#to share and be in those spaces as a survivor and patient

[trans-axolotl2]

In my last residential treatment stay, I did have one psychiatrist who I trusted and had a positive relationship with. Her name was Dr. R, and when I came in on the first day of treatment and told her that I would not take any psych meds and that I had a lot of past psych trauma, she validated me and told me that she would not bring up meds unless I did. Throughout my stay there, she was empathetic, listened to my concerns, helped advocate for me, and generally made me feel heard. At the same time, when management took away our doors-she did nothing. When I needed to get a feeding tube--she lied to me about how long it would be in, and what I needed to do to get it out. She enforced policies about restricting outside breaks, restrictions on items, and contributed to treatment plans that my friends felt were unfair and damaging.

She was a good person and I liked her, but she was choosing to work within a system where she could not control the dozens of things happening there that harmed us every single day. This is what I mean when I say there is no such thing as a good psychiatrist in inpatient units--she was a progressive, validating, nice person --but her very job description made it impossible for a “good provider” to exist. To be a provider who wasn’t a part of the harm that was occurring on that unit, she would have had to quit, because the very requirements of her job required committing ethical violations, restricting peoples autonomy, and perpetrating iatrogenic harm. If she had stopped enforcing harmful policies and challenged her coworkers publically, she probably would have gotten fired. And that really is the problem--causing iatrogenic harm has essentially become a job requirement on inpatient units, and being a “good provider” by the metrics of the system require you to participate in that harm. 

I think Dr. R did a better job than most inpatient psychs in mitigating the harms she participated in, and finding ways to resist shitty systems when possible. I was glad she was there and I think she made my treatment better, but the two of us had a lot of conversations together where she acknowledged the fucked up things happening in the treatment center, acknowledged her role in them, and also stated that she did not have any power to change them. She could not fix the system by working within the system. 

I get a lot of questions by people who are interested in careers in the mental health system, and asking me on whether I think it’s okay for them to work there. My first response is usually if you’re asking because you’re feeling guilty after seeing what psych survivors say, I’m not someone who’s going to give you permission to ignore that guilt. The second thing I usually say is this: you need to go into this job aware with the fact that you will cause people harm, you will get into ethical dilemmas, and there will be times where you will either have to betray your personal values or quit. There isn’t one right answer on how to engage with mental healthcare as a provider, with the reality that until we build up alternative systems of care, the current structures still exist and have people who need support inside of them.  If that’s something that you think you can navigate in a way that lets you create the least harm possible, then that’s something you need to decide for yourself, and to think really deeply about if the reality of the psych system matches up with your goals.

#antipsychiatry #antipsych #mad studies #disability justice #psych ward tw #i think u also need to understand that if u go to school to work professionally in mental health #if u become a psychiatrist or a therapist or a social worker #even if you're one who does it outpatientt. even if you're an abolitionist social worker #that means there are probably going to be barriers to community spaces. that some people might not trust you any longer. if you are #coming into spaces as a professional #part of that decision might be grappling with the fact that even as you gain legitmacy from a societal side. that as u gain #new opportunities for jobs. to work within systems #you might also lose community trust. opportunities within activism spaces. opportunities #to share and be in those spaces as a survivor and patient #and im not saying this as a judgemnt or to put moral value on it #but i think that's just something you Also need to understand and weigh. sure you will gain something. by getting liscenced #but what will you lose? why might people not trust you in community spaces any longer? #what trade offs will you be making and are they worth it to you? what new communities can you build #what matters to you and what are your passions #<- all things i am really grappling with right now as i decide whether or not i want to go get my masters in social work

[trans-axolotl]

Image description: [ a photo of the Psych Survivor zine in a bush of ivy. The cover is a collage made out of medical records, vintage flower drawings, and magazine letters spelling “psych survivor zine".]

Hello everyone! I am so thrilled to announce the launch of the psych survivor zine, now available to download on www.psychsurvivorarchive.com.

A little bit about this project:

The Psych Survivor Archive is an abolitionist organization deeply invested in mad liberation and cross-movement organizing.

We host two projects: the Psych Survivor Zine and the Digital Story Archive. The Psych Survivor Zine celebrates Mad art in volumes released twice a year, with thematic prompts for each edition. The Digital Story Archive is a more informal forum for psych survivors to write about our lives and share as much as we want, when we want, how we want. 

Through this archive, I hope to create a platform where psych survivors are believed and the psych system is held accountable for the ways it has harmed us. Our pain, resistance, knowledge, and grief are worth listening to, and I offer up this archive as a communal method of bearing witness. 

This space is for the imperfect crazy person, the noncompliant patient, those of us who trash our rooms in the psych ward and yell to ourselves on the street. This space is for our comrades still incarcerated in all kinds of institutions and prisons. This space is for anyone who has been harmed by the psychiatric system and wants to rage about it–and this space is for anyone who doesn’t have the words to talk about it. 

This space is for you.

You can download a pdf and an image described pdf for free on the website, or order a physical copy! This zine is incredible-featuring artwork by 13 different Mad artists, the 55 page zine includes collages, poems, harm reduction toolkits, and more!!

Artists include @kihnindewa, @bioethicists, @gothhabiba and @librarycards, among many more!

This project has been really vulnerable and cathartic with me, and I am so excited to share it with you. Feel free to explore the website, submit your story, and check out our resource guide.

#personal #psych survivor #survivingpsych #antipsych #psych abolition #mad liberation #mad pride #psych survivor zine #disability #really really happy with this. #disability pride month #also if i tagged you and you don't want to be tagged pls let me know! i don't know who else from the project is on tumblr #mad punk

[turbulentscrawl]

Kinda going off of your whole process behind matchups, but what do you think the ideal personality would be for some of the survivors (Alice, Norton, Eli, Naib, or whoever else you choose!) Like, what would they want/need in a partner? I feel like some of them could work well with a variety of personality types tbh…

Anyways, keep up the good work!

I don't want to give EVERYTHING way 🤭so these are a bit short. I'm also not super familiar with Alice yet, so her's are a bit more superficial. Added Andrew!

Norton

-HAS to be with someone who respects his alone-time. He does better with someone who’s overall not that clingy, but at the very least you need to be able to let him go when he says he needs space. When he asks for that, it’s largely because he’s nervous about hurting you when he’s not fully in control of his emotions.

-He can’t be with someone rich. If he was, there’s a very good chance he doesn’t have genuine feelings for them. There is a small exception to this in the manor, because it’s something of an equalizer and money doesn’t help anyone here. But outside? Norton (Aus excluded) is always going to be a frugal thrift-er, and he’d be easily annoyed by someone who blows their money like it grows on trees.

-He does better with fellow introverts too. He can do group stuff sometimes, but he prefers intimate, not-noisy environments. He’s spent most of his life alone so big events, public activities, and big social groups just feel foreign to him.

Naib

-The main thing for Naib is you not being a nosey nancy. Especially outside of the manor, he needs a partner who isn’t going to ask questions about what he does for work. He brings home the bacon and that’s got to be enough for you.

-It’s also better for him to be with someone who doesn’t mind his paranoid protectiveness. As much as he wants you to stay out of his business, he wants to be IN yours. Not to be controlling, but so he’s always prepared to come running if something happens. He can live without this trait in a partner, but it will be a constant point of tension if you don’t like it.

-Otherwise, Naib can get along with just about anyone who treats him decently. He sees the appeal in several personality types.

Eli

-Eli also works with many different types of people! He’s a very patient and calm man who makes and effort to understand everyone’s actions and opinions. The only people I straight-up can’t see him being with are those who intentionally try to bring out negative emotions as tests or pranks. He enjoys some light teasing, but if you try to rile him up or make him jealous, he’s just going to disengage from you because that’s blatantly unkind. He wants to foster good-vibes only with his partner.

-He does very much like skinship, though, so it’s best if his partner likes both giving and receiving Physical Touch as a love language.

-He’s a lot more likely to be sweet on someone who’s kind and generous. And he’s very intuitive, so he knows when this is genuine…if you’re faking it to manipulate/get in his good graces.

Alice

-As a journalist, she needs a partner who can keep their mouth shut. Like, you’re more than welcome to gossip TO HER. But she literally pays her bills by being nosey, and exclusivity of information is part of that. So don’t share things you learn from her…but DO share things you learn from others with her.

-She’s brave to a fault. Like Alice sometimes genuinely does not sense danger sometimes, so she would appreciate a partner who looks out for her when she can’t do it herself.

Andrew

-You have to be open-minded and nonjudgemental. He’s been treated poorly most of his life because of how he looks, and if he sees you treating other people with similar backstories well, his opinion of you skyrockets. (even though he won’t make it known for some time.) If you gossip to him about other people’s superficial stuff, kiss your relationship goodbye.

-Does best with someone patient and intuitive. He’s defensive and has an attitude, sometimes even without meaning to. He requires a lot of grace as far as overlooking the shit he says. His verbal communication will improve with time, and he will apologize for any slipups as his trust in you grows, but you have to be able to wait out the road bumps first.

-He also does better with a fellow introvert than an extrovert. For friendships, it doesn’t matter, but for a romantic partner he has more insecurities and concerns about you leaving him for someone else. If you like to spend a lot of time with other people, like being the center of attention, or feed on other’s approval, Andrew will have a harder time reigning in those thoughts that he’s not important to you.

