Mental Illness Happy Hour

The 28 year-old writer shares about being unemployed and an only child, her fear of abandonment, being born with club feet, body and sexuality shame and the depression that often makes everything feel like an effort. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 40 year-old shares about her traumatic upbringing (incest, religious extremism, abandonment) and the ways her body and mind learned to cope; hallucinating, going numb and following strangers and elaborately envisioning how to kill them and get away with it. This episode is sponsored by Shari's Berries.  For our podcast discount go to www.berries.com, click on the microphone in the upper right hand corner and use our offer code MENTAL. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Hispanic, 31 year-old PhD shares about the downside of raising herself up by her bootstraps; growing up knowing she couldn't depend on her passive mother or gambler father, and now finding her emotional development lacking, especially in areas of trust, intimacy or being comfortable asking for help. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listeners share their deepest darkest struggles and darkly hilarious "awfulsome" moments via email and surveys.  Also a contemplation on the life and death of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 37 year-old Canadian comic discusses his two psychiatric hospitalizations, his Bipolar II (with rapid cycling), how sports helped him channel his anger about his abusive dad and what he does to stay in balance today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 37 year-old comedian shares about the three traumas that led her to finally seek somatic therapy for her disassociating subtype of PTSD, how she's healing and the tools she uses to cope today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oliver Sykes, lead vocalist of Bring Me The Horizon, opens up about his tumultuous upbringing, sharing candid insights on parenting his parents amidst their struggles with addiction and mental illness. He reflects on his childhood experiences, including how early exposure to trauma shaped his emotional development. Oliver discusses the challenges of setting boundaries with his parents and the ongoing journey of self-compassion, revealing personal tools that aid his recovery, such as meditation and writing. Tune in for a journey through trauma, growth, and resilience.

The therapist intern opens up about the rarely-discussed trauma of miscarriage, the lack of traditional grief support in our culture, and the surprising results she got from seeking an alternative healing therapy (a full spectrum doula) after her fifth miscarriage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 24 year-old first generation Mexican-American is currently unable to stop her anorexia, bulimia or blackout drinking.  She shares what her struggle is like and about the abusive ex-boyfriend whose chaos and trauma-bonding helped distract her from her feelings and finally she shares about the family life where most of her pain originated. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The former NHL goalie opens up about his difficult childhood and the OCD that helped him professionally but ultimately almost ended his life.  He shares about his anxiety, depression, alcoholism, suicide attempt and the PTSD from a skate to the neck that almost caused him to bleed to death during a televised game in 1989.   Clint has survived it all and more importantly gotten the help his "cowboy" upbringing had stigmatized for years as "weak".   Clint's book is called A Matter of Inches (in Canada it's called The Crazy Game). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.