This Is Actually Happening

“I close my eyes even to this day reliving it over and over in my head like, ‘Did that really happen?’ I wasn’t for sure that it was really real.”   Producer:  Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits   Episode Summary: A mother struggles to raise her child through a series of chaotic relationships, when one day, as her daughter’s mental illness spirals out of control, an unthinkable decision...

“I just kept saying ‘I don’t know, I’m sorry, I don’t know, it’s all my fault. I can’t believe I just did that,’… I’m in disbelief.”   Producer:  Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits   Episode Summary: After a traumatic childhood, a young woman spirals into mental illness and in her darkest moment makes an unthinkable decision that will change her family forever   Social Media: Instag...

“Time just did not exist, the only thing that existed was decisions.”   Producers:  Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock   Episode Summary: A young woman’s first trip to reconnect with her homeland in Ethiopia takes a terrifying turn as hijackers take over an otherwise routine flight   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com   Website...

“I saw myself in the mirror, and it was like seeing a CGI character…I’m sitting here looking at this frail person that looks nothing like me.”   Producer:  Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits   Episode Summary: A horrific accident leaves a man severely disabled, but after hitting rock bottom in his recovery a new life opens he could never have imagined   Today’s episode featured Dust...

“Will I ever be able to be one of them ever again, or am I just like an alien now?”   Producer:  Whit Missildine   Episode Summary: A woman finally escapes the trauma of her mother’s mental illness only to find a new, more horrifying monster in the very place she finds respite   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Sho...

“I felt like my brain was in Saran Wrap…you’re just not all there.”   Producer:  Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits   Episode Summary: Having adapted to the challenges of growing up with cerebral palsy, a woman is sideswiped into a new life after a crash she can’t remember changes everything.   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com &nbs...

“I was asleep. Everything I was going through was not real, and it’s just this very convincing feeling that you’re right about this”   Producer:  Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman develops a severe eating disorder that lands her in intensive psychiatric care, where an extreme treatment program traps her in an alternate reality from which she cannot escape.  Social Media:...

“They were there to remind me who I was in the world, and it hurt too much on the inside, being hurt on the outside didn’t matter as much.”   Producer:  Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits   Episode Summary: A man’s rage grows after growing up with racism and abuse, leading to transformative encounters with brutality, violence and ultimately, inner strength.   Social Media: Instagram...

“The hardest part about the whole thing is just not knowing; for a few hours that night I wasn’t me and that’s terrifying.”   Producer:  Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman answers a Craigslist ad for a job and ends up on a harrowing night that doesn’t add up Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Pa...

“You just think this is a nightmare, and then you realize nope this is my life, this is real.” Producers:  Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: A mother faces the ultimate tragedy at the hands of those who are supposed to protect and serve.   Today’s episode featured Taun Hall. To find out more about Taun and Miles and the Miles Hall Foundation, go to  justiceformiles...

“I did have a hard time ever really feeling safe anywhere, and the problem was just that inside of me it wasn’t safe so it didn’t matter where I was.” Producers:  Whit Missildine Episode Summary : After a brutal rape at age 11, a woman keeps her secret, only to be haunted decades later by events that compel her to confront her deepest fears Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website:...

“Looking down the barrel of a gun is devastating….Although I was a kid it was very clear that there was lots of hate, and I was kind of frozen.” Producers:  Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: Growing up surrounded by racism and police brutality, a man tries to understand and heal his past by seeing what’s really inside the belly of the beast. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhapp...

“It felt like the earth had stopped rotating like I was trapped in this moment of just complete all-encompassing fear.” Producer:  Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A young woman hungry to explore the world goes on a trip to Tanzania and unexpectedly finds herself caught in an endless cycle of impending doom. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com...

“I would do everything I could that had to happen to engage with this object that I needed to do and then I would bury it….And I had to realize at a certain point that it was just not going to work.” Producers:  Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: At a young age, a man develops a fetish for diapers that ends up reshaping the course of his adult life.  Social Media: Instagram:...

“It’s like you’ve lost yourself completely, and you’re basically left in a million different pieces.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman self-medicating for anxiety and depression spirals into an alternate reality after an other-worldly encounter Social Media:  Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website:  www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show:  Support The Show...

“Once I was able to be in control of what I decide is disgusting instead of having that placed on me, that’s what helped me become friends with the feeling.” Producer: Whit Missildine , Andrew Waits Episode Summary: After growing up in a rigid Christian community, a woman finds beauty in revolting behaviors. Social Media:  Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website:  www.thisisactuallyhappeni...

“The mind almost has to find a way to prove that it’s not real. This cannot be happening.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After visiting a psychiatrist for mild anxiety, a young man embarks on a wild spree that will alter the course of his life forever. Social Media:  Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website:  www.thisisactuallyhappening.com If you would like to be in direct con...

“In these spaces I, as a vulnerable person, am suddenly given the gift of somebody else’s vulnerability.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: Growing up blind and isolated from her peers in a strict upbringing, a woman finds empowerment in a kinky world where the power balance is reversed. Social Media:  Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website:  www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Today...

“It’s truly such an indescribable feeling…kind of like the walls are closing in on you, like reality is just collapsing.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After a teenage girl begins dating her mom’s student, a shocking accusation leaves a small-town family in ruins. Today’s episode featured Catherine Cole. You can find out more about her on Instagram @catcole20 Social Media:  Insta...

The uncanny, extraordinary, true stories of events that have dramatically altered the lives of ordinary people; a son is shot by his own father, a woman's sister develops multiple personalities, a man wakes up in the morgue. These are riveting, moving and often haunting stories that will stick with you long after you listen. All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are available ad free with...

“Any sense of identity no matter how fake was better than no sense of identity, yet if I don’t have a sense of identity, then who am I as a person?” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After tragedy strikes a Vietnamese refugee family, a young man finds his new home in a violent gang, forever marking his life path through acts of destruction and redemption. Today’s episode featured Quan Huy...

“I didn’t know what normal was, so everything looked so scary….Everything I was doing I was learning for the time it was like my birth into the world.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman puts the pieces of her life back together after a childhood spent inside an insidious religious cult in Los Angeles. Social Media:  Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website:  www.thisisactua...

“That feeling…honestly I will never forget it, just your heart dropping into your stomach…it’s unreal.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After growing up in an abusive household, a man confronts a startling, ambiguous loss Today's episode featured Evan Pestona. If you have any information or resources you feel could help bring justice for Evan and his mother, you can email him at  j...

Today we launch a new series of bonus content called “Happenings” with three stories of people facing their deepest fears in the unforgiving wilderness of the natural world. Part 1: What if the desert dried your sorrow? Part 2: What if the ocean tested your faith? Part 3: What if a boulder crushed your dreams? Producers:  Andrew Waits, Whit Missildine Episode Summary: Stranded in a Mexican de...

“Right in the center of your body there’s this lead heavy ball, and inside of it is an immediate understanding of evil.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman walking to work in the early morning hours faces the ultimate terror. Today’s episode features Kira Knight. You can reach Kira at violentcrimesurvivors@gmail.com Social Media:  Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website:  w...