EDGAR AND JULIA’S JOINT
Edgar Allan Poe[i]
and Julia
de Burgos[ii]
were both poets. Poe was an American White Male and de Burgos was a Black
Puerto Rican female. Both expanded the
boundaries of their societies – he by inventing the detective story and
exploring the macabre, she by her defiant insistence on Puerto Rican
independence and glorification of Black people.
They were also both mentally ill and struggled with addiction throughout
their lives. They both died destitute on
the streets.
I envision a place where
people who have psychiatric and social difficulties utilize a space designed
specifically for them. This will be a
space where patrons need not fear judgement.
It will not only be a library for finding information such as books,
information about jobs, and entitlements like Social Security, SNAP (food
stamps) benefits or, housing applications, but also a place for personal
fulfillment. Edgar and Julia’s Joint
will be a safe space where patrons will work to integrate better into society, alleviate stress through therapeutic arts
programming, technology, and the use of
Biofeedback. This will be a space that
will empower people and move them further towards self-actualization and
Being-in-the-World.
We will attract patrons
by getting referrals from psychiatric clinics, hospitals, and physicians. We will also accept people from the public
who are in treatment. Edgar and Julia’s
Joint is not a treatment facility in the traditional sense. Patrons will not be treated as patients. The goal is not therapy in the traditional,
intimate sense, but rather, socialization, self-awareness, and wellness.
The site will have
recording studios, books, magazines, a meditation room, a screening room, a
reading room, a computer station, a park and a walking track for exercise. We
will be staffed by librarians, media specialists, creative arts therapists,
practitioners of Biofeedback, yoga instructors, social workers, and
nurses. This will create a healthy balance
of professionals trained to work with the public through various modalities,
and will also maintain a sense of health safety for patrons and the staff.
The site will provide a
variety of technologies and software in order to assist patrons to realize
their artistic, vocational, healthcare and socialization abilities. These will include:
·
MUSICat[iii] -
open access software available to libraries for recording music by patrons and
a recording studio.
·
Computers with cameras and microphones in order
to assist patrons who are looking for work and in need of interviewing skills. Do Space in Omaha, NE has a Virtual Interview
Lab that we will try to replicate.[iv]
·
Electronic fitness trackers will be given
to any patron that would like to use one in the facility for the walking track
in order to encourage tracking of daily steps
The cornerstone of the
Joint will be the use of Biofeedback, offered to all patrons. According
to the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, Inc.:
“Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn
how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and
performance. Precise instruments measure physiological activity such as
brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature.”
[v]
Some of the devices used in
Biofeedback are generally only available to people who are in
treatment with
practitioners of Biofeedback, but recently there have been at least two devices
approved for use at home
including EmWave2[vi] and the
Muse Headband.[vii]
Some of the other devices
used in Biofeedback according to the Mayo Clinic’s website[viii]
include:
·
Electromyograph
(EMG) to monitor the electrical activity that causes muscle contraction.
·
Electroencephalograph
(EEG) using scalp sensors to monitor your brain waves.
·
Photoplethysmograph
a device used to detect blood volume changes
·
Electrodermograph
(EDG) measures the activity of your sweat glands and the amount of perspiration
on your skin, alerting you to anxiety.
Questions that need to be
answered include:
·
Will the biofeedback be performed by
trained professionals or the patrons themselves since there are biofeedback
devices available for home use. Another
option is for everyone who will work there to be trained prior to their
employment.
·
Would this space require licensing or
permission to operate by the NYS Office of Mental Health and or the NYC
Department of Health?
·
Should Biofeedback be mandatory? How will be sell clients on the use of these
devices to people with psychiatric histories who may be paranoid, delusional or
fearful of new treatments?
[i] https://poets.org/poet/edgar-allan-poe
[ii]
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/julia-de-burgos#tab-related
[iii] https://musicat.co/
[iv] Sauers,
M. (2021). Acing the Interview: Tech library assists locals in finding jobs by
providing access to digital tools. American Libraries , 52(11/12),
18–19.
Also see, https://dospace.org/
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