Safe Space Radio

Writer Christiane Wells talks with Safe Space Radio about her experience living with bi-polar disorder and addiction. Chris spent a decade in and out of psychiatric hospitals while addicted to crack, not taking her medication and struggling with suicidal thoughts. She describes how she found the will to take care of herself and change her life. The post Bi-Polar Disorder and Addiction with Christiane Wells appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

An interview with Deb McCarthy, the author of the blog Living in Stigma. Deb describes her experience of feeling written-off by the mental health system after multiple psychiatric hospitalizations and 77 ECT treatments failed to help her. After being willing to try anything that might help her, she met a new psychiatrist who took a real interest in her, spending time getting to know her, and letting her know he believed in her. The post Stigma and Being Bipolar with Deb McCarthy appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

This episode of Safe Space Radio features author and trainer Tom Wootton on his transition from “Bipolar Disorder to Bipolar In Order.” Tom describes how current treatment paradigms teach people to view their highs and lows as problems to be gotten rid of, and his belief that it’s possible to stay aware of intense moods and experience them as a part of life. The post From Bipolar Disorder to Bipolar In Order with Tom Wootton appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

This episode of Safe Space Radio features award-winning journalist Robert Whitaker on how some psychotropic medications may worsen the long term outcomes of people with severe mental illness. Since the advent of psychotropic medication, the numbers of Americans on psychiatric disability has tripled. Rob notes that people with schizophrenia tend to do better in some developing countries where they have less access to medication, than they do in the United States, where they are encouraged to take medication for life. Bob examines the role of the pharmaceutical industry in influencing the development of academic psychiatry, and in most of the clinical studies done on medication. He offers an alternative way to approach severe mental illness from Finland, where more time is taken to discern which patients actually need medication before using it on everyone. The post Medicating Mental Illness with Robert Whitaker appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

Jean Vermette talks about recognizing that she was female, and taking the risk to share it with the people she loved. She ultimately chose to undergo sexual reassignment surgery and wrote a book, Je Me Souviens (“I Will Remember”) about her experience of MTF genital surgery. Jean describes the process as an example of the universal spiritual story of death and rebirth, and how the sense of loss of her male self that was a necessary part of embracing her female identity. The post Transition and Sexual Reassignment Surgery with Jean Vermette appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

Frank Brooks is a doctor of clinical social work who studies gender role non-conformity, particularly the link between gender role non-conformity in boys and the risk of suicide. Frank describes his experiences of feeling different and facing prejudice as he grew up. He now works with families with gender role non-conforming kids to help them protect their kids from bullying, threats, and shunning. The post Gender Role Non-Conformity with Frank Brooks appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

Sexuality educator and mother Sandy Lovell talks about parenting her trans son. As a feminist mother she celebrated his early gender non-conformism, but it never occurred to her that he might be trans. Sandy named parental concerns for her child’s safety, his ability to find love, her grief over losing the daughter, and her struggle to accept that the transition was really necessary. Sandy speaks about how her son’s courage to be himself has inspired her to live her most authentic self, and that in many ways his transition has been a gift to their family. The post TransParenting, or Parenting Trans Kids with Sandy Lovell appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

Social worker Liam Bechen talks with Safe Space Radio about his identity as a genderfluid trans man. Liam describes the daily challenge of coping with people’s responses to his visible inbetween-ness. He describes moments of fear of violence, but also of his determination to live without shame, and to celebrate the many manifestations of gender that he can explore.  He experiences gender as a social construct that we take to be reality, and that can be oppressive when we feel compelled to live by the conventions and expectations that accompany gender roles. The post Genderqueer with Liam Bechen appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

Social worker, writer, and queer activist Jem Hodsdon talks about the relationship between the lesbian community and the trans community. Jem speaks about how delicate the relationship can be between two oppressed and marginalized groups, and her intention to speak only about her particular experience. A focus on marriage equality can be divisive because it privileges access to marriage, which is not such a priority for the trans-community, for whom basic safety is a larger concern. Jem also talks about how her own identity as a dyke is related to inclusivity and the possibility of variable gender attraction and identification. The post Thinking Through Lesbian and Trans Community with Jem Hodsdon appeared first on Safe Space Radio.

Author and gender studies professor Helen Boyd is married to a trans woman. She remembers her early courtship with a man who “occasionally cross-dressed” and how this evolved into loving her partner through her transition. Helen explores what it is like to be perceived now as a lesbian because she is married to a woman, and how she and Betty have each worked to honor each other’s sexual and gender needs through the process of transition. The post Trans Couples with Helen Boyd appeared first on Safe Space Radio.