Insights from Prison: Mikey

Posted by Anna Debenham, May 16, 2017

Mikey, a guy from the prison I work in, came to the first couple weeks of a group of mine last year. He soon told me he was unable to continue coming as there was a ‘situation’ with another guy, also in my group, and he couldn’t be in the same room as him. It was just impossible. He liked the class and said and he’d come back to the next group. I gave him a couple Syd Banks books to read and he, as promised, showed up eagerly to my current group.

Something Mikey said last week really touched me. “I’ve always seen myself as a heroin dealer, that’s just who I’ve been since I was 14 (he’s now 60). But now I realise that’s not who I am. That was just old thought continuing to create my identity. I don’t have to be a heroin dealer I can be a grandfather instead”. 

He had a deep insight into how the power of thought creates our experience. We’re on week 3 and he’s a changed man – literally. He looks 10 years younger. He’s also totally fine with the guy he left the first class because of. He just let it go. They now have a friendly chat when they see each other in the halls.