Today I'm chatting with Shannon Skelton, a co-author alongside me in Reclaiming Mental Health. We'd never actually sat down and talked before this, so it was a first, and she turned out to be a light, joyful person to spend an hour with.

Shannon's chapter is called "A Walk Down Mania Lane," and it's about a manic episode brought on by a pharmaceutical. We get into the whole chain of events, what the mania was actually like, and the bigger questions it raised for both of us. I felt drawn to get curious with her here because of my own experiences with what's been called mania and psychosis, and there were some interesting parallels between our stories.

We talk about the manic episode that came from a medication, starting with a severe reaction to one drug and then a dose of prednisone that was too high, too fast. Shannon also shares about living with Crohn's disease since she was 16, being told more than once she would never have children, and going on to have two. We get into why she stopped taking a diagnosis at face value, including the seven years she spent being told it was Crohn's before her liver shut down, and we sit with the bigger questions around mental health labels, stigma, and the case for doctors asking what a patient's life actually looks like outside the office. She also talks about what she carried out the other side of all of it: more confidence, more willing to use her voice, and a habit of saying yes.

At the heart of this one is awareness. Shannon shares her story so that someone going through the same thing might recognize it sooner, and so that more of us start asking better questions about the medications we're put on.

Reclaiming Mental Health

Connect with Shannon:

@shannon_shining_through
@skeltoncrew

Connect with Darrel-Lynne:

Instagram: @dee_ogsoul

Website: ogsoul.ca

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

04:19 Personal Journey with Mental Health

07:14 The Impact of Pilates on Life

10:14 Exploring the Chapter: A Walk Down Mania Lane

13:15 The Experience with Hydroxychloroquine

16:24 The Prednisone Dilemma

19:22 Navigating Medication Reactions

24:23 Navigating the Unknown: Initial Reactions to Prednisone

25:23 Personality Changes: The Impact of Medication

26:50 Obsessions and Relationships: The Effects of Mania

28:01 Time Distortion: Losing Track of Reality

30:04 Bizarre Behavior: Chasing Strangers and Consequences

32:06 Recognizing the Problem: The Turning Point

34:09 Challenging Medical Assumptions: The Journey with Crohn's Disease

36:15 Manifesting Dreams: Overcoming Medical Limitations

38:56 Current Health: Managing Joint Issues and Hormonal Changes

42:32 Growth Through Adversity: Finding Confidence in Recovery

46:24 Exploring Boundaries and Connections

47:37 The Complexity of Mania and Mental Health

50:01 Finding Humor in Dark Times

51:07 The Journey of Healing and Forgiveness

52:35 Communication and Understanding in Family Dynamics

54:32 The Writing Process and Personal Reflection

56:31 The Impact of Medication on Mental Health

59:07 Advocacy and the Importance of Patient Voices

01:06:53 Hope and Change in the Healthcare System

Today I'm chatting with Anthony Goodwin, one half of the duo who taught me Improv 100 through Grindstone Theatre and someone whose work sits at the intersection of therapy and improv. Anthony is an Australian-born clinical counsellor and improv instructor. He's the founder of Still Listening, his private therapy practice.

We talk about the full-circle way improv and therapy ended up holding hands in Anthony's life. Anthony shares how the same tools he uses in the therapy room, presence, co-regulation, meeting the world as it is, are the same ones that come alive on the improv stage, and how that overlap led him to develop experimental improv therapy workshops where players give voice to someone else's stuckness. We get into the concept of aiming to be average and we touch on the broader truth that adults need spaces to play together, and how rare and necessary that has become.

Reference

The Grindstone Comedy

Improvise Freely by Patti Stiles

Improvisation and the Theatre by Keith Johnstone

Connect with Anthony:

Relational Therapy with Anthony Goodwin

Connect with Darrel-Lynne:

Instagram: @dee_ogsoul

Website: ogsoul.ca

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Anthony Goodwin

02:55 Journey from Australia to Edmonton

06:09 The Intersection of Therapy and Improv

09:03 The Philosophy of Improv

11:56 The Role of Discomfort in Improv

15:02 Aiming for Average in Performance

18:05 Challenging Societal Norms

20:54 The Nature of Improv and Authenticity

24:07 Improv as Therapy

26:30 Creating Safe Spaces for Healing

28:08 Exploring Improv Therapy Frameworks

29:47 Navigating Vulnerability in Therapy

33:01 The Impact of Improv on Therapeutic Practices

35:57 Emerging Models of Therapy

39:54 The Need for Alternative Therapeutic Approaches

43:03 Integrating Body and Mind in Healing

50:02 The Joy of Play in Adult Life

Today I'm chatting with Carey Abma, a co-author in Reclaiming Mental Health. Carey opens up about a chapter of her life she never expected to write, both literally and figuratively, and what it took to start choosing love over fear.

We get into the breakdown that became her breaking open at the start of 2020, the years of self-abandonment that led there, and what it actually looked like to sit alone in her condo and meet herself for the first time. Carey shares the journey to becoming a mom, including the unimaginable gift of her sister offering to carry her daughter Coen, and the unexpected plot twist of meeting her partner Jason four days after a positive pregnancy test on Christmas morning.

We talk about parenting from a more rooted place, the values work that changed how she makes decisions, and her launch into entrepreneurship with Estate Solutions with Care, a business shaped by personal loss and the literal meaning of her name.

Connect with Carey:
Instagram: @thecareyabma
Publication: Reclaiming Mental Health

Connect with Darrel-Lynne:

Instagram: @dee_ogsoul

Website: ogsoul.ca

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and First Impressions

03:04 The Journey of Writing and Publishing

05:50 Exploring Self-Love and Personal Growth

11:58 The Breakdown of 2020: A Turning Point

21:02 Life After the Breakdown: Transformation and New Beginnings

29:44 Navigating New Beginnings

31:05 Personal Growth Through Parenthood

34:00 The Importance of Values

36:24 Embracing Change and Challenges

39:03 The Journey of Motherhood

41:11 Writing for Future Generations

46:06 Claiming Strength and Identity

49:46 Building a Business with Heart