Mark Dawes' Podcasts

Do You Do MAPA Physical Intervention Training? This is another question I regularly get asked. And the short answer is no, we don't do MAPA Physical Intervention Training. So, what is MAPA Training and what does MAPA Training stand for? MAPA stands for the 'Management of Actual or Potential Aggression', which is basically a name that the organisation calls itself and what it does ie., MAPA Trainin...

“What is PMVA Training and Do You Deliver PMVA Trainer Training?"   These are questions I constantly get asked.   So, what does PMVA mean?   PMVA stands for the 'Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression'.   Which is basically a healthcare term for Physical Restraint (also known as Physical Intervention, Control and Restraint, Positive Handling, MVA, etc., etc.). &nb...

Who would be liable for giving illegal information and instruction (with regards to physical intervention, self-defence, handcuffing, etc.)? Well the short answer is, it would be you! Now you may be able to take some action against the trainer who provided the information to you. But fundamentally, you would be liable for not doing your own due diligence prior to undertaking or commissioning train...

Forgiveness is a powerful act that can set you free and liberate you from suffering which will reduce the effect of negative stress in your life. Stress as, many famous scientists and biologists tell us, is responsible for over 90% of all physical and mental illnesses and diseases. In addition, many people have to deal with conflict in their lives. Conflict, aggression and abuse at work and even i...

When most people think of meditation they conjure up images of people sitting cross-legged for hours with serious expressions on their face trying hard to empty their minds, and that puts a lot of people off meditating. The reality is meditation is merely focussed attention and the opportunity to meditate is always present, even if it’s only for a few seconds and I thought I’d share some tips with...

You may have noticed that I have posted various articles and podcasts about meditation, and that’s generated some interesting conversations with people, many who I have known for many years and some who are very good friends. Some people, I am sure, think that I’ve gone over to the ‘dark side’ as they see meditation and mindfulness as some form of ‘weird’ spirituality thing. Others think that I ha...

Will having certain 'certification' or 'accreditation' protect an organisation if they commission training and something goes wrong because the training doesn't meet the specific needs and risks of the organisation?  This is a question that I have been asked many times and I know my good friend Trevel Henry has been asked this too because we regularly have conversations about this when an age...

Have you ever had the experience of having a problem, where you are caught up in thinking about all of the possible negative outcomes that could occur. Have you ever experienced the anxiety caused by the uncertainty of what could happen? If so, you have been the victim of your thinking. The fact is, it is just a bunch of thoughts. A mix of real time conscious thoughts underpinned by an unconscious...

Recently I received news that a very lovely person I know suddenly died a week before Christmas, leaving his family completely devastated at the loss of a loving husband and father. I also know of someone who was rushed to hospital on Christmas Day with a suspected stroke and as a result of the pandemic we have all noticed an increase in the number of people now suffering with mental health proble...

In business today many people, including trainers, think that if they become more somber, stoic or serious that will give them a degree of gravitas so that they will be taken more seriously, which in turn means that it will help create a sense of superiority over others. In addition, in a drive to be politically expedient, it is sometimes seen that ‘having a laugh’ or being self-deprecating is, in...

We are living in a world where society has prioritised independence to such an extent that many people are now left on their own to manage lives that are increasingly out of control. As young children, we were taught to be competitive, to be better, faster, stronger and more intelligent than our ‘competitors’ (others) if we were to ‘survive’ and thrive in our commerce-driven consumerist society. W...

I often get asked this question – What is Mindfulness? So in this podcast I am going to answer that question for you, including covering some of the major benefits of mindfulness meditation.

Over two-thousand years ago the Greek philosopher Epictetus said that "People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them". The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said that: “ A Man’s life is what his thoughts make of it". The Buddha stated: "We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves". As you may know o...

Those of you who know me will know that I am very interested in the way we operate as human beings, especially in the area of how our thoughts and feelings affect our physical and mental well-being. I have always had a desire to help people take more control of their lives and the reality they choose to experience as opposed to simply being a victim of circumstance and totally dependent on what ha...

As I recorded this podcast we are in the middle of a fuel situation in the UK which is resulting in a lot of people worrying about the future and looking back into their past to blame others for the situation that we find ourselves in at this present moment in time. By doing that they are not living in the present moment. In addition any hurt, frustration, anger, rage, jealousy or resentment they...

A lot of people believe that to meditate you have to empty your mind but if you have ever tried to empty your mind during meditation you probably found that you can't do it? If that's you, then you are not alone.  This is one of most common questions people have.  The problem is that the concept of 'emptiness' has been misinterpreted and in the podcast I aim to try and explain that more...

I recently put out a blog post about the fact that I ran a session on meditation on our physical restraint instructor refresher courses, which was very well received. Since then I have had numerous emails, messages, texts and phone calls from people all asking me various questions about meditation, why I got started in it and what the benefits are. Therefore I thought I'd do this short podcast to...

People who set accountable goals are 76% likely to achieve them and earn nine time more than over the course of their lifetime than people who don’t set goals.

Paul Keates is an individual who I have known for many years. In recent years Paul suffered brain damage that some medical professional believed meant that he would never walk again. He climbed Snowdon and started doing triathlons to prove them wrong raising thousands of pounds for various charities.  Recently Paul caught covid, was induced twice into a coma and was on intensive care having t...

The problem for some people is that they live in a future based on bad things that have happened to them in the past that they can't let go of. It may have been something someone did to them or a wrong decision they made that caused them a lot of pain and suffering. As a result they never live in the moment choosing only to live in the past and focus on the very same thing that they wish had never...

Life or Death - The Placebo and Nocebo Effect The way you chose to think creates either a placebo or nocebo effect inside you. One improves your health and the other doesn't. Choose the way you wish to think

Where you are in life now is directly attributable to the decision and actions that you have taken in the past. We also all tend to look for information, wisdom and knowledge outside of ourselves, yet you have all of the knowledge, wisdom and information already inside of you. All you need to do is access it and the way you access it is through meditation. Do something productive every day. Taking...

This is the true story of Dr Aidan MacCarthy who survived being a Japanese Prisoner of War, being torpedoed and marooned at sea, bombed at Nagasaki, recaptured and finally released. I hope it gives you hope.

Many people are struggling during this current situation and sometimes we may feel as though there is no point. We adopt a ‘what’s the point’ attitude. But there is a point and purpose in doing something constructive every day.

Today I helped a church deliver a service over zoom to it's congregation and I found the Minister's sermon very interesting. It was an open and honest talk about how he had at times lost his way and had days when he couldn't see any point in carrying on.  The sermon also reminded me of a book I have read and regularly re-read. It's called 'Man's Search for Meaning'. It was written by Viktor F...