#idv x reader #identity v #andrew kreiss x reader #norton campbell x reader #naib subedar x reader #eli clark x reader #alice deross x reader #idv journalist #idv gravekeeper #idv seer #idv prospector #idv mercenary

[fr3sh-tragedies]

Headcanons

[BATIM/BATDR] Allison Angel x Female Reader x Alice Angel

Summary: General and romantic headcanons I have about the two main angels in the franchise.

Word Count: 3.54k Content Warnings: Soft mentions of insecurity Category: Fluff + Slight angst

[A/N]: Only a few more characters left, then I'll post my master list and rules for requests. Thank you to everyone who has sent in a request so far!

Enjoy!

Allison

General

Generally one of the kindest, most patient people you’re ever going to meet, especially down in the studio

Her temper hardly ever flares up, but there are moments where she’ll act out of pure fear or anger

Even so, it’ll still be hard to tell how furious she is, considering she hardly ever raises her voice outside of battle

It’s just much harder to see the impatient side of her

She tends to be more logical, wanting to think things all the way through, and she is sure to get others to share their perspective of a situation before she makes a plan

After all she’s witnessed throughout her time at the studio, it’s understandable that she’s cautious of every lurking shadow and newcomer

She’ll welcome others if she feels they aren’t a threat, but still tends to keep an escape route pinned in the back of her mind in case things take a turn (as they have in the past)

She and Tom will both head out together most of the time to gather supplies that they can bring to their safehouse

While together, she feels a bit calmer knowing they have each other’s backs

Whenever she’s wandering around alone, however, she constantly feels on edge about whether or not the Ink Demon will come stampeding toward her

On top of this, she worries that Tom won’t be there when she gets back, or that he won’t be in one piece if he is

Helps whoever she can, even if that means putting herself at risk to save them from the cruelty of the studio, such as the Ink Demon, Alice, and the Projectionist

She’ll only put herself at risk for others if she deems them more important than herself, meaning a loved one (such as Tom or someone she took under her wing)

In the darker spaces of the studio, she’ll find blank spaces on the walls or floors and write messages for the Lost Ones who roam around, hoping to provide some sense of hope for them

Tinkers around with any gadget or scraps she can find, typically to create artificial limbs for those she trusts–an example being the animatronic arm she repurposed for Tom to use after he lost his own

Plays off any injury she gets as minor, no matter how severe it actually is, because she doesn’t want to worry others

She doesn’t mind getting help for what she’s endured, but she wants to ensure everyone else is safe first before she tries to scavenge for what she needs

On constant alert when outside of the safehouse, even if she has reinforcements

Sleep doesn’t come easy in the studio, especially to those who know what dangers threaten each wrong turn, so when she isn’t able to rest, Allison will try to find a way to make herself useful

Generally uses this time to count the stock in their storage, feed the fish, scribble out quick lists of plans she has for material, etc.

Always makes sure to let Tom know where she’s headed before she leaves

Actively searches out Lost Ones who need some sort of aid, making sure to keep a can of bacon soup nearby at all times in case it’s needed

Although there are more people in the studio that she trusts aside from Tom, she still is very strict about who she’ll let into the safehouse

The last thing she wants is to be responsible for the death of Tom or herself simply because she was too trusting toward a stranger

Overall, she’s a patient, kindhearted woman who wants to help others in any way she can, but her years in the studio have hardened her into a survivor, leaving her wary of every deadly possibility that may come her way

Romantic

It takes a while for Allison to trust you, considering all that she’s been through. However, the moment she sees you helping someone escape a situation, or she sees you patching a stranger up and handing them provisions, the tension in her body starts to ease up

Once she trusts you enough, she’ll start noticing your interests and hobbies, and she’ll partake in some of them herself if she can

After a while of growing closer to you and learning that she can trust you fully, she’ll either find that she fancies you, or she’ll notice that you like her first with ease

Either way, she’ll most likely take initiative when it comes to confessing and asking the other out

She likes being upfront and honest, especially with those she loves, so she’ll be relatively blunt about how she feels

She’ll take you somewhere that’s special to the both of you, reveal a small setup she made beforehand, and spend time talking with you before she finally confesses

Compared to most, she’s alright with being rejected–things don’t come easy (or at all), and she’s willing to accept that

As she expresses how she feels, there’s a small sense of anxiety creeping in through her words. She hadn’t confessed to anyone since being rebirthed. She stays calm and confident however, so it’s hard to even pick up on the fact that her hands are trembling and there are small beads of sweat forming on the back of her neck

When you tell her you feel the same way and agree to be her girlfriend, she’s relieved more than anything

She’ll spend more time with you in that space for a while before she walks you back to the safehouse to crash for the night

After the relationship had been established, Allison finally got more bold with a few of her motions

With a little bit of patience, she starts growing more comfortable and confident with being your partner, often finding herself resorting to coming to you for comfort and advice instead of Tom

She’ll, of course, be there for you in all of those ways as well

Dates are sometimes hard to initiate in the studio due to the danger, so she’ll make do with what she has

By this, it means she’ll wait until she knows Tom will be out of the safehouse for a while on a supply run. When he’s gone, she’ll bring out a couple of candles, a radio, and gather a few plates with food she had found–thankful that she managed to find something other than bacon soup

You’ll spend the day together at the table, eating what she prepared, playing cards, and just chatting away about whatever comes to mind

After peace finally settled over the studio (after Audrey helped rewrite what happens during the cycle), dates become more frequent and are out in better spaces in the studio, no longer having to worry about the Ink Demon appearing and ruining everything

Although the small city in the middle of the studio is abandoned, Allison will take you there often, carrying a radio with her to set up

She had–with the help of Tom–pushed a few of the cars to the sides of the street, providing an open space in the middle

There, she’ll place down the radio she brings and tune it to a slower song. She’ll then pull you into the large opening and slow dance with you for a while, complimenting you left and right as she leads

She enjoys doing anything and everything with you that she can

Any hobbies that you’ve shown interest in become a pair-hobby

She’ll sit / stand beside you as you paint, sculpt, read, play an instrument, etc., and she’ll be doing the same, essentially mirroring you peacefully at your side

If she can’t participate in your hobbies somehow, she’ll at least show that she takes interest in it, never making you feel dumb for what you enjoy

When settling down for the night, she’s not opposed to bundling up together in bed, surprised at herself for finding any cuddling position comfortable

Regardless of how you sleep, she’ll ensure that she’s holding you in some way

This stems from trauma and experience before the Ink Demon was tamed, though now it’s more of a comfort thing than a protection thing

If you don’t feel like being touched too much, she’ll hold your hand or keep her hand on your shoulder as you sleep

If you’re the opposite, she’ll let you latch onto her like a koala, or she’ll even do it herself if the day had been particularly demanding for her

She just wants to be close to you, regardless of the fact the studio is much safer now

A way for her to be close to you is by giving you some sort of jewelry

After a while of her experimenting with necklaces and bracelets made of scraps she polished and welded, she finally takes a few measurements and brings you to the place she confessed to you at

There, you’ll find a similar setup to before, and things will run smoothly

After a while of dancing together and talking about what the future will look like, she’ll segway into her speech and drop onto her knee, pulling out a ring from her satchel

When you say yes to marrying her, she doesn’t hesitate to slip the ring on your finger and pull you in for a kiss, overjoyed of the outcome

A small wedding, if you’re comfortable with it, is held shortly after, and her vows are heartwarming: she expresses her constant admiration and appreciation for you walking into her life, promising to always be there for you no matter what, slightly whispering by the time she gets to her statement of how she hopes she’s been half the girlfriend to you that you’ve been to her. Her voice manages to crack slightly at the end, and she’s fighting back the tears, wanting to save them for after the kiss

After the wedding, she somehow finds herself growing even closer to you than before, and things finally seem to fall into place for her

Overall, she’s a loving, understanding, patient partner who wants to be there for you in every possible way. She’ll show interest in your own hobbies, partaking in them herself most of the time, and she’s constantly trying to find a way to make time spent alone together more special. Dates, even before the Ink Demon has been disposed of as a threat, are heartfelt and meaningful, each small act one of intimacy and adoration. She makes time for you, and she always takes your opinions into consideration before making a final decision. With her, you’ll feel safe, understood, and never judged for who you are

Malice

General

Contrary to Allison, Malice–or Susie–tends to be more hotheaded

It’s not hard to upset her, though if she trusts you enough, it’ll sort of be easier to calm her back down

Extremely paranoid of newcomers, and even of those she’s known for decades

Terrified of stumbling across the Ink Demon, so she’ll end up sending any poor soul she’s fortunate to come across on an errand run, promising to send them home as a thank you when they’re done

It’s hard to gain her trust. In her mind, everyone in the studio is out to get her, and she’ll do whatever she can to keep herself safe

When she does have to scavenge for supplies on her own, she keeps a weapon handy at all times, whether it be her tommy gun or a Gent pipe

In what she calls her sanctuary, any mirror that can be found has either been shattered or covered with a thick cloth

The only place a still in-tact mirror can be found is her workshop, where she uses her twisted devices to torture and experiment on the corrupted members of the Butcher Gang

She keeps the mirror there to check how the experiments of harvesting and digesting organs is affecting her physical form

Each time she sees the tattered side of her face, still ripped open and taunting her, she has to will everything in herself not to smash everything in her sight, instead trying to focus on repairing her equipment and scanning across the monitors for the cameras she has set up around the studio

