I’ve been lucky enough to have met, spent time with , observe and role model some extraordinary people.  It’s always a privilege to  absorb beyond what is said – to see and listen to the whole person, without judging or filtering (as much as anyone can).

So a week in Glencree, in the beautiful Irish Wicklow Mountains, to learn from Dale Hunter – one of the world’s foremost facilitators – in the company of some of my favourite Vodafone colleagues, was special indeed.  There were ten of us there and I guess in the beginning I was more interested in the facilitation certificate – the piece of paper to show I had been trained by Dale – than I was in the process.

But Glencree is an extraordinary place.  Founded in 1974 as a response to violent conflict in Irish society, Glencree was where all of the political parties from Ireland, North and South, and the main parties from Britain, participated in inclusive and multilateral dialogue workshops to bring about the Irish peace process.  This learning and talking, which took patience, time and perseverance, was then built on and shared with the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the South African peace and reconciliation team,  survivors of Rwandan genocide and many others from all over the world who are  involved in, or victims of, acts of religiously motivated or political violence.

So here I was, in a place seeped in history,  passion and transformation, learning from Dale and my colleagues.  And the combination of environment, time and people began to weave its own magic.  We would wrap ourselves in the knitted patchwork blankets, created by survivors of these many atrocities and share our stories, tell our tales, practice our learning and be reminded of our amazing lives and opportunities.  And the love, fear, memories and hope bound into every stitch, enveloping me in every moment,  turned out to be more powerful and transformative than any facilitation certificate.  Although I did receive the certificate too!!

And this experience, and the subsequent years of being in Africa – often with no power, no WIFI, no electrical interference – taught me the value of storytelling and listening; holding the moment with no thought of interference.  It also opens up the possibility of healing through non-medical means.

So, every night, I am wrapping myself in my healing blanket.  Developed to help cosmonauts deal with pain and heal tissue, the Russians have been sharing this technology with the West for a number of years. However,  as it’s not scientifically proven, our medical professionals struggle to assimilate it into normal practice.  Personally, I’ve embraced it as a basic tool for my recovery and rehabilitation.

Known in medical jargon as the Therapeutic Multilayer Blanket TMB-01,  it is made up by a combination of several specific membranes to prevent electromagnetic emissions from moving outside my body and to stop any external energy which might interfere with my healing.  It allows me to self-regulate my energy so my body becomes more efficient and effective in healing and maintaining itself.  So, in effect, when in the blanket I am acting as my own healing incubator.

It’s a big grey/silver blanket which crinkles loudly when I move, not at all like the chaotically colourful, soft, patchwork yarns of Glencree! Wrapped inside, I look like a larvae who has enjoyed his fill of plant life.  My half head protruding from its layers, I lie quietly trying to empty my mind and not fall asleep.

My healing blanket also has another important purpose.  It blocks out the electromagnetic radiation that emits from my mobile phones, my WIFI, my FITBIT, my life in general.  What these do to our energy fields and our general health and wellbeing is as yet unproven but the research and evidence is mounting.  And it’s not a pretty picture.

The research being conducted into the potential damage to the brain  by holding a mobile phone near the head is a great cause of concern to the execs of the mobile phone companies. And, increasingly, Doctors like Dr Erica Mallery-Blythe are publishing their concerns about the effects of electrical magnetic radiation on our children.  There are several recordings of her and other colleagues sharing their findings and research on YouTube.

As a result of my own research and healing, all electrical items and  mobile phones are now left downstairs at night.  I only wear my Fitbit when I know I’m going to do some exercise, Roscoe is only allowed his electronics for a set amount of times at the weekends and we actively try to remember to turn off our WIFI each night.

And we are noticing the difference; in our sleep patterns, in the depth and quality of our sleep and we are re-learning to connect without the constant glancing at phones, electronics and gadgets.

I’ve been fortunate to spend much of my life in the Highlands of Scotland and the hinterlands of Africa, far away from any electromagnetic radiation.  But I can’t help but wonder if the hours and hours I spent holding a mobile phone to my ear for my work is a contributing factor to my having had mouth cancer.

So I wrap myself in my Russian blanket, making space for my husband and son, and we heal, and hide, together.