enthusiasm of the crowd to focus towards positivity and hope of being healed.