Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Dear Mema
Dear Mema, One day when I was just a little girl, you took me aside after I had a spat with my cousin. You asked what we were fighting about and I shared that she said that my invisible friend “Sarah” wasn’t real and was mean about it. After talking for a while, I calmed down and went to leave to go play with the other kids again. But you stopped me and said something that I brushed off at the time – you said that I was more like you than I realized.
By The Schizophrenic Mom5 years ago in Psyche
How to deal with Emotional Burnout for the future
The hard part about depression is the unpredictable nature that happens with the various ways depression can effect in the aftermath. Emotional burnout is one of the worst kinds of depression without having to have depression in the term.
By Samantha Parrish5 years ago in Psyche
Ms. Cellophane
In middle school one of my favorite musicals was "Chicago" with music from John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. One song that particularly caught my attention was "Mr. Cellophane." It was the only song that talked about real feelings and part of me could relate to that feeling of invisibility. It wasn't until recently that I understood the falsity and deceit of this song as well.
By Natasha Couoh5 years ago in Psyche
Problems with New Parenting Education
I have schizophrenia and severe anxiety. It might sound weird, but one of my most common auditory and visual hallucinations are spiders – massive 2-5 foot across, neon green, red-eyed, furry spiders. And I have been thankful for one of them. He is slightly different than the other ones in that he has bright, light blue eyes. This guy “hatched” just before I found out that I was pregnant, was close to me throughout my entire pregnancy (and grew with my tummy), laid on my tummy during active labor, and he adopted my son as his own. He was there through the entire pregnancy and I knew that he wouldn’t let me hurt my son.
By The Schizophrenic Mom5 years ago in Psyche
Socially Unaware?
Anxiety, depression, Social media. not really a good mix is it? or is it? The modern world has made us more connected, and at the same time, less connected. The contradiction of the online world is that we engage via text, and image with people, many of whom we will never meet In Real Life.
By Bob Parker5 years ago in Psyche
How This Former Addict Uses the Powerful Tool of Storytelling to Help Drug Users "Recover On Purpose"
Adam Vibe Gunton presented as the ideal all-American kid. He was an All-A student, all-state football player, and captain of the high school wrestling team. But Gunton carried a dark secret. He was addicted to drugs.
By Edmund Morgan5 years ago in Psyche
Self Reassurance
Sometimes we really need to think about what we can do to help ourselves first before helping everyone else around us. However, it is still somewhat helpful to do so in some instances. Because, if you do have some control over your environment; and want to make it more calming for yourself and others, then that becomes a fantastic feeling. Reason being, we are trying to gain self control. And with that goal in mind comes a lot of time and practice to try to focus on our well being. Some things that might help in this department is meditation. Over time, the brain will start to rewire itself in believing that it is in a safe environment when in fact, it may not always be the case. For example, below is an imbedded video on relaxation. Take a look at it and afterwards you might want to rethink your strategy on coping. I encourage you to take a few notes and really ponder practicing this healthy coping skill more often.
By Natalie Lewandowski5 years ago in Psyche
Mental Health: the Ongoing War with Self
Dear Toughest Woman I Know, Who could you be, I wonder? The immediate answers are also the most obvious choices. Who wouldn’t acknowledge their mother, grand-mother, aunts, sisters, friends, Icons, or someone they know personally, and admire for accomplishing such and such, in spite of something being in the way? That’s how heroes are made in the eyes of the beholder. Success and victory grant the right to be “tough”, “resilient”, etc.
By Sacha Rondeau5 years ago in Psyche
Descartes' Bad Apples Analogy
The French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) set himself the task of determining how certainty could be established. How could a person be certain that their knowledge was set upon firm foundations? His method was to doubt everything that could be doubted, with the idea that anything that remained, and which could therefore not be doubted, must be certain.
By John Welford5 years ago in Psyche
The Strongest Lady We Knew
Our Dearest Friend, It’s been a year since you left us and some days it’s still hard to believe that you’re gone. You were the strongest of us all- always there for the rest of us. Two of us had mother’s that moved us in and out of town frequently, but we knew that we always had a friend when we came back.
By Wendy Leggett5 years ago in Psyche
