Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Psyche.

Stars Sometimes Unfold
I went out recently for drinks with my friend Grace. We sipped delicious gin as the sun went down at our favorite bar in Brooklyn. I asked her if she was excited about her approaching birthday and she said she was more excited about the lunar eclipse. I asked her when it was. On her birthday, she said, May 26th. Well I’ve always enjoyed a good eclipse. She asked if I’d hang out with her then. Of course I would, Gracie.
By colton brown5 years ago in Psyche
The great escape
After the passing of a friend I found myself frazzled. What I thought was pathetic attempts at art only served as presents until then, but I spread out magazines and clippings across my living room floor in a frantic attempt at gathering my thoughts, or perhaps finding them. I began cutting things, lighting cigarette after cigarette, gluing them together in the sequence of time like I did with the paper in my hands to find purpose. I certainly wasn’t aware, but it was there; it was there in the glue much like it was there in the cuttings and the sentences I couldn’t yet speak; I miss you, where are you, why did you leave? Where can I find you?
By Karolina5 years ago in Psyche
Time Piece
Time Piece He ran into the small shop just as another lightning bolt flashed followed by a thunderclap. The clerk looked up from his duties of wiping down the glass counter top with watches beneath.
By Thor Grey (G. Steven Moore)5 years ago in Psyche
The complexities of addiction and recovery
Addiction is a concept that is variable, ambiguous and difficult to characterize. Webster defines addiction as "the process of giving oneself habitually or compulsively to something, such as alcohol or narcotics" (Soukhanov & Ellis, 1984, p. 77). While this description somewhat captures the desperate and sinister nature of this process, it remains an incomplete explanation. The Social Work Dictionary (Barker, 1987) refers instead to substance abuse or substance dependence and further describes the phenomena as " a disorder related to an unhealthy use of alcohol or drugs which includes related negative social, legal or vocational ramifications, a pattern of pathological use (episodic binges), psychological dependence including a desire for continued use and an inability to inhibit that desire, and symptoms of tolerance or withdrawal" (p. 160).
By Donna L. Roberts, PhD (Psych Pstuff)5 years ago in Psyche
A Race Against Addiction . Top Story - May 2021.
Under the dust and between the cracks, all of my misfortunes are settled into these polished floors. Drenched in passion, held in pursuit, I tell my story with a booze free grin—
By Alli 5 years ago in Psyche
The Act of a Mindful Reset
How do you start over? Some do it like a kamikaze: sell everything, Go to a new place, get a new job, build a new lifestyle. It seems so easy to do. On second thought, maybe not. Sometimes you have responsibilities holding you back and sometimes there’s no security blanket to have you covered.
By The Kind Quill5 years ago in Psyche
I Took a 4-day Break in the Middle of Another Lockdown
Let us admit it; this has been hard. I have spent this entire lockdown (two months in my case), anxious with the feeling that I am not doing enough.
By Debdutta Pal5 years ago in Psyche
Dear Gemini,
Dear Gemini, You share the sign and strengths of many powerful souls. This includes the likes of Laverne Cox, Naomi Campbell, Awkwafina, Natalie Portman, and Princess Nokia. May 20th marks the beginning of your season, and this transitional time is proving to be so for everyone, especially you. The moon this year is presenting itself as a Super Flower Blood Moon, and accompanying it is an eclipse. These occurrences are rare on their own, and this trio of circumstance within a singular period of time brings much to the surface, leaving much to be considered. Time seems to be showing you things have been stagnant, and you are realizing this has been the case long before the happenings of 2020 have come to a head. Use this as a chance. A chance to make what has been deep seeded in your heart, inherent to your soul, happen. It’s about time you really thrive. You are currently, and have been often, pushed to extremes that feel like your limit. Just now is it being recognized as a turning point. There have been many moments before this that have made you realize changes need to be made in the bigger picture of your life. Little by little adjustments have been made at times you feel an overwhelming urge to shift, yet you fall back into monotony quickly, and without realization. This time though, you see clearly the blueprints of the life you desire. The world is running into summer in a rush to return to normalcy. This is the opposite of what you need. Returning to normal life, returning to the things that leave you only patient in complacency. You need and deserve more and you are beginning to realize this deeply. The universe will hold you in ways that may feel like being stuck , but you, Gemini, must realize this is a means of protection, a means of keeping you grounded for the larger scheme to become a reality. There are things to be processed and healed before everything comes to fruition. Just have the knowledge that it will be, and it will likely sneak up on you sooner than you think. You may be taking action, but you also must remember to let go. Let go and heal from what is haunting you and what has been holding you back. Unhealed trauma presents itself in mysterious ways, most likely for you in the case of staying in place, letting the anxiety of what could go wrong overpower the possibilities of what could be. Move forward, with this in mind, gently and unapologetically being your most authentic self. Take slow moments to tackle the past pains, and move through them, gathering strength and lessons. Days and nights may feel lonely, may you be with or without a partner right now. This is not the time to focus on love - it is the time to focus on yourself in the truest sense of the idea. The universe is teaching you things, allowing you time to master the skills you are learning, and will need along your journey. Overwhelm is common in this time, so take a breath. The world has just been waiting for you to realize that your soul needs this as much as your mind and earthly vessel does. Remain vigilant in your life, as well as patient. Things will flow as they need and the larger change is just over the horizon, waiting for the pieces to fall into place snugly and surely. Go forth, follow the stepping stones your intuition is highlighting for you now, and you will be where you need and are needed the very moment you realize that is what is happening.
By Olivia Polewarczyk5 years ago in Psyche
Helping Caregivers When There is Nothing You Can "Do"....
What you can do to help the caregiver when there is nothing you can “do”… For me, personally and with our odd illness, here are the things that I would find special, meaningful, or helpful.
By Melissa Wright5 years ago in Psyche
Breaking free from the cycle
Is trauma the root cause of emotional dysregulation and as a result developing addictive personality traits to cope? So today id like to share the progress I've made overcoming addictions and the behavior patterns that hindered my growth and strained the relationships I've had with people.
By Marcus Eli5 years ago in Psyche
DEAD FLOWERS
Olivia hummed to herself as she picked up the roses to give them a fresh cut before putting them back in the bucket. She found the work tedious, but therapeutic. The flower shop was quiet and customers had stopped coming in an hour ago. This gave her time to do her closing tasks. She had a lot to do being the only closer that night, but she didn’t mind. Olivia loved her work. Olivia picked up the bucket and walked towards the walk-in cooler to put it away. As she grabbed for the door handle, she suddenly saw a shadow in the corner of her eye. For a split second, she thought it couldn’t be a person, because the front door rings when a customer opens it and she didn’t hear anything. Olivia turned around and was startled to see Jose, the delivery driver, standing there. She jumped back letting out a scream.
By Kyla Jane Barker5 years ago in Psyche
Alien
Something I started to notice, right around the time I had turned 20, was that myself, as well as all of my other friends 19-23 where something just sort of clicked.
By Michael Omelon5 years ago in Psyche