The Mindful Muslim is an Inspirited Minds platform that hosts raw, open, and honest conversations on various topics within the sphere of mental health, psychology, Islam and spirituality.
We’re back with an enlightening episode with Maya Salam. Our host, Meanha Begum, explores Maya’s work as a psychodynamic psychotherapist who has her own practice – specifically for women who have suffered from abuse, trauma and a range of mental health difficulties.
The Maya Centre is a small charity, providing a free counselling service in Islington for women who have experienced Mental health issues Trauma, Gender based violence, including domestic violence, physical abuse or childhood sexual abuse and harmful traditional practices.
She talks about her experience as a woman in Islam, and what she thinks Muslim communities and Masaajid can do more to be welcoming of women who are struggling and give them a platform to speak out and support each other. Through her experience, she elucidates a number of topics:
- How identity, empathy and a sense of belonging is so vital to mental wellbeing
- The role of epigenetics in mental health difficulties
- The problem of generation gaps between families and how to strengthen family ties
- The forbidden culture and stigma experienced by domestic abuse victims and survivors, both women and men alike
- How very beneficial the practices of reflection and grounding are in helping with mental wellbeing
- The beauty psycho-dynamic psychotherapy in incorporating the uniqueness and individuality of a person, and their spirituality
You can contact Maya at mayasalam@aol.co.uk and find out more about her work on her page ‘Psychotherapy with Islamic Values’ on Facebook or on her LinkedIn page.
If you would like to ask us a question, suggest a topic you would like us to discuss on the podcast or if you would like to feature on the podcast as a guest, then please get in touch with the Mindful Muslim Podcast Team at podcast@inspiritedminds.org.uk.
Support our podcast by becoming an Inspirited Minds Torchbearer.