Tends to target creatures that come out “perfect,” meaning she’ll spare the Lost Ones and Searchers if they don’t get in her way

In her room, she keeps a record of her experiments and studies on the anatomy of whatever she can get her hands on

Emptied out the bookshelf closest to the sofa she sleeps on to store her journals and notes

Selfish beyond belief–she refuses to actively help others on her own volition, even if they’re at her feet begging

In order to keep herself safe, she went on a rampage during her first few years after being rebirthed, making a point to others that she’s one to be feared

This worked well, allowing her to isolate herself and focus on perfecting her injections, though it also caused issues with her sanity

Can often be heard shrieking at herself, almost like she’s arguing with herself about whatever has crawled under her skin in the moment

Although she appreciates feeling safe in her solitude, she aches for someone to help her with her dream of one day becoming beautiful again–someone who won’t look at her with terror or hatred

Self-sabotages any kind of trust she has with someone, too worried they’ll double-cross her and she’ll wind up at the mercy of the Ink Demon again

Ultimately, a very paranoid, insecure woman who longs to find herself again. She buries herself in work to distract herself from the reality of what would haunt her mind if she acknowledged it, specifically the abominations that meander through the levels of the studio

Romantic

It takes forever to fully gain her trust enough for her to actually fall for you

After all she had bared witness to in her time down in the studio, it’s hard to blame her for being paranoid about new people around the area

If you somehow manage to stay on her good side and gain her trust, however, she’ll cling to you

In her eyes, you’re the only light left in her dull life down in the inky depths of the very place that made her the way she is

For a while, she’ll keep you hidden in the furthest corner of her safety zone on Level Nine, terrified she’s going to lose the one good thing still left in her life

With a lot of convincing (and the promise made to always carry around a weapon), Malice will finally let you wander around more and more. It’ll start off with her attached at your hip and walking with you everywhere, then slowly shift to her watching you from her cameras

Even when she knows you’ll be safe out in the places you choose to go, she’ll still keep an eye on her monitors here and there to make sure there isn’t anything weird lurking nearby

One way to make her trust you is to promise to help her on her journey to recover her beauty (and sanity)

More often than not, you’ll find her hidden away somewhere in her sanctuary, sobbing and curled up on the ground as she desperately tries to hide her face from you

You’ll have to comfort her when she gets that way

One thing that makes her melt during her swings of insecurity is when you hold her close and caress her face, especially if you cup the tattered side just as tenderly as the part that’s still in-tact

Gaze at her without any sense of fear or discomfort, and she’ll break, weeping against you after she drops her head against one of your shoulders, her hands clutching at your shirt to try and pull you closer

If you work with her enough, she’ll start to grow a little more comfortable with how she looks. She’ll still have breakdowns and moments where she wants to be alone, but she’ll come around to you sooner or later

Will absolutely gawk at you with hearts in her eyes if you protect her from the creatures threatening to attack when you both go out to scavenge for supplies. Bonus points if you help her in her lab with dissecting the Butcher Gang’s organs

Since she’s managed to keep Level Nine relatively safe from the Ink Demon, there’s a wider amount of space for her to bring you for dates

During these moments alone in random parts of her sanctuary, she’ll feel safe enough to show her vulnerabilities, showing you the torn part of her face without trying to hide behind her hair or turn away

She’ll express that she’s worried about the future, wondering if she’ll ever manage to perfect her experiments and fix her face

Comfort her when she talks about those insecurities, and she’ll practically swoon, melting under your touch and leaning into it as she scoots closer

One of the main things about being with her is she needs constant reassurance that you love her and aren’t afraid of her

It’s hard for her to trust anyone, and when she finally fully trusts you, she wants to do everything she can to keep you in her life, even if it means resorting to selfish means. It’s not necessarily her fault for being so possessive, but you’ll eventually have to convince her to work on it when it gets to be too much

Even after things settle down when Audrey shows up, she’s still be worried about you leaving certain parts of the studio that she can’t access with her cameras, and she’ll come with you for a while

Eventually, she’ll realize she isn’t in constant danger anymore and will let you wander off on your own, so long as you promise you’ll be back soon

She may not participate in your hobbies the way Allison would, but she’ll certainly show curiosity and interest in them. If they’re more on the scientific side, she may join you here and there to learn more about them

At home at night, she almost always needs to be holding you when asleep. More likely than not, she’ll spoon you from behind or just hold you against her chest, keeping one hand next to yours at all times

It’s hard for her to sleep half of the time, so even if you manage to get her to crash for a bit, it won’t be long before you feel her toying with your hair or shirt to keep herself distracted after waking up

She doesn’t want to wake you up just because she’s getting antsy, which is why she does this

When she does manage to sleep throughout a whole night, it’s ridiculously hard to get her out of bed until the early evening. She’ll cling to you and keep you in the bed with her until she’s ready to wake up and get ready for the day, so make sure you have a book or something nearby to keep yourself occupied

Marriage with her is a strange subject, considering she hardly ever speaks to anyone else aside from you (meaning she has no one but you to go to for advice on it). By the time she proposes with a ring she made using the metal from a few of her older tools, you’re already aware of what she has planned, but manage to pretend to be surprised anyway

She’s overwhelmed after you say yes, already worrying about how she’s going to make the wedding perfect, frantically asking you what you want to add to the ceremony and the decorations by the time you head back to the sanctuary

During the wedding, which is held in the Heavenly Toys lobby, her vows start off a little rocky, but just as quickly grow as meaningful as you’ve learned she can secretly be. She talks about how odd she found it that you trusted her so quickly at the beginning of the relationship, but adds that, after looking back on it, she’s grateful you did. She expresses how inspired you’ve made her over the years, and how you always help her work through any issue she has, never looking at her as a burden. She stresses the fact that she loves you more than anything or anyone else, and how she wants to always protect you and keep you happy.

After the wedding, she finally starts to let herself relax. She starts to open up more, and if you strike the right chord with her, she’ll start studying more humane ways to run her experiments

Ultimately, she starts off as a very paranoid partner, terrified you’re going to leave her or be mercilessly slaughtered out in the halls out of her reach. She keeps you close, essentially growing possessive over you within a short amount of time. However, after a while of gaining her trust and promising you’re there to stay, she’ll loosen up and provide more freedom. She wants to keep you safe, even if it means she comes across as selfish, but she knows you can hold your own in most situations, and she’ll learn to have more faith in you. After all, you’re now her wife. There’s nothing her wife can’t handle

#fluff #x reader #female reader #slight angst #batim #batdr #alice angel #alice angel x reader #alice angel x female reader #allison angel #allison angel x reader #twisted alice angel x reader #batim x reader #batdr x reader

[mercifullymad]

Hi there! I was wondering if you had any recommendations for beginner readings about Sanism, anti psychiatry, etc? I've only recently been introduced to these ideas, but they really resonate with me and I'd love to learn more.

Hello, thank you for asking! I'm more than happy to share a list of readings I've found useful and/or important, and glad that you're interested in learning more!

Before I get into the list, one note: I identify as a mad liberationist, rooted in the principles of the Mad Pride movement and the academic (in)discipline of Mad Studies. So I don't have any recommendations that come from a strict anti-psychiatry stance, as I don’t root myself in the anti-psychiatry moment and I simply haven't read much in that tradition. Instead, my readings are mostly rooted in Mad Studies, Mad Pride, the psychiatric survivor/consumer/(ex-)patient movement, Critical Disability Studies, Disability Justice, and Crip Studies.

Without further ado, here are my recommendations (I encourage anyone else to add on in the comments/reblogs—I certainly have not read everything)!

Articles:

Mad Studies – What It Is and Why You Should Care:

“Mad Studies is an area of education, scholarship, and analysis about the experiences, history, culture, political organising, narratives, writings and most importantly, the PEOPLE who identify as: Mad; psychiatric survivors; consumers; service users; mentally ill; patients, neuro-diverse; inmates; disabled -to name a few of the “identity labels” our community may choose to use.”

Mad Studies Network – Shared Principles: From the same website as the above article. The website has many great articles and reading recommendations even though it hasn’t been updated for a couple years.

“We aim to work towards making and preserving space for mad people’s knowledges and histories within the academy and within [mental health] services.”

Mad and Queer Studies: Interconnections and Tensions:

“Mad and Queer Studies have lot of common ground – especially in terms of challenging existing binaries (for example, gay/straight and mad/sane); subverting negative connotations of Queer/Mad; and critiquing prevailing normativities (ways of being ‘normal’).”

A Psychiatric Survivor Studies Manifesto: A critique of Mad Studies and identifying as mad, instead suggesting identification as a psychiatric survivor and psychiatric survivor studies. A good read, especially as someone new to this area exploring your options for self-identification!

“Psychiatric survivors are those who have sought help and have not found it, psychiatric survivors have varying levels of belief in a separation of mind and body. Psychiatric survivors are not reducible to a single category but instead are a force to be reckoned with who have (often dysfunctionally) shut down major oppressive institutions and forced change within medicine multiple times over.”

Against Self Advocacy Part 2: Maddening Autistic Self-Advocacy: From the same writer as the above article.

“Like it or not, mad and anti-psychiatry politics do inform and are part of the history of Autistic politics.”

“The Autistic meltdown, when our bodies rebel because of sensory overload, the issues related to social impairment---many of these things have more similarity with mad politics … But those similarities have intentionally been quieted so as not to make Autistic bodies seem rebellious.”

