Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Old Danny
Pretty much anyone that knows me well knows that I was raised by a horrible, violent psychopath. He died at 41 of heart disease, or karma, whichever you want to call it. As old as I get, my subconscious still revisits him from time and has throughout the years. I’ve been taking a new nootropic, 5-htp recently and it’s giving me incredibly vivid dreams. I'm a bio-hacker and every now and then I get a surprise benefit from my personal experimentation. Last night I dreamt that some guy was getting high with me on my couch when he mentioned that Danny (father) had faked his death at 41 and actually lived across town with a new family. Of course, I questioned him as this was extremely stunning news to me but he stuck to his story so I went to investigate.
By J.D. Bradley4 years ago in Psyche
Wheelchair Mike
I was down when I met Mike. When I say down, I wasn't sure I could get back up after everything I had experienced. It was almost my swan song. I lived in one of the barrios of Corpus Christi, Texas, where I was known as "Jason the white guy" because I was THE white guy that lived there. When I first arrived, I was jumped several times for the crime of being the white guy in the barrio but it was soon discovered that I'd fight back and fight back hard and so I became accepted in a segment of both society and reality that was practically devoid of hope. I certainly didn't have any. I had a will to continue for the most part (for some reason), a job that I managed to not get fired from (somehow) and a serious crack habit and it seemed very little else, but then I met Mike. Somehow, he had hope. Somehow, he had happiness. Somehow, he imparted those two things to me.
By J.D. Bradley4 years ago in Psyche
The Day I Heard the News
It was sometime in the year 2000. I was in kindergarten, about five years old. It was time for all the parents to round up their kids and haul them off from after-school daycare. My brother and I attended this daycare directly across the street from our elementary school at the time. We had all sorts of activities in which we could partake. We made friends, played games, learned from the daycare staff and our peers, but mostly we just longed to be home and away from the grips of the academic landscape that was school and post-class daycare. We decompressed at home — played with our action figures, plugged in our Nintendo 64, or watched our favorite cartoons on television. That’s what we really looked forward to every day. On a great day, we would congregate with friends in the neighborhood ad pay elaborate, large scale games of tag or cops-and-robbers, or jump on the trampolines at friends’ houses whose parents allowed them to have one. Our parents told us not to jump on them which made us that much more excited to do so. But one day in October, instead of video games, cartoons and trampolines, the rest of our day would turn out to be more memorable than an episode of our favorite cartoon.
By Hogan England4 years ago in Psyche
Advantages of Sober Living in Fairfield, CA
"There's nothing wrong with being clean. I'm a clean person." These are the words of one recovering addict who decided to accept the truth about his condition and get on with his life. Many times, this statement is followed by a pause and a reflective "Thank god". The words of wisdom spoken in that moment forever changed the way the addict saw his life and those around him.
By Jamel Nordman4 years ago in Psyche
Discussing Mental Health
I’ve been depressed. I can say that now as I’ve managed to get to a point where I’ve got a handle of my mental health and I can say I’m no longer in my lowest moment however still being aware of my mental space. Why is it only now though that I feel okay talking about it?
By Matthew Grantham4 years ago in Psyche
Lions Heart
You were suppose to be different, you promised to be different, you said she was safe to place her heart in your hands but when shit got real you couldn't make the stand and when she got angry and started projecting her pain you painted her a monster and shoved her back in her lane.
By Destiny Tozier4 years ago in Psyche
Recovery-Oriented Practice and Mental Illness Stigma
Unfortunately, mental health professionals are a major source of stigma towards people with mental illness. Recovery-oriented practice is one possibility for transforming mental health care into a less stigmatizing place, so let’s talk about what that might look like.
By Ashley L. Peterson4 years ago in Psyche
Rabbit Cage
Imagine growing up dirt poor, like the other kids made fun of your shoes dirt poor under the "care" of a dangerous, violent, delusional psychopath. That's what I had going on. My father somehow ruined his mind with the most gentle "drug" experience that exists. He smoked a lot of weed and somehow it backed his mind up into his own special form of insanity and somehow, he remained violent...then he met my soon to be step-mother, a horrible, nasty, violent cunt herself. She once purposefully slammed a car door completely closed on my hand when I was in third grade. When she opened the door, my hand was shaped like the space between the door and the body of the car. It didn't break due to the incredible pliability of children's bones but I was both in pain and horrified. Yes, these are the two people that "raised" me and often let me know that my only value to them was a child support check. My birth mother was the first woman in Kentucky state history to lose custody of her children (she abandoned me as an infant, to die in the winter. I was an original trashcan baby. In her defense, so was traumatized by my father). I really lucked out with my childhood circumstance it seems.
By J.D. Bradley4 years ago in Psyche
Best Addiction Treatment Center in Coon Rapids, MN
If you or a loved one is battling with addiction, then you need to consider an addiction treatment center in Minnesota. Whether it's drugs, alcohol, prescription pills, heroine, crystal meth or even food, there are treatment centers that can help you get over your crisis. You have the right to ask for help too. Being dependent on substances or behaviors is dangerous. In fact, if you are addicted to something and getting help is not working, it could be the beginning of the end for you. It will be hard, maybe even painful, but you have to make a choice.
By Rhoda Mckeown4 years ago in Psyche
How Drug Abuse and Addiction Develops
The most frequent misconception about drug addiction and abuse is that drug abuse develops slowly, over time, without abrupt changes in behavior or energy levels. This is simply not the case. Drug abuse and dependence is actually more about the intensity of the drug usage or the repetitive nature of the drug usage, and less about the length of time the drug usage was ongoing. Withdrawal symptoms are very real and problematic, particularly when they occur during sleep cycles and when driving or operating heavy machinery is involved. The drug user may be experiencing physical withdrawal but it may also be due to psychological concerns such as depression, anxiety, guilt, resentment, and even paranoia.
By Gonzalo Newbury4 years ago in Psyche
