THE CANNAN INSTITUTE
BELMONT PRIVATE HOSPITAL
PO Box 24
CARINA, BRISBANE, QLD 4152

The Cannan Institute is a non-profit mental health organisation, which has a research and educational role. It endeavours to sponsor or organise conferences and seminars, which tackle substantive issues of both theoretical and clinical interest.

Recent conferences convened by the Cannan Institute include, "Blind to Betrayal: Forgetting, Unawareness and Interpersonal Trauma" featuring Professor Jennifer Freyd and held at the Bardon Conference Centre, Brisbane on 23rd February 2002, and, "Boundaries" featuring Professor Glen Gabbard, opened by the Queensland Health Minister, Wendy Edmond, and held at the Sheraton Hotel, Brisbane on 13th and 14th April 2002. Both conferences tackled major contemporary issues of particular interest to mental health professionals, but also of great relevance to the wider health, legal and education communities. There was substantial press interest in these events.

The Cannan Institute has been involved in a number of research projects in which a substantial amount of the research has been carried out within Belmont Hospital. Such research projects include a large body of work examining cognitive inhibition in Dissociative Identity Disorder (Dorahy, M.J., Irwin, H.J. & Middleton, W.), cerebral interhemispheric switching in Dissociative Identity Disorder (Pettigrew, J., & Middleton, W.), the patterns of changes in cerebral hemispheric switching with E.C.T., (Pettigrew, J., & Prowacki. S.), and patterns of major road incidents in patients with D.I.D. (Antoce, G., Middleton, W. & Dorahy, M.J.) etc..

The Cannan Institute board consists of Dr Georgina Antoce, Ms Colleen Blums, Dr Jim Dodds, Dr Michael Martin (Chair), Associate Professor Warwick Middleton, Dr Steve Prowacki, Dr Mark Spelman, Dr John Thearle and Dr Al Unwin. The Institute has been closely involved in an ongoing way with the planning of the conference, "Transforming Trauma: Critical, Controversial & Core Issues," (12th-14th Sept 2003) and sees its association with such a landmark project as central to its charter.

For further information on The Cannan Institute, write to Ms Colleen Blums,
The Cannan Institute, Belmont Hospital, PO Box 24, Carina, Qld 4152, or alternatively contact Colleen Blums on (07) 3398 0201 or by email: colleen.blums@maynegroup.com