Mad People Of Colour: A Manifesto:

“We cannot separate our experiences of racialization, madness, and other oppressions. … White people’s experiences of psychiatry are not ‘like colonialism’. Colonialism is like colonialism… Ask yourself whether your goal as a mad activist is to regain the white middle-class privilege you lost when you were psychiatrized.”

Trans Activists, Don’t Throw Mad People Under the Bus!: Article on the shared history and aims of trans and mad people.

“We know that the various psychiatric diagnoses for trans people have not been based in sensitive listening or in any kind of scientific knowledge of etiology, that on the contrary they have been nothing but arbitrary and punitive vehicles for imposing normative expectations of how a person ought to be. We know that psychiatrists and psychologists don’t listen to us, or our communities, don’t know about us, or our communities, and don’t help us, or our communities. Why would we assume things are any different for all the other kinds of people psychiatrists assert dominion over?”

The Buzzfeedification of Mental Health: This article is far from perfect in its analysis, but I think it’s still worth reading for its observations about how the internet structurally reinforces stringent diagnostic categories.

“The danger lies in how we enforce and contextualize these [diagnostic] categories. ... If we cannot commune with each other, relate to each other, love each other, argue with each other, without feeling that we are irreconcilably different because of something endemic to our psyches (you have ADHD, I have BPD, we are not the same), we lessen the chance that we will be able to build actual solidarity, and fight against the structures that cause us all to feel so mentally ill.”

An Introduction to Anti-Black Sanism: Unlike the other articles, this one is an academic article, but it’s too important to leave out.

“The historical and ongoing set of aggressions visited on Black/African people in the Global North is both anti-Black racism and a specific kind of sanism, and we have named this suffering, this particularly perilous mix of oppressions, anti-Black Sanism.”

“Anti-Black Sanism provides a framework that names the injustice, the pain, and seeks to address the historic discrimination, continued overrepresentation of Black/African-identified individuals in the mental health system… Anti-Black Sanism also allows us to join with others in de-centering whiteness in mental health as well as in the ex-patient, survivor, disability, and mad movements.”

The Next Generation of the Mad Movement in New York City Looks Like This:

“Peter Stastny finishes the first panel. As the elder of the group, he’s the self-chosen, pragmatic voice of “What works and what doesn’t work”, having been around and active since the 1980s and watched so many progressive mental health projects become defunded or co-opted or simply slip into obscurity. It’s obvious he wants this project to have a different fate.”

Help-Seeking: Where’s the Help? (tw self-harm and suicide)

“In the context of mental health, particularly intense mental distress associated with self-harm and suicide, asking for help might not only result in the absence of care, it might result in punishment and harm. … Emphasis on seeking [help] ignores not only the availability of help but crucially, the deep pain and frustration of calling for help and having nobody come.”

Un-care-able (tw self-harm and suicide)

“Stigma’ is too general, too mild a word for what is happening here. This is rejection, it is a casting out, it is the designation of ‘un-care-able’. In a sleight of hand so swift as to be both bewildering and dazzling, the more a person who self-harms needs care, the more they prove themselves to be both undeserving of it and unfit for it. Here pain is not evidence of need, and thus a prompt for care – instead, it is the signal for abandonment.”

Toward a Neuroqueer Future: An Interview with Nick Walker: Focused on neurodivergence, but a very good and important read for anyone interested in learning more about non-normative bodyminds.

“A lot of people hear neuro and they think, brain. But the prefix neuro doesn’t mean brain, it means nerve. The neuro in neurodiversity is most usefully understood as a convenient shorthand for the functionality of the whole bodymind and the way the nervous system weaves together cognition and embodiment. So neurodiversity refers to the diversity among minds, or among bodyminds.

In terms of discourse, research, and policy, the pathology paradigm asks, ‘‘What do we do about the problem of these people not being normal,’’ whereas the neurodiversity paradigm asks, ‘‘What do we do about the problem of these people being oppressed, marginalized, and/or poorly served and poorly accommodated by the prevailing culture?’’”

Books:

Unfortunately, I don't have many beginner book recommendations, although this depends on how you’re defining "beginner." If you're new to Mad Studies but not new to reading dense texts about Literary Studies, then La Marr Jurelle Bruce's "How to Go Mad Without Losing Your Mind" or Therí Pickens' "Black Madness :: Mad Blackness" would be great beginner texts. If you’re well-versed in the study of rhetoric, then other academic books like Margaret Price’s “Mad At School” and M. Remi Yergeau’s “Authoring Autism” can also serve as introductions. But if "beginner" means written for the general public as opposed to an academic audience, then these are the only recs I've got:

Robert McRuer's "Mad in America”: A history of psychiatry care and the psychiatry industry in the U.S. written for a general audience. Great for contextualizing and historicizing the development of U.S. psychiatry.

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s “Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice”: This book does a great job explicitly connecting the Mad Pride and psychiatric survivor movement to broader disability organizing and issues. It is a great recounting of organizing efforts from both Disability Justice and the psychiatric survivor moment, grounded in Piepzna-Samarasinha’s long involvement in both.

Eli Clare’s “Brilliant Imperfection”: An extremely insightful overview of and meditation on the politics of “cure” for physically disabled, chronically ill, and mad people. Also some of my favorite writing on the utilities and harms of diagnosis.

[Textbooks] “Mad Matters” and “The Routledge International Handbook of Mad Studies”: It can be hard to get copies of these books without academic access (or spending a lot of money), but if you can somehow get them, they contain a lot of useful information and history.

[Can’t personally vouch for] James Davies’ “Sedated: How Modern Capitalism Created our Mental Health Crisis” and “Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm than Good”: I have not read either of these books, but they are written for a general audience, so probably very explanatory/introductory in their explanation, which might be good if you are coming to this with no prior knowledge. Jamies Davies is probably the most anti-psychiatry-aligned author on this list, too, if you’re specifically looking for writing rooted in that stance. The books seem to be focused critiques of the contemporary psychiatric industry (rather than focusing on the experiences/organizing/culture of mad people, as most of my other recs do).

Finally, I would also suggest checking out collectives/orgs like Project LETS (lots of great posts on their instagram about sanism and mad pride), the Institute for the Development of the Human Arts (IDHA), Recovery in the Bin, the #StopSIM collective, and country or region-specific Mad Pride groups, Hearing Voices groups, and Alternatives to Suicide Groups. So much of this knowledge is created and spread through social networks and transient social media posts rather than in articles and books.

#hope this helps & that something in this list resonates with u! #mad studies #mad pride #psychiatric survivor #disability studies #neurodivergence #disability justice #my readings

[andrewtverylegitimateblog]

Sweet Bean (2015)

There are a lot of things that really got to me while watching Sweet Bean. It certainly succeeded in drawing out the intended reaction in me. Sweet Bean tells the story of Sentaro, a middle aged man languishing away at a middling Dorayaki shop and held in debt by his past. He comes to befriend Tokue, an elderly woman with seemingly quite a bit of free time and a deep loving passion for red bean paste.

As I saw it Sweet Bean was a film about outsiders. Individuals who for their own respective reasons are marginalized by greater society. For Sentaro this is reflected in his criminal record, while this may not be something that can be observed upon his person it bars him from working in any field that could conduct a background check and in so many other ways limits his mobility and in the case of employment there seems to be what could be inferred as a certain amount of blackmail or exploitation taking place in his need to "repay" his debt.

For Tokue this manifests very directly in her appearance, particularly her hands, which mark her as a former Hansen's disease (leprosy) patient. After doing a very light amount of reading after the film I learned that following the second world war the Japanese government conducted mass campaigns against victims of Hansen's disease, placing them in restrictive government operated homes which for decades barred patients from maintaining consistent access to the outside world and various other human rights violations such as forced sterilization. The discrimination against Hansen's disease patients is ongoing to this day.

Tokue intrudes upon Sentaro's brooding life of chain smoking and pancakes after he puts up a hiring sign. While Sentaro initially resists Tokue's insistence on working together he's ultimately won over by her red bean paste. As they work together Sentaro grows to appreciate the presence of Tokue and the many seemingly silly traits such as her whispering to the beans.

I really loved Tokue as a character. Tokue's relationship with and how she approached the injustices she experienced were something that felt particularly grounded to me in many ways. It called forward memories of many of the older people in my life. Tokue's life doesn't in any way seem characterized by any deeply embedded bitterness, in fact she lives in spite of those who would prefer she remain bound to a state owned leper's island.

It's this unbridled cheer and tenacity that seem to find their way into her bean paste. Red bean paste is a language of connection. One of my favorite scenes was when Tokue responded in astonishment when she learned that Sentaro deeply disliked Dorayaki and making them in general. The passion and love she exercises through the hard work in her red bean paste little by little creates a space for healing. Sentaro and Tokue in the small Dorayaki stall that is their shared place of work are in their time together not merely a former convict or survivor of disease but two individuals who have been consistently denied connection by a society that would prefer they remain unseen.

Sweet Bean very much had the intended effect on me, especially in Tokue's characterization. There were things I felt that in some ways were rather lacking. Throughout Sweet Bean there seems to be larger conversations about discrimination that ultimately remain unengaged. Not to say that these characters should be defined by the very things which are transcended by their friendship, but more often than not it feels as if characters are scenes intend to explore larger topics but never do. Much of the camera work also felt quite generic ,almost reminiscent of Hanabi with it's over the shoulder shots. I enjoyed Sweet Bean but felt that overall in style and discussion it was severely lacking.

