In this article I explore how the seeds of my recovery began to take hold after I went to a community-managed mental health service.
For the first time, I found control, hope, meaningful connections, and eventually, life dreams.
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It’s hard to avoid stories about trauma and abuse in the Australian media right now. Between the royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse and the royal commission into family violence, a stream of stories are being reported every day. I want to share my own feelings about this, and connect with others who may be feeling similarly. I am heartbroken to hear so many stories of pain – and worse, how often people have had their stories denied and ignored. I am heartened that these stories are coming into the light, and hopeful that we will start to see […]
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What is written about us in hospital records? Whose version is the truth? Can we find ways to co-create narratives about our lives? This post explores my personal struggles with ‘case notes’ and reflects on better ways to keep records that respect the person.
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Madness can bring a strange comfort. For me it often came with a seductive quality that lured me to relax and fall into the familiar comfort of its waiting arms.
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A first admission to a psychiatric ward is a startling experience. I am not sure that anyone ever expects to end up in the ‘looney bin’. Certainly I didn’t. This is a place reserved for other people, for properly crazy people.
…As it turned out, most of my fellow patients were far removed from stereotypical nutters themselves. We crazy folks have many experiences and talents, but none of them sufficient to keep us out of the ward. I was to meet mathematicians, artists, musicians, an admiral, and several versions of Jesus.
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Asking someone to disclose trauma can be really hard. It’s even harder to be the person disclosing. This post explores challenges and ideas to help all of us speak more easily about the things that most need to be said, and heard.
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This is my first blog post, and I think it’s my most important one. It explains why I started writing about trauma, madness and recovery, and why I continue to do so.
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