Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Insomnia or Genius
I have never been diagnosed with insomnia. As a kid, sleeping and nap time was a breeze. But now at the age of 24, I lie awake at night wondering why I can’t shut my mind off, close my eyes and fall asleep. Sometimes I read till my eyes simply cannot take it anymore—that being 4am in the morning...
By Shannon Preslar5 years ago in Psyche
Balancing Act
-Libra Starring as The Peacemaker- You remember it like a bruise, the way the tension would spike in your chest at the first hint of your mother’s anger. Her words were like cut glass, so easy to make you bleed at the wrong moments, when you were just a caterpillar struggling to free itself from its cocoon.
By Jillian Spiridon5 years ago in Psyche
I Sat in Silence for 10 Days
January, 2020. I flew from Toronto, ON to Calgary, AB. From there, I drove 4 hours East, straight to the middle-of-nowhere prairies. It was icy, bare and windy. The horizon stretched for miles ahead. The sky and land blended in tones of gray, brown, pink and powder blue. Patches of ice and snow filled in the depressions in the fields, whispers of dried-up lake-beds and glaciers of the past. Every once in a while, a gnarled and barren tree would dot the rolling fields that sprawled ahead, behind and to the sides. Not much shelter from the wind that roared across the open space. My heart beat faster and faster the further I drove into that expanse. Until I arrived. At the Alberta, Vipassana centre in the village of Youngstown. Population of 154.
By Samantha Kaszas5 years ago in Psyche
The Tormented Philosopher
Sometimes he wondered what he was doing with his life. But, he had wondered that very thing so many times before that it was starting to become a dreary question. "What am I doing here? What's my purpose? What should I do with my life?" He was frustrated with himself for pondering the question for so long, and yet, part of the answer was missing, there was something he wished for but didn't have.
By Gabriel Mohr5 years ago in Psyche
Are There Positives To Depression? Here Are 2 Of Mine
Click here to watch the video. I think that in most negative circumstances there can be some kind of positive to be found. Maybe not be life-altering and not always specifically for the person who experiences it.
By Richard Bailey5 years ago in Psyche
Her Truth
The following conveys what axis True North is for the writer. This narration is a work of fiction that defines True North, and later transitions to the character forms that prevent hope from entering the axis point thereof. This work is to navigate in black and white, Shawn’s trauma and resilience.
By Chariss Rausaw5 years ago in Psyche
Entry #1
I started therapy. Again. I had a plan. I started searching for a therapist because I already knew that I was going to need one. I was going to be on the ball, ahead of the game, keeping the world on its toes. Being the type of person that does most things on a whim, this was a pretty big deal in my world. I have a goal. A goal to write a book that has been in the making for more than 10 years. Much of the foundation is already written. I have been holding on to it for years. The problem, however, is that much of what I wrote so many years ago is all but forgotten. I know the main points...but the details have faded. I am very aware that as this process starts it is going to bring up some dark thoughts and feelings of hurt and anger. My past attempts of starting this process, I wound up far too afraid to face my past self and put it back into the dusty old box it had been stored in. I don't think I was far enough removed from that version of myself to actually take a look back at her and feel safe. And now here I sit. I do not want to put it off any longer. There has to be a reason that I cannot stop thinking about getting it done, and until I do it, I will never know.
By Hilary Dane5 years ago in Psyche
A Mind Stuck on Terror
When anxiety and depression team up, you can find yourself at the mercy of two unforgiving illnesses. You must deal with a brain that often sees the worst option possible as the most viable and obsesses over just how catastrophic that worst case scenario could be. This can leave you faced with repetitive trains of thought that simply will not stop and that can prevent you from doing day-to-day tasks or falling asleep.
By Alicia Brunskill5 years ago in Psyche