[mistrdctr]

@ssolessurvivor asked: Logan often gets overly emotional after they share a night together, but nothing hits him worse than when he knows he has to leave, to let Stephen have his day ahead of him. "I don't know if I ever told you." Logan muses, speaking quietly against the sheets with his hair splayed against the pillow, gazing into those eyes. "Thank you, for saving my life those years ago." A hand has gone on Stephen's cheek and his thumb idly strokes the skin there. "I know you were a different man, but I wanted you to know. Thank you." He's almost sheepishly blushing now, leaning into the pillow though his multi-colored eye still holds his love's gaze.

The sun is barely out yet, leaving the bedroom in some sort of almost-but-not-quite darkness, the first rays of light shining in through the big windows to the right; Stephen is facing the one who he is sharing his bed with at the very moment, eyes still a little heavy-lidded from sleep but very much awake already.

They are sharing some soft kisses, some innocent touches - a cheek is covered by a soft palm, and scarred fingers trail along the shape of a shoulder in return - when Logan speaks, breaking the silence between them that has existed for a while now---

---And Strange blinks, stopping his movements as a hint of surprise crosses is barely-lit features.

He has to think about it, to realize what the younger speaks about - he does not get it, not at first, which causes his dark brows to knit for a second as confusion sets in, bright eyes flicking along the blonde's features in search for an answer, before, finally, a set of full lips part in realization.

Logan. The young man in front of him - Stephen knows him.

He knows him from back in the day when he has been working as a neurosurgeon still; Asked to attend a very complicated emergency surgery that needed to be done on a severely injured patient coming straight from space, a man who was the only survivor of a true desaster having happened back on that moon Mimas---

Now, suddenly, just like that, everything makes a lot of sense.

The scars make sense, scattered all along that handsome man's body. His reactions to seeing Stephen in varying states of roughness make sense. The feeling of already having met him before - that also makes sense now. A lot.

And the sorcerer blinks, brows lifted in surprise, feeling a sudden wave of guilt and shame flooding him like a tidal wave; How did he not think about... this? How did he not realize that this man, this soul, is the very same one he's operated on a long time ago, together with other well-known surgeons, fighting hard to keep him alive and not have him die on their table?

"...Logan, I...", he starts, momentarily unsure how to proceed. A pause follows, scarred fingers now making their way to a beautiful face, cupping a cheek in return while his thumb traces the shape of a cheekbone. "---I'm sorry I... didn't realize that you--- I... I just didn't think---"

He should have, but Strange did not. How long did Logan know about him having been one of the doctors...?

Blinking again, a set of bight eyes closing momentarily, the sorcerer shifts a bit closer - then lifts his chin, just so that he is able to press a soft kiss against the blonde's forehead, allowing it to linger for a few seconds.

"...I'm just a stupid dumbass sometimes. I knew you felt familiar, in a way, seeing your face - I just never connected the dots. It's been a while..."

That he is. Will always be, no matter how many titles he manages to gain in his life, no matter whether he will ever end up as a sorcerer supreme or some shit. He's still Stephen, still the man he always used to be, albeit changed. In some parts, at least.

"And please - don't thank me. I swore an oath to cause no harm. It was my job to try my very best to keep you alive - and to make sure your injuries were treated."

Lips separate themselves from the other's forehead, the tip of a nose brushing against Logan's own, eyes remaining closed.

"---I'm so glad you're here, and that you... recovered. That you made it." It's a whisper, but it is deeply heartfelt and sincere as it slips from between Strange's teeth, breathed out into the small space between them.

#ssolessurvivor #(ok this maybe makes little sense bc stephen has already seen him naked here i suppose) #(AND MAYBE HE WOULD'VE REALIZED OR HAD SUSPICIONS) #(but i wanted this to go this way anyways SO I HOPE THAT OK HAHA) #(bc i wanted feels...)

[davincsoo]

Thank you for giving us this safe space to share our opinions. <3

As an abuse survivor and as someone who was at the hands of a narcissistic abuser most of their life, I cannot tell you how much it pisses me off and horrifies me seeing all of those who support and believe AH, to the point where they go attacking others on SM. Watching her testimony this week was no doubt triggering for myself and many other survivors. She used a lot of the same tactics that many of our abusers have and we see it plain as day. Listening to the recordings, within seconds it's easy to pick up on who the real abuser is. I'm not making excuses for things JD said, in text form or otherwise, but holy crap, how do people not see what's right in front of them?

I try to be patient and understanding, thinking that most have not had the experiences that others and I have had and on one hand I'm grateful for it. No one ever wishes that kind of treatment and abuse on another living human being, no matter the circumstances. Especially those such as myself that have dealt with that kind of treatment and abuse. But I just cannot fathom how most of these people (the young girls and women especially) don't see AH exactly for what she is. We now have evidence that was entered into court as official documents, photos, audio recordings, and videos to prove it! Like, what do they tell themselves when hearing AH taunt JD for leaving the room during a fight? Which I don't think it should take more than 1 brain cell to deduce this but if someone is leaving the room and putting distance in a fight, THEY are NOT the ones trying to keep it going.

The narcissistic abuse I dealt with very much went like this: they follow you from room to room and don't give you a moment's rest or pause because it's a psychological attack - they can't give you that moment to think because then there's a minute chance you can't be controlled. They will talk you in circles during an argument so you can't keep your thoughts straight, and they will shoot down any valid points you try to make. They will belittle you, make fun of any type of feelings you may have, and continue to taunt you. Their goal is to strip you of what makes you you, any individuality you might have, any thoughts or feelings that don't coincide with what they want you to be. They want you to be exactly what they want: easily controlled, a convenient scapegoat, and someone to heap abuse on and for them to take out their anger and frustrations on. Someone who they can do that to that will keep that secret silent (usually due to the NV's shame that the NA has manipulated them into feeling), allow them (and I use the term allow loosely, that's more the NA's perspective) to continue to do what they want to them when they want to, and won't leave. NA's are very aware of who they can attempt to do this with and who they can't. They're master manipulators and absolute puppet masters. And that doesn't even begin to delve into the physical abuse that can sometimes occur or coincide with NA.

So when AH is heard taunting JD on the audio recording, telling him to go ahead and tell the world that he's a DV victim and no one will believe him, that is not only taunting but CLASSIC GASLIGHTING. Gaslighting is a common practice for NA's and psychological abuse. When AH tells JD he's not a man for refusing to stay in the room during a fight, for fleeing when things get physical, that's gaslighting. When she mocks him with 'which of your 15 houses are you going to run to this time?' that's gaslighting.

Watching AH on the stand this week sickened me but it also sickened a lot of others, especially those of us who have dealt with this type of abuser before. Because it's very clear that it's all a performance. Certain points of her narrative are not adding up. She's constantly playing to her audience: the jury, the cameras, and the people watching in court. She's had to be cut off from her own lawyers twice (as far as I know) from delving too deeply into any nonsensical details, even before JD's lawyer's objections. You don't smile and laugh when thinking back to the good times with your abuser. Because the good times are always ultimately overshadowed by the bad times. Who that person (the abuser) in the good times, you eventually come to find out, is not the real person. The real person is the one you've seen in the bad times. So the person you might want to romanticize in those good times, the person who you several times in the past have told yourself 'they didn't mean it' or 'they're sorry, they won't do it again' or 'they just had a bad day', they really don't exist. Especially in this particular type of abusive situation with this type of narcissistic individual. Because from the moment she met JD, the moment she met her ex and others, it's all been one big calculation and one big form of 'grooming' if you will. That's how they operate. But to go back to my point, it's all a performance.

So for those of us that have been through what is becoming glaringly obvious that JD has with AH, those recordings and that testimony were a dead giveaway. But I also kind of feel that things have become so blatantly obvious with all of the evidence that has been presented, that you don't need to have had experience with this type of situation before to see what all of this really is. And just who is the abuser vs who is the survivor of said abuse. It's literally the 2 + 2 = 4 type of obvious.

To those who stand with AH and attack others in her name, you're literally perpetuating her abusive tactics and you need to stop. Taunting, gaslighting, and telling people to kill themselves is not only disgusting but also using AH's own behaviors that are toxic, abusive, and overall horrific.

While yes we need to believe victims when they come forward with their stories, we also need to realize that 1) men can be abuse victims too (and women can be also be abusers) & 2) there are some vile people out there that will hijack movements (like the #MeToo movement) for their own agenda and personal gain, and not feel one ounce of guilt or remorse or shame for doing so. Survivors don't need to have documented evidence to be believed and heard, but when there is evidence in a specific case and all of it is pointing to one particular individual as the abuser, we need to utilize our brains and critical thinking and question what it is we think we know, what we believe. Especially when other abuse survivors are coming through and saying 'this absolutely sounds familiar and I've gone through this, too' and it's not in vindication of AH's side of the story but is the exact opposite.

Men can be abused. Women can do the abusing. Think of how many times we have heard of cases of abusive mothers, for example. Or women abusing other women. Or women abusing their siblings or employees. Just because the victim may be a man doesn't change the capability of women enacting abuse. Even if the man was 7 ft tall and 300 lbs, was a professional MMA fighter, that doesn't automatically exclude the idea of a man potentially being a DV survivor. As is proven in this case, women can use more than their fists or feet to physically abuse. And as also has been stated in this case, by the very clearly biased Dr. Hughes herself, there are many different forms of abuse that can occur in an intimate relationship (and other relationships).

