Don’t Pity Me: Psychosis Gave Me Mad Skills
As everyone who watched BBC Horizon’s documentary ‘Why Did I Go Mad?’ can attest, I’ve struggled with some pretty intense things: hearing voices, seeing visions, paranoia and the legacy of childhood trauma. Despite spending much of my early twenties in hospital, doped up to the eyeballs with strong medication, pity really is the last thing […]
It’s there in the crunch of the autumn leaves: living with my friend’s suicide
Today marks the 18-year anniversary of the suicide of one of my closest friends – Susan. As I type these words my eyes sting and my heart feels heavy. I was walking my dog earlier and found my heart beating in two times. In the first I am walking in 2020, noticing the crunch of the autumn leaves beneath my feet. In the second it is 2002. The leaves are different – they crunch underneath my feet as I’m walking to her flat.
Who am I? – Victim Vs Survivor
“An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience” – James Baldwin Identity is a funny thing. Most of us go around feeling confident that we have one, but rarely feel the need to look inside and define ourselves absolutely. On a personal level, […]
“You can’t sit on your arse and slide up a hill”
This week I was fortunate enough to be at the inspirational World Hearing Voices Congress in Sherwood Forest, Nottingham. There is so much that I would like to share with you from this fantastic event, but choosing a place to start has been surprisingly easy. Kelly Comans, an inspirational young woman from Australia, whilst giving […]
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