Telling Mental Health

“When you’re empathetic, you can be fully present.”  Since before the pandemic, Pablo has been the primary caregiver for his elderly mother, who has dementia. Pablo shares that caregiving for someone with dementia requires a “Yes, and” improv-style approach; he doesn’t get far arguing with his mom, but he describes how he’s learned to ride the tides of her whims and moods. “If I can keep things li...

“I was tired of myself, so I knew I needed to go to therapy.” At age 14, Angel Yau was hopeful a depression questionnaire would give her a chance to finally talk to someone about her mental health. Instead, her doctor dismissed her answers, telling her these were simply everyone’s struggles. Thus began several years of downplaying her own symptoms, some of which were shared by her parents.  With u...

“A cup can only hold so much water. It will eventually overflow.” Unexpected outbursts on the tennis court led David to seek therapy. To address his extreme discomfort around losing, he had to face what he learned from his upbringing about his value as a person. Our conversation starts off in the realm of sports psychology but moves into so much more as we talk about tennis as a metaphor for life....

“Your condition doesn't define you; you define it.”  Jenice Matias was well into her adult life when she woke up in a psychiatric ward with no memory of how she got there. She would soon learn that within her lived twelve unique personalities, each of which came to the forefront in different situations. Seeking treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder as an adult was no easy feat, but Jeni...

“I’ve promised myself that my phobias won’t prevent me from experiencing things.” Annie Korzen is always imagining the worst case scenario. “You see a beach, I see shark attacks. You see a zit, I see melanoma. You say ‘tomato’ and I say carcinogenic pesticides.” She’s used therapy to try to control her fears, but finds that techniques like positive imagery don’t work for her. Instead, she confront...

A stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis challenges Kelly to beat the odds and find hope where she can. Kelly Spillman is on YouTube , Twitter , Facebook and Instagram Welcome listeners! Telling Mental Health is a semi-weekly podcast hosted by Erica Blumfield and Scott Randall that welcomes a new storyteller each episode to share their own story that relates to mental health and sparks a conversation that...

After checking himself into a mental health care facility Sean experiences the impact that just a little extra effort can have on someone else's life. Find more from Sean at SucideNoted.com Welcome listeners! Telling Mental Health is a semi-weekly podcast hosted by Erica Blumfield and Scott Randall that welcomes a new storyteller each episode to share their own story that relates to mental health...

Sometimes it takes coming out of the closet to discover who is really there for you. Find more from Jen at: @JenCurseo and her podcast  atouchfromthepast.com Welcome listeners! Telling Mental Health is a semi-weekly podcast hosted by Erica Blumfield and Scott Randall that welcomes a new storyteller each episode to share their own story that relates to mental health and sparks a conversation t...

A chance for Sean to take the stage puts his bipolar mother in a rare position to help. Find more from Sean at: @seanewert_storyteller Welcome listeners! Telling Mental Health is a semi-weekly podcast hosted by Erica Blumfield and Scott Randall that welcomes a new storyteller each episode to share their own story that relates to mental health and sparks a conversation that takes off from there. To...

Ashton kicks depression and grief to the curb to attend a concert where a performer brings back memories of her mother. Find more from Ashton at youtube.com/c/AshtonCynthiaClarke Welcome listeners! Telling Mental Health is a semi-weekly podcast hosted by Erica Blumfield and Scott Randall that welcomes a new storyteller each episode to share their own story that relates to mental health and sparks...

As a 40th birthday present to himself and his mental health, Emerson tries Ketamine for the first time to deal with depression and describes the experience. Find more from Emerson at: ilovecreatives.com/creative-profiles/emerson-dameron Welcome listeners! Telling Mental Health is a semi-weekly podcast hosted by Erica Blumfield and Scott Randall that welcomes a new storyteller each episode to share...