Men can be abused, too. It's time we lend an ear to their voices and let their stories be told, just as much as we do women's. Abuse is not exclusive to gender. Rape and SA is not exclusive to gender. We need to put those old beliefs to rest and to stand in solidarity with all survivors.

Sorry for the long ask but thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts. <3

#dw about the long ask anon #and you are most welcome for having a safe space to share your opinion #amber heard #tw abuse #johnny depp #anon asks #anon replies

[emergentcounseling]

Grief with EMDR Therapy In Oakland Park, FL

Navigating Grief with EMDR Therapy: A Journey to Healing

I was afraid of attaching to anyone because I didn’t want to make myself vulnerable to the pain of losing them if they died.

It’s hard to focus on hope amidst the waves of sorrow, and the last thing I wanted to hear was that I needed to be strong and I would get through it. Losing a loved one can feel like your world is imploding with a meteor of emotions.

However, if the grief is emotionally and physically overwhelming and preventing you from functioning, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) just might be the guiding light you need to pass through the dark path of grief.

Grieving with Grace

Grief is a natural response to loss and a testament to the legacy of the love shared with those who are no longer physically with us, it’s also an incredibly painful complex individual experience. Five back-to-back losses were way more than I bargained for; I couldn’t seem to get a break from mourning, and grief had become a frequent path of mine. I started to feel like I was stuck in a pit of darkness with no way out. At times, every memory, every thought, and every feeling left me feeling crippled, helpless and fatigued. I couldn’t just get over it, I knew I needed to give myself grace, be patient, and allow my grief the space it needed to unfold.

Finding Light in the Darkness

Amidst the darkness of grief, I decided to practice what I preach, I decided to seek safe non-judgmental support. I did a significant amount of work with myself but felt stuck and needed another professional to support me in processing the unconscious blocks that were still lingering. I opted to do EMDR as I had much success in using it to process grief in the past. EMDR was developed to treat trauma and has shown remarkable results in helping individuals process various forms of emotional distress, including grief.

EMDR consists of bilateral stimulation typically through eye movements, tapping, or sounds, to facilitate the brain’s natural healing process.

My EMDR Experience

Although I was hopeful, I was nervous because I knew that this work would be emotionally taxing. Furthermore, I was starting with a new therapist which means that my nervous system needed to feel safe in his presence even before starting the work. My high tolerance for distress helped me to move through the preliminary prep work into the processing and desensitization phases fairly quickly.

I was guided to recall specific memories associated with my loved ones’ passing while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation. At first, it felt like I was confronting “the boogie man” within me, and it felt like a tornado was erupting all the emotions I had been suppressing inside my gut. Facing my emotions and my unconscious thoughts often left me sobbing. As the sessions progressed, I noticed subtle shifts within me. The feelings of helplessness, guilt, and overwhelming fear of losing loved ones diminished. I was intentional about implementing self-soothing strategies and resting after each EMDR session.

Unpacking Grief

I must say that all the discomfort was worth it because I am worth it, I deserve the peace that allows me to have joy, healthy attachments, and fond memories of my beloveds without distress. EMDR helped me untangle the knots of grief that ensnared my heart. With each session, I found myself gradually releasing distorted beliefs and making peace with the reality of loss.

Memories that once triggered avoidance and overwhelming sadness became bittersweet reminders of the love I held for my dear loved ones. It was as if EMDR gave me a gentle hand to navigate my way out of the pit of darkness I was stuck in.

Embracing Healing and Hope

As I reflect on my journey with EMDR, I feel deep gratitude that I can think of my loved ones without feeling survivor’s guilt, and I can reflect on fond memories without feeling like a tornado is erupting in my gut. The pain of loss will never fully dissipate, however, EMDR has equipped me with the tools to carry it with grace and resilience. As I said in the beginning, I have experienced multiple losses and I am still exploring and processing various aspects that are painful. Each session feels like a stepping stone along my path of healing and is a testament to my resilience.

Your Path to Healing

If you are carrying the weight of grief, have crying spells, or days when you don’t feel like getting out of bed or even doing life, know that you’re not alone. You too deserve support, doing the work is worth it, you are worth it, and you deserve peace. Consider exploring EMDR as a means to navigate your journey through grief and healing.

Give yourself permission to get support, there is a light that awaits beyond the shadows of sorrow. Until next time, focus on what you can do and be kind to yourself because you deserve it!

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We offer individual, family, couples and group counseling.

Our Vision is to normalize trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental health disorders as the body’s way of communicating distress, and help our clients heal by teaching them how to tap into their bodies organic intelligence."

Our Services

At Emergent Counseling & Consulting LLC, services are person-centered, culturally sensitive, stigma-free, holistic and strengths-based.

Our services are tailored to meet your needs and help you develop the skills needed to get rid of anxiety and depression, and enhance your quality of life. Our methods are non-invasive, short-term evidenced-based techniques such as Brainspotting, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT Tapping), which simple and focused on reducing the intensity of distress associated with anxiety and depression.

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#emdr therapy #grief therapy #grief

[twentyfourseeveen]

E-voi!

We're an adult autistic DID system with a special interest in Eevees and several Eevee introjects. This blog is for sharing our art and lore of theoretical eeveelutions, as well as other eevee related content

Separately from being a system, we are into roleplay and may run elements of this blog while pretending to be a pokemon trainer/researcher. We only ask that you treat our headmates as real people and not as roleplay characters, as doing so worsens our dissociation and makes us very uncomfortable.

Updates may be sporadic as we are disabled in multiple ways, but feel free to send asks! We are open to doing requests - both for specific types of eevees and for eevee OCs - but just please be patient with us. We are also relatively beginner artists (we don't have any examples of our eevee art on hand, but see @mylittleoc-fuse-n-ships for examples of our art in general) so they may not be super polished art pieces but... we're just here to have fun!

(Just for ease of reading)

Askbox: Open!

Requests: Open!

Queue: None

Current Projects:

-Searching for evidence of eevees of types not currently represented in evolutionary line

-speculating about existence of dual-typed eevees

-collecting data for research paper on new love and hate evolutions

-creating care packages* for injured and struggling eevees and eevee trainers

-creating moodboards and stimboards for eeveedivergent and eeveetypical followers alike

- NPTs and mogai coining posts for eevee fans who are so super eevee at heart

-and more ^^

*Care packages are in the format of links and pictures of suggested products that would make a good care package based on the request we are given. Unless we win the lottery someday, we unfortunately cannot put the care package together and send it ourselves.

Final notes: We are endo safe and welcome all alterhuman identities. We do not believe that identity can be harmful, only actions. Our only "dni" is setting the boundaries below the cut

-We will not do identity, label, or flag discourse, syscourse, or shipcourse on this blog. We are fundamentally anti-harassment and anti-censorship, but as trauma survivors many of us don't interact with triggering or uncomfortable content. Those who are not anti-censorship but are anti-harassment are welcome as long as they respect the discourse rule.

-Nsfw and kink interaction/tagging/etc with our content is allowed but as we are trying to make this space a sfw space for everyone, know we won't reblog it here.

-Please do not interact directly with us as the blog owners sexually.

-Anyone may use any terms we coin or anything from any NPTs we make, no exceptions. Liking, screenshotting, and reblogging those does not violate our DNI, though we will block bigots and people who are cruel.

#pokemon #fakemon #eevee #eeveelution #requests open #requests

[tallmantall]

James Donaldson on Mental Health - Survivors of Suicide: Finding Strength in the Face of Tragedy

The impact of suicide extends far beyond the individual who takes their own life. The loved ones left behind, known as survivors of suicide, carry a heavy burden of grief, confusion, and guilt. Losing someone to suicide is a devastating and complex experience, but it also offers an opportunity for survivors to find strength and support in their journey of healing. Survivors of suicide often struggle with a mix of emotions, including deep sadness, anger, shame, and a sense of abandonment. They may question themselves, wondering if they missed any signs or if they could have done something differently. The shame associated with suicide can be profound, as society often stigmatizes mental health struggles and views suicide as a personal failure rather than a complex issue. Support groups and therapy are essential resources for survivors of suicide. Connecting with others who have experienced similar losses can provide a sense of understanding, validation, and support. Through sharing stories, survivors can find solace and learn coping strategies from those who have walked a similar path. Therapists specializing in grief and trauma can guide survivors through the healing process, helping them navigate the intense emotions and feelings of guilt that often arise. #James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleFind out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundationwebsite www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy Link for 40 Habits Signup bit.ly/40HabitsofMentalHealth www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com One of the most powerful tools in a survivor's journey is self-compassion. It is crucial for survivors to acknowledge that they are not responsible for their loved one's suicide. They must learn to forgive themselves for any perceived shortcomings and understand that they did the best they could in a challenging situation. Practicing self-care, seeking professional help, and engaging in activities that bring joy and comfort are all vital components of self-compassion. Survivors of suicide may also find solace in raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. By sharing their story, survivors can help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health issues and encourage others to seek help. Taking part in fundraising events or participating in support networks can also provide survivors with a sense of purpose and a way to channel their grief into something positive. Grief has no timeline, and healing is a unique journey for each survivor. Some days will be incredibly challenging, while others may offer a glimpse of hope and restoration. Survivors must be patient with themselves and allow the healing process to unfold naturally. It is essential to remember that healing does not mean forgetting or moving on from their loved one, but rather finding a way to carry their memory while also embracing life again. Read the full article

[trans-axolotl]

for anon asking about NPD/ASPD resources

For context, anon sent in an ask searching for nonstigmatizing resources for support with PD diagnoses and other stigmatized diagnoses.

