Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
The unknown condition
I just read the piece What It's Like to be Mentally Ill. Looking at the last 5 years, I know what that is like. When I look back I am aware now that the anxiety and depression have been with me for a least 20 years. I kept telling people this wasn't me that long ago.
By Dale Sands5 years ago in Psyche
Triggered
Disclaimer: I am not a therapist or counselor, and I do not have training in trauma therapy. I am a survivor of domestic abuse and am sharing my experience of what has helped me in the hopes that it might help someone else. If you are experiencing suffering as a result of trauma, please seek help in whatever way you can. For Domestic Violence resources, click here
By LJ Livingston5 years ago in Psyche
The Lonely Hollow Mind
They say that if you want to write, you need to read. To grow your knowledge, develop your intellect. A flowing intellect mind is capable of various approaches of the world. Essentially to understand and issue them correctly. To comprehend the different perspectives of human mentally, yet not to celebrate them but to separate them.
By Mila Bedoya5 years ago in Psyche
Man, Oh Man!
Violence breeds trauma, and part of the trauma that spawned my depression and anxiety is the domestic violence I regularly witnessed when I was a child. My father was a brutal man when we were children. There were eight of us total that lived through that nightmare. What it taught me was that men aren’t safe. That your “protector” can easily be your tormentor. Now, my father was a different man by the time he passed. He became more gentle and understanding the older he got, and by the time he became an elderly man, he was so different that none of the grandchildren could believe the stories we kids told of our childhood.
By Rafaela Nunnally5 years ago in Psyche
Love Letters from Heather
To my former student, Brady. I know you will not read this. However, I feel compelled to write it anyway. You know when teachers say they don’t have favourite students? They are lying. I can say that now because I can no longer be fired since I quit teaching 18 years ago. Although professional and held to a high standard, teachers will outwardly be fair and friendly to all students. But, underneath it all, they are people. People who day in and day out are dealing with other people. And due to an incomprehensible algorithm created unconsciously by our personalities—people are drawn to certain others naturally.
By Heather Down5 years ago in Psyche
Monday Morning Self Discovery
As I was driving and daydreaming that day, Rolling Stones by Wild Rivers played. The first time it came on I just listened, then felt compelled to restart it, and this time I sang along. I was singing when a particularly large raindrop caught my eye as it hit the drivers side window, and behind that droplet was a house I’ve seen many times before. I thought about that house for a moment and my mind so generously gave me memories of when I first began working in this area. I would drive by that house every day and every day I would think to myself about how beautiful it was. A large colonial style home that had a particular warmth to it, the black shutters and door a wonderful contrast to ever pristine whiteness of it. Although it stood out wonderfully in the dreary December rain wearing it's wreaths proudly, I had always thought it looked magnificent. I remembered fondly how I would always crane my neck to look at it when I drove by. When did I stop doing that? It's still a beautiful home and I still believe in that fact but when did I stop looking to appreciate it? When did it subconsciously become another mundane part of my life, and is it possible I do that with everything? I thought about this as I was singing along and oddly enough, I realized that my eyes were filled with tears. Not a typical sort of welled up eyes, but the kind of tears that scratch from underneath the skin on your cheeks as if every ounce of sorrow is trying to escape through your pores. I think I was sad about more than a few things that I had yet to analyze, instead put in a locker in the pit of my stomach to save for a later time.
By Grace Burr5 years ago in Psyche
Psychospiritual Healing & The Dark Night
Disclaimer: Possible Triggers Pertaining Mental Illness The content of this article will be varied, if not somewhat scattered and hopefully intriguing, informative. These are ideas of mine and no way are they meant to trigger or otherwise deleteriously affect mental well-being.
By James B. William R. Lawrence5 years ago in Psyche
Reprocessing
Many people have encountered gaslighting to varying degrees of severity and intentionality. By definition, these behaviors from others create an inaccurate picture of the world around us. Emotional abuse is highly dependent on this tactics to force the victim to want what the abuser wants, even when it destroys them. Those of us who endured it for years and escaped from its clutches slowly start to realize just how inaccurate everything they believed was, but depending on the duration it can be easy, even natural, to fall back into those patterns of thinking. It's difficult to accept that the truths your life may have literally or figuratively depended on for years aren't truths at all, especially when they developed subconsciously and you have to correct them consciously. As I uncover new ways that my PTSD impacts my life now, in particular how I manage difficulties in romantic relationships, I wanted to go through an article by Psychology Today that discusses the 11 Warning Signs of Gaslighting and recall a specific instance when my ex would use this tactic. I hope in writing this I will be able to revisit these when I notice myself falling into my former self-perceptions of failure and inadequacy. I also hope that maybe this can help other survivors break down where the lies they believe started and therefore actively combat them.
By Cici Woods5 years ago in Psyche
117
Most of the memories with Rafael are of pain, there is not one time when he took me, when it didn't hurt; I think I just learned to block out the pain and let my body shut down, until it was over, the thing is my body never learned to recognize any different when it came to sex. My first orgasm was at 30, my most memorable sexual encounter was at 30 as well, my body learned to recognize different at 30. There is much more detail where those two sentences came from, but for now I'll say that being rape; once or a million times marks not only your brain but your body.
By Lucinet Luna - The Author 5 years ago in Psyche
