Dear Readers,
Prague is one of the top European tourist destinations. It boasts of beautiful architecture, a rich history, and craft beer. While we experienced this side of Prague, we also looked at aspects that would not appear in a travel advertisement. Though many people view positive psychology as fluff, we study at a lot more than how to make “normal” people happier.
In the Czech Republic, there around 68,000 homeless people and somewhere between 10,000-15,000 of them live in Prague. Thus, our first visit was with Theresa, the CEO and founder of Pragulic, a company that employs homeless people in Prague to give guided tours around the city. She introduced us to Ales (pronounced Alesh), who gave us a tour around Prague and told us about growing up in Czechoslovakia under occupation by the Soviet Union. Ales was not homeless because of drugs or mental illness or his run-ins with the secret police—reasons that society often attributes to homeless people in order to unfairly blame them for or justify their situation. Instead, Ales left the business he started in the US to take care of his sick mother. After she passed away, a doctor found a tumor in his brain and he had to undergo brain surgery. Because of the medical expenses and his inability to work, Ales could no longer afford housing.
Through our tour and discussion, we learned about how important meaning in life (MIL) is to one’s subjective well-being (SWB). When hostile world scenario (HWS) is high, SWB and MIL are significantly correlated. Thus, individuals are better able to cope and adapt to adverse situations. Though I do not want to make assumptions about Ales based on a few hours, he at least seemed to be an amazing example of this. He was so funny and kind throughout the entire tour. He was willing to share with us painful memories like getting caught by the secret police, but still make jokes about his mischievous adolescent shenanigans. It seemed that Praguelic did not just employ homeless individuals, but, perhaps more importantly, empowered them.
On Monday, we met Veronika and listened to stories about childhood abuse, her parents’ alcoholism, her addiction to Pervitine (a stimulant similar to cocaine), and her life with manic depression. However, Veronika also told us about the more positive aspects of her life—being a mother and a wife, caring for elderly people with Alzheimer’s, and doing presentations about her life to destigmatize mental illness. The message she left us with is that despite the hardships she has faced and mental illness that she lives with, she can live a mostly normal life. She is only “sometimes a patient.” Veronika attributed her recovery and resilience to her family and the “secret space” that she has created inside herself. When the outside world is too much, she can go to this space and feel safety and stability. While she used to build these places in others, she now is sure that the best place to create these safe places is within herself.
With Veronika, we discussed the harm that stigma around mental illness can cause. Not only does it dissuade people from getting help, but it also ostracizes them. This lack of relatedness can thereby reduce resilience and one’s psychological wellbeing (PWB). Veronika does her presentations for this very reason. Although she had/has a support network of her grandma, husband, and children, many do not. In order to help individuals with mental illness, we have to be willing to hold conversations about it and erase the stigma surrounding it.
Next, we went to the Jedlicka Institute, a school for disabled youth. The students range from toddlers to twenty-two years old and sixty to seventy percent of them have Cerebral Palsy. Not only does this school teach subjects like mathematics, psychology, and social studies, but it also has physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Walking in was surprising. I had expected a hospital-like campus—cold, sterile, and dull. Instead I saw bright yellow buildings, a basketball court, cherry blossom trees, and art along the walls. The classrooms were full of art supplies, plants, and photos of the students on trips. The students were also so excited to be there and talk about their classes. It was amazing to see and learn about how the school gives students the opportunity to get the care that they need, meet others with similar experiences, and have some independence from their parents. The visit was eye-opening because accessibility is something that people don’t always consider when planning events, structures, etc. Yet, as Radek, a past student and current teacher there, explained, people with disabilities are often extremely visible in a group of people. They stick out as “other” and are treated differently because of it. That’s why the Institute is so amazing. The students get to be around others who are like them in some way. They do not have to grow up always being known for their disability.
The final visit we had was to the sexology department for court-ordered treatment at Bonitza, a psychiatric hospital. Learning about the program was interesting as Prague has the lowest rate of repeat offenders. The relapse rate at that hospital use to be 87% when it was a normal psychiatric ward, but in 1986 they opened up the center and began to focus on specific treatments for sex offenders, it dropped to around 15-20%. Dr. David, a psychologist working there, talked to us about the program, which consisted of three pillars: medicine that decreases testosterone, regime and rules to structure their day, and group therapy. Group therapy requires self-disclosure, honesty and openness to other patients, as well as learning from/teaching other patients. Three of the patients then proceeded to tell us about why they were there. Each of them had committed assault, pedophilic acts, or rape (among other crimes.) They also told us about their lives outside of their crime. The point of our visit was not to pity them, sympathize with them, or excuse their acts in any way, it was merely to empathize them—to understand the situation they came from. It was a very surreal experience and I still don’t know how I felt about it. It’s extremely difficult to separate a person from their actions and to understand them. I constantly found myself thinking about the survivors, about survivors in general. I never expected to have an opportunity like this one, which was both fascinating and disorienting. It was a very grim visit, but a very important one.
We then headed to Lázně Bělohrad for some relaxation and meditation. However, you’ll have to wait for the next post for that reflection. Sorry!
When looking at study abroad programs, I was especially interested in DIS because of the study tours. This trip surpassed my expectations. It was not only educational, but I also bonded so much with my class members and had an incredible time exploring Prague with them. It’s sad to see how close the end of this semester is, but I am so excited to see what has yet to come.
Love,
Shelby