And this is such a good ask--it is so fucking frustrating and dehumanizing to try to search for support when half the stuff that pops up is using really cruel language or just directed towards family and friends. The community definitely deserves better, both when it comes to the way psych professionals perpetuate stigma and in regards to the prejudice and sanism that shows up in other communities in our lives. Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of resources on hand, although I do know one good support group. The rest of the resources I know of are kind of mediocre or not PD specific, so if other people could add on I would really, really appreciate it!

Neuromancers runs a discord and a Cluster B peer support group that I've heard really good things about. I haven't been myself, so I can't 100 % vouch, but they're a group with abolitionist and mad pride values.

This might not be exactly what you're looking for, but it's an article exploring cultural bias in PD diagnosis that links to a lot of sources that talk about how psychiatry contributes to stigma around personality disorders. I clicked through some of the studies that it links to and it does use a lot of medicalized language, but I thought I would link the article anyway in case it's ever helpful to have academic sources to show to other people.

Also not exactly what you're looking for, but another article debunking some of the common talking points about NPD in pop psychology (Content warning that it is discussing some very ableist myths in the context of challenging them)

Last sort of general resources for peer support that I have some trust that they are PD friendly are the Wildflower Alliance and Hearing Voices Network Groups. Wildflower alliance groups offer a lot of different general peer support and I have one friend with NPD who has spoken positively of those spaces. Hearing Voices Network groups can vary a lot depending on location, so defintely plan to email ahead, but I've been to a few groups that welcome people who generally identify as psych survivors/mad/ex patients who want to share community spaces around those values. Also want to share is the neurodivergent friendly workbook of DBT skills (the link is to buy it directly from the creator but if anyone who is interested can't afford it rn, dm me and I'll send you a pdf.) Again, I know this is really not super relevant to what you asked for but is one of the less stigmatizing, less medicalizing workbooks I can find for accessing info about coping skills and this is one of my general favorite support resources.

Overall I'm really sorry that I don't have better resources to offer you, and I think that really should be a sign to the mad pride/psych abolition/peer support community that we need to do a lot better job in making sure that our spaces are explicitly welcome to people with stigmatized PD diagnoses. The work shouldn't have to be on you to try to navigate these spaces and figure out whether or not you're welcome, and any spaces that offer peer support, are aligned with mad pride and psych abolition, really should be doing the work to make sure lateral violence and sanism aren't being perpetuated.

followers, esp followers with lived experience, please add on!

#antipsych #psych abolition #mad studies #mad pride #cluster b #npd #aspd #spent a bit of time looking through my clinical databases as well but could not easily find any articles #that weren't fucking awful #also to clarify: i have lived experience being diagnosed with a cluster b personality disorder #but don't currently identify with that diagnosis or really interact in a lot of pd specific spaces or know #tons about what community preferences and community consensus on things r #so this is def something where i would love input from people with relevant lived experience!

[cancertreatmentculsultancy]

Empowering Lives: The Journey of a Cancer Therapy Advisor in Willowbrook

Once upon a time in the small town of Willowbrook, there lived a young woman named Emily. She had always dreamt of becoming a advisor, someone who could provide guidance and support to individuals battling cancer. Emily’s passion stemmed from her own personal experience with the disease, as her mother had bravely fought and overcome cancer years ago. Inspired by her mother’s resilience, Emily was determined to make a difference in the lives of those affected by this devastating illness.

Emily tirelessly pursued her education and training, studying the latest advancements in cancer control and advisory therapy. She attended prestigious conferences, engaged in research projects, and sought mentorship from renowned oncologists. Her dedication paid off when she finally received her certification as a advisor.

Armed with knowledge and empathy, Emily set up her practice in Willowbrook. She decorated her office with soothing colors and comforting furniture to create a welcoming space for her clients. Word of her expertise and compassionate nature quickly spread throughout the town, and soon, individuals from all walks of life sought her guidance.

One day, a young man named Mark walked into Emily’s office. His face was pale, and worry lines etched deep into his forehead. Mark had recently been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and he felt lost and overwhelmed. Emily could sense his fear and anxiety, but she also saw a flicker of hope in his eyes.

As they sat down together, Emily listened intently to Mark’s fears and concerns. She provided him with information about various treatment options, explaining the benefits and potential side effects of each. With her warm and reassuring demeanor, Emily helped alleviate some of Mark’s apprehensions, instilling in him a renewed sense of confidence.

Over the following months, Emily became Mark’s trusted confidante and advocate. She worked closely with his medical team, attending appointments and ensuring clear communication between all parties involved in his care. Emily encouraged Mark to explore alternative therapies and provided resources for complementary treatments that could enhance his overall well-being.

Through her expertise and unwavering support, Emily helped Mark navigate the challenging journey of cancer treatment. She empowered him to make informed decisions about his health, providing him with the necessary tools to become an active participant in his own healing process.

As time went on, Mark’s condition began to improve. The control measures, combined with Emily’s guidance, had a profound impact on his overall well-being. Mark’s gratitude for Emily’s role in his recovery was immeasurable. He decided to pay it forward by spreading awareness about the importance of cancer advisory therapy and the positive impact it can have on patients’ lives.

Mark contacted local support groups, community organizations, and even started a blog to share his story. He dedicated his efforts to creating a network of individuals who had benefited fromadvisors, aiming to connect patients with qualified professionals in their area. In every interview or public speaking engagement, Mark made sure to mention Emily, acknowledging her pivotal role in his journey.

Emily’s reputation as a compassionate and knowledgeable cancer therapy advisor grew exponentially, thanks to Mark’s tireless advocacy. Her waiting room became filled with patients seeking her expertise and guidance, all referred by the growing community of cancer survivors who had experienced her profound impact firsthand.

Through her dedication and genuine care, Emily not only fulfilled her dream of becoming a advisor but also became an integral part of the town’s fight against cancer. Her unwavering commitment to helping others and her expertise in control truly made a difference, one patient at a time. And with each success story, Emily’s name became synonymous with hope and healing in Willowbrook and beyond.

#Cancer control #Cancer advisory therapy #cancer therapy advisor

[theworldofdog]

Check Details on Domestic Violence and Dogs

Domestic abuse and mistreatment of animals are related to human cruelty and violence. Family pets are regularly subjected to threats of injury or even death, much like how attackers use their victims as puppets to show authority over them. Visit The World of Dog to discover more about domestic violence and pets.

Who Abuses Animals?

According to media sources, animal abuse is prevalent across rural and urban regions, and cruelty and mistreatment have no social or economic bounds. Animal abuse to injure is closely connected to other crimes, especially violence against people.

The following are some indications that a pet is being neglected:

Appearance modifications include mange, poor skin, or loss of fur

Very thin or ill-looking

Very visible wounds or wounds that are untreated

Being only left in kennels or tethered outside

Animals are often the victims of hoarding behaviors. Animals may experience grave neglect if hoarding disorder patients house more than they can reasonably care for. Severe animal neglect (including such hoarding) is sometimes a sign that a person needs support for their mental or social well-being.

Dogs, cats, horses, and cattle are the animals whose mistreatment is reported most frequently. According to undercover studies, animal mistreatment is widespread in the industrial farm sector. Yet, only the most appalling examples are recorded, and very few people are ever charged with a crime due to the lax safeguards provided to cattle by state cruelty laws.

Animal Abuse: Who is Impacted?

Animal cruelty with domestic abuse shares several connections. Those that harm animals often turn their attention to harming humans as well. Many abusers give their victims the fear of hurting or killing their animals if they try to flee, which is a common tactic used by abusers.

Numerous survivors of domestic assault decide to stay in their present situation since many centers for victims do not allow pets. Even said, not every instance of animal abuse involves domestic violence.

According to reports, several victims of domestic violence are reportedly unable to flee their attackers since they’re concerned about what might happen to their dogs when they depart; most women who have previously reported abusing their pets do so even after they have left the situation.

Animal abuse is a very outrageous and important topic. Every living thing, including humans and other animals, is capable of experiencing pain. The horrific acts committed against defenseless animals are seldom acknowledged, and fewer individuals feel moved to speak out against animal abuse.

People need to be aware that both human and animal life is valuable. Clearly, people abuse their authority and have no love or sympathy for animals. Here’s a brief summary of Canine Conduct Issues — Hostility to Relatives — Presentation and Security that you don’t want to miss out.

Animal Abuse: Warning Signs-

The animal has significant matting, a dirty coat, open sores, and apparent wounds and is in poor physical condition. It makes it appear to be infested with ticks or fleas. It is underweight, and the bones are easily seen. It can have clogged eyes or ears, cannot move at all, or hobble. It needs veterinary attention and is in bodily discomfort.

Absence of water or food: You notice this animal’s lack of readily accessible food supplies and water each time you see it. It could be exceedingly sluggish and belligerent due to hunger and thirst.

