Flourishing With PTSD: What Does Mental Illness Look Like?

It wouldn’t be the final season of the Flourishing With PTSD podcast is Shey wasn’t on it! Founder of We Are The Evidence, Shey sits down with me to talk about what her life has looked like after going through the court process following a sexual assault, and losing the case. You can find Shey on Instagram @wearetheevidence and find more resources and blog posts on WeAreEvidence.com.

Yet another episode full of challenging vulnerability, join me as the countdown continues toward the final episode. Relationships are precious, and when they end because of trauma, we don’t always get closure. Sit with me while I process my thoughts on that aloud.

Healing is highly individual. There is no grand rule book - as much as we sure wish there was. Lauren, founder of the MTMV Community Support Network talks about the realities of being a survivor in the advocacy world and the relationship of those identities with the ability to heal.

Join me as I sit down with Zinette to talk about how life has shifted in the last few years as she watches her children grow up. You do not have to be a parent to benefit from this episode!With every milestone comes a new set of conversations to aid in the autonomy of her children, and hopefully along the way bring some healing to that inner child that did not get to have these conversations. You can find Zinette on Instagram @zinetteleader

**TRIGGER WARNING** (mentions and explicit depictions of child sexual abuse and child domestic abuse) Join me as I sit down with Lu, a survivor of CPTSD of 40+ years, to hear how she found her way to healing after enduring unrelenting childhood domestic and sexual abuse. Lu goes on to share how she has taken her experiences and uses them to help others now as a Reiki Master, a certified Emotional Freedom Technique and Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioner, and is now a certified Master Life Coach specializing in overcoming fear beliefs and finding self-worth. She is the author of Tortured to Triumphant, her spiritual journey through Complex PTSD, and an advocate for mental health because it all starts with what we are programmed to think.

**TRIGGER WARNING** (mentions of self harm, death, suicidal thoughts) This is one of the most vulnerable episodes I think I have ever published. Join me as you hear how I went from being at my lowest point when I was ready to throw in the towel to being at my highest point and finding more consistency in my mental health! If you or someone you love needs help, please consult one of the following hotlines: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. National Hopeline Network: 1-800-442-4673. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline: 1-800-662-4357. These numbers and more can be found in therecoveryvillage.com Website mentioned: https://www.apa.org/topics/depression

Join me as I sit down with Daylyn, who speaks to her experience about being stalked during her final semester of college. It is clear in the way she expresses her story that the issue of stalking is not taken as seriously as it should be, nor is it talked about enough. Daylyn did not settle with getting through the experience and leaving it behind. Though it impacted her mental health and her sense of security, she took action that will protect the future student body on her college campus even after she graduated.

Kirin Taylor is back for another episode to discuss wellness and peace skills. It’s important not just to talk about it, but practice it! Join us as Kirin walks us through affirmations and a meditation, followed by our reflections on strategies that have helped ease the struggle of navigating PTSD and intervening on symptoms at the time of onset! Let’s flourish with PTSD!

The educational setting is seeing so much added pressure to teachers and students during the pandemic, and mental health conversations are more important than ever. Join Kirin R. Taylor (@kirinrtaylor) and I as we discuss the presence of mental health struggles in the classroom, and strategies and mindsets that help to host a trauma-informed space. Kirin is a peace educator and adjunct professor. She is the co-creator of Taylor-Adepoju Group (@tayloradepojugroup) and co-founder of Peace International Political Party. You can find more information on her website https://linktr.ee/kirinrtaylor . Kirin’s Educator Peace Pledge: https://ce7a2284-0d32-4bbb-ba5f-1d156a20733b.filesusr.com/ugd/1ec6ad_c3dec15a94ba44e79577eac7f28e37ae.pdf

Many of us our familiar with the two famous trauma responses: Fight or Flight. Others are familiar with the three famous responses: Fight, Flight, or Freeze. We call these the Three Fs. Did you know there is a fourth response that can occur in the face of trauma? We call this the Fawn response. Some of you may know it as Feign… join me as I dissect this fourth response, what it looks like, where it came from, and some linguistic changes that may assist with dismantling the stigma around this response with the assistance of the article written by Cathie Malchiodi PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/arts-and-health/202106/understanding-fight-flight-freeze-and-the-feign-response