On 23rd December 2017 Darren Siegenburg was caught up in a road traffic collision on the M40 near Oxford. It was quite a bad accident, with two fatalities and four injured including himself.

From then on it came to his mind that he has to move forward. This was the attitude he carried on through his life, eventually inspiring him to start Mind Corps CIC in November 2018 alongside Ruth Shaw.

He shares “I  contacted a friend of mine who was out in the middle east to tell him I went into hospital, his response was all the motivational stuff you do Darren you have to do for yourself and that’s when it  hit me about moving forward, if I had stayed in that one place when I hit that vehicle I would have been another fatality.

“But my mindset was to keep moving forward, push the vehicle out the way make sure I could get out the vehicle, could I go out and help somebody.”

The police officers who visited him in hospital were shocked he responded so positively, and he even asked them if they were okay.

This attitude was from his training in the Private Security Sector, where he was trained on Cognitive behavioral therapy and Neuro-linguistic programming.

Mind Corps CIC is predominantly based in Lancashire.

They are looking at to setting up the retreat outside of the area in Lancashire, “this is to help people come out of their comfort zones, because it is such a recluse place there’s nowhere to run – it gives a chance to be more open and give them the chance they need.”

On the just giving page Darren mentions Mental Health Day (10th October) – it is no longer Mental Health Day however Darren discusses the idea if there is a stigma around mental health, pointing out that there is a stigma around everything.

He says, “There so many variations and I think we are using those as an excuse to not share what we are actually going through.

“For men in particular we are looking at generations of being told to men up, you will be fine, get over it, being seen as weak.

“I don’t mean this as any disrespect to anyone else but females tend to talk a bit more and share their experiences.

“Whereas men don’t because we have been battered for centuries and told you don’t need to open up and share because you will be seen as weak.”

[pdf-embedder url=”/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Mens-mental-health-statistics-Infographics-1.pdf” title=”Men’s mental health statistics Infographics (1)”]

Darren highlights the complicated relationship between a civilian and veteran – the trust issues they may inhabit after being in a hostile environment.

“They think they don’t understand, they don’t know the seriousness of what they have seen in such a hostile area.”

What he wants to get across is that not all civilians are the same. He has worked with a number of ex veterans and people in the forces – he has heard their stories and wants to bridge that gap.

He adds, “I am a civilian and will always be civilian I will always be thankful for what they have gone through but it’s about them doing something for themselves and actually opening up trusting somebody to listen.”

This retreat is for men and veterans with mental health issues. Guys will be able to come over for a set amount of time, something like an 8-week program, from there they will be working to keep the retreat well kept.

Attention will also be paid towards their employability because they will get work and character references.

Bringing in a PT to help with their physical health and Ruth, the co-founder, is also a nutritionist who can help with their health.

Darren highlights what he hopes for the retreat.

“We don’t want it aimed at the four walled white room where people feel, where people feel under pressure to open up what they are saying under a therapy sensor.

“It’s that expression of opening up when you want to but also have that slight push of doing so when you want to.”

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