Lack of safe place: The animal is kept in a place that is always exposed to the sun or bad weather.

Lack of hygiene: The animal’s dwelling space is covered in waste or feces.

When an animal is abandoned, it is left in an apparently-empty home or yard. It is illegal to leave an animal in all 50 states. However, companion animals are frighteningly frequently left to fend for themselves within empty apartments or apartment complexes.

Be especially cautious if a neighbor you know to have animals in the home moves or stops visiting. When left alone, some dogs will whine and bark to communicate their concern, but a dog that has been screaming or screaming for a few hours needs rapid, life-saving care.

The pet is restrained: It cannot stand or turn, has limited space for movement, or both.

Chains or padlocks or both surround the animal’s neck. Regular collars are also included in this. An animal that is shackled is being mistreated.

The animal exhibits signs of being used or bred for the fight: This is notably typical of the breed of Pit Bull terriers and sometimes even roosters. You could notice spring-loaded poles, treadmills, and other exercise equipment.

It is more probable that you may spot outward indications of trauma, including scars, infections, open sores, or even lost body parts such as ears or portions of tails.

The animal is acting abnormally: Even with or particularly with its master, it may be extremely aggressive or timid (cowering, avoiding, fear-biting, etc.).

On one property, there is an excess of animals living there: Hoarding of animals may be indicated by this.

An open act of physical abuse by the owner, such as punching or hitting the animal. Please do visit us, if you want to get information on domestic violence against Dogs.

Most cases of animal cruelty go unreported, so the startling number of cases reported each day is merely the point of the iceberg. Estimating the prevalence of violent crimes against humans is challenging since provincial or national authorities do not maintain data on animal cruelty incidents. Yet, we may use the facts to comprehend and stop the abuse.

Conclusion

Domestic violence and cruelty to animals are both consequences of the abuse of animals. Unfortunately, domestic pets are routinely intimidated with harm or even killed by abusers who use them as puppets to demonstrate authority over them. To learn more about Domestic Violence and Pets, visit our website, The World of Dogs.

Finally, reports and images of abused or mistreated animals infuriate animal lovers worldwide. Although hurting an animal is incomprehensible to loving pet owners, subtle indicators of neglect and abuse may be present in front of us. For this reason, we have provided the minute and less subtle signs of domestic mistreatment of pets.

Animal abuse, often known as animal cruelty, is causing an animal — usually a tame one — physical pain, suffering, or even death — beyond what is necessary for standard correction. When food and water are withheld, the neglect might be so heinous that the animal suffers, dies, or is at grave risk of dying. do visit us, if you want to get the latest information related to dog updates at The World of Dogs.

Domestic abuse and mistreatment of animals are related to human cruelty and violence. Family pets are regularly subjected to threats of injury or even death, much like how attackers use their victims as puppets to show authority over them. Visit The World of Dog to discover more about domestic violence and pets.

[ablednt]

It’s so wild to me that so many sysmeds have convinced singlets that they only way to stay “neutral” on syscourse is to exclude endogenic and nontraumagenic systems. Let’s go ahead and switch up some dialogue here shall we?

“If you’re allistic and you want to be an ally to autistic people you can’t support self dxers because REAL autistic people are the only ones that matter”

“If your cis you have to put tucutes and nonbinary people on your DNI or you’re being transphobic to trans people with dysphoria and actual real genders”

“If you’re not a lesbian you should only be supporting goldstar lesbians, allowing anyone else in your space is including yourself in intra-community discourse”

“Why do you say you aren’t involved in ace discourse if you reblogged that post with an ace pride flag in it?”

“Ummm actually that person you reblogged from is faking being trans :// they have dog/dogself pronouns and are a transphobic piece of shit if you care about real trans people you’ll delete the post and block them.”

Like do y’all hear how fucking stupid all of this sounds? How is it that we’ve let them frame “neutral” as “unquestioningly supporting all of my stances”??

And you cannot be framing this as “listening to trauma survivors” because there are literally hundreds of traumagenic, DID/OSDD having even, systems who call this shit out for what it is and are blatantly against the exclusion of other systems.

So I reiterate, to stay neutral it is REQUIRED that singlets do not exclude any system of any kind. Here are the only truly neutral stances a singlet can have on system related experiences:

Fakeclaiming anyone is ableist and disgusting no matter who it comes from, singlets should not interact with people who go out of their way to harass and gaslight others. 

Systems should not be harassed for things that are often confusing (introjects, innerworlds, cofronting, rapid switching, medianhood, monoconsciousness, common/shared memories etc.)

Certain terms are harmful and should be avoided (example: the term tulpa specifically NOT self-made systems as a whole should be avoided, the term traumascum has almost never been used unironically but we all collectively agree that it is Bad LMAO.)

Media depictions of plurality/systemhood as serial killers, shapeshifting beasts, and similar (split, the crowded room, etc.) should be boycotted

Psychiatric abuse of systems is a real issue that needs addressing in antipsych and neurodivergent spaces

Valueing psychology over the lived experience of systems is, as a singlet, inherently toxic and abusive when psychiatry is notoriously ableist against systems in particular. (With “leading theorists” like Van Der Hart being openly pluralphobic and having physical abuse cases against patients with DID)

None of those things skew towards any one side of the system community and for sysmeds to claim otherwise is to admit that their community is not one of systems existing but a hate group. Not allowing endogenic systems as a whole to interact however, IS INHERENTLY involving yourself in syscourse.Use your braincells everyone please. 

[anyone trying to debate on here is getting blocked literally just get a real hobby lmao + only tag as syscourse if you have to for blacklist purposes this isn’t that either]

#ok to rb

[thechanelmuse]

My Book Review

"Finally, the priest rang a bell and called the ceremony to order, telling the crowd how a worldwide tragedy many generations ago had brought our country closer together. In suffering, he said, we found our heart. In suffering, we found new traditions, a way forward."(from "Grave Friends")

Beginning in the Arctic Circle in the year 2030 after a Neanderthal-Homo sapien hybrid named "Annie" is discovered in the permafrosts of Siberia and largely set in Japan thereafter, the speculative world of How High We Go In the Dark has befallen to calamity of mass deaths due to a global climate change virus. 

The predicaments that follow includes a scientist conducting trials of growing human organs in an engineered pig that can speak and possess human consciousness ("Pig Son"); a comatose patient interacting with other patients in a purgatory-like liminal space ("Through the Garden of Memory"); the discovery of a black hole in a man's head ("Life Around the Event Horizon"); an interstellar travel ("A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium"); and an exploration of post-plague unemployment, illusion of connections in cyber culture, depression, and suicide partners ("Melancholy Nights in a Tokyo Virtual Cafe").

The commercialization of honoring those on the verge of dying or already dead introduces new norms into this futuristic, dystopian society like shared urns ("Grave Friends"), liquified human sculptures ("Before You Melt Into the Sea"), and robotic dogs with programmed voices of lost loved ones that play on command ("Speak, Fetch, Say I Love You"). 

Although the 14 interconnected short stories are certainly gloomy, especially the idea alone of reading about a pandemic, illness and death while in the midst of it all, they exhibit a creative and ambitious take on dealing with loss and grief. I haven’t read/watched The Cloud Atlas nor Dr. Who yet (stop judging me 👀), which others have drawn some comparisons to. So these stories are fresh to me. 

A unique element in How High We Go In the Dark is in the way some characters play a part in more than one tale, even appearing as ancestors. 

The father of a character in "City of Laughter" is the scientist in "Pig Son." 

The baby in "Through the Garden of Memory" is the grandmother in "Grave Friends." 

Clara appears or is mentioned in "30,000 Years Beneath a Eulogy," "Elegy Hotel," "A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium," and "The Scope of Possibility." 

Cliff appears or is mentioned in "30,000 Years Beneath a Eulogy," "Songs of Your Decay," and "A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium."

Miki appears or is mentioned in "30,000 Years Beneath a Eulogy," "Elegy Hotel," "A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium," and "Grave Friends." 

Yumi appears in "30,000 Years Beneath a Eulogy" and "A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium." 

Dorrie appears in "City of Laughter," "Pig Son," and "A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium." 

Dennis appears or is mentioned in "Eulogy Hotel," "Life Around the Event Horizon," and "A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium," and "The Used-to-Be Party." 

Val appears or is mentioned in "Eulogy Hotel," "Life Around the Event Horizon," and "A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium." 

Bryan appears or is mentioned in "Eulogy Hotel," "Life Around the Event Horizon," and "A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium." 

As for my favorite chapters out of the collection:

"City of Laughter" is a euthanasia theme park filled with games, balloons and its main attraction – the Chariot of Osiris roller coaster – that brings joy before demise for dying children. 

"Elegy Hotel" is a luxurious place with room service and the works performed by part-concierge/part-morticians/part-grief consolers for visitors...for the right price...before "carting bodies from the California king beds to the [cremation] oven."

"The Used-to-Be Party" is an invitation and letter from a man who's awakened from a coma to his neighbors with similar experiences that taps into survivor's guilt and acknowledges the new present.

“Songs of Your Decay" follows a married forensic scientist researching how the plague decays the human body as she falls for one of the dying patients and bonds with him through music.

"The Scope of Possibility" traverses through time and space tying all of the stories into an immortal, omnipresent journey. 

#how high we go in the dark #sequoia nagamatsu #science fiction #speculative fiction #thechanelmuse reviews