Volume : 10

Issue : 116
E Mail : nandmana@sltnet.lk
www.humanrightsofficekandy.org

Human Rights Office Kandy

commemorated The World
Mental Health Day on the
10th October 2019 at Fatima
Retreat House Lewella,
Kandy, Sri Lanka with the
theme of “Self Care”. Turning
towards oneself with
attention, intention and
non-judgment was
highlighted with reflective
activities providing an
opportunity for the 115
participants to enter into
quietness and relaxation, in
body, mind and spirit.

World Mental Health Day (10 October) is a day declared for global mental health education, awareness and
advocacy. It was first celebrated in 1992 with the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global
mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries.

Human Rights Office in Kandy working with different kinds of survivor groups for their legal and psychological
needs, believe, that mental health is a human right. We celebrated it with the survivor families of both ethnic groups
Sinhala and Tamil. Among the
participants, families of the disappeared
and of the prisoners and the survivors of
Rape & Torture and other Human Rights
violation and the members of the support
group.

Importance of mental health and the

significance of the day was explained by
Fr. Nandana Manatunga the Director of
HRO while the theme and the day's programme was explained by Sr. Mabel Rodrigo the Trauma Counselor of HRO.

The trauma that was experienced by the families

of the victims with the 21/4 2019 bomb attack on
churches and hotels and all those who viewed the
scenes via Television were highlighted and the
need to be in solidarity with them with ongoing
trauma counseling was pointed out.

Drama Therapist Dr. Ravindra Ranasinghe and

his Team conducted several exercises along with
the participants while explaining how to cope up
with stress and trauma, hence it was active
participation and learning.
Body movements and yogic postures session kept their minds in a state quietness all
through the sessions. It immensely helped the participants to search and observe
objects that reflect their own personal stories as they mindfully walked around the
nature and surroundings and later to share them in the group.

One of the best techniques of managing stress is laughing out aloud. Group
performance of laughing out aloud integrated with movements, and sharing in small
groups each person’s unique ways of creating happiness for oneself and managing
stress helped them to learn innovative ways of daily living. At the closure of the
session participants were given an exercise on progressive relaxation, an
opportunity to expose their pains and tears within a religious ritual and release
them to the nature.

On 2019 Metal health day, all the participants were able to take part in a living session of discovering their personal
journey with their traumatic pain and ways of dealing with pain and tears.