Tag: mental health
The Transformational Archive (And Some Thoughts About Bullet Journaling)
[7 minute read] As I’ve discussed in my last two posts, I recently visited the Rubenstein Library at Duke University to complete research on the Abraham Joshua Heschel Papers. Visiting the archive helped me reorient myself towards my subject matter – the life and work of Abraham Joshua Heschel – and gave a much-needed boost of
How We Talk about Trauma: Gaslight and the Importance of Maintaining a Bi-focal Critical View
[7-10 minute read] Recently, my coursework on Hollywood Melodrama engaged me with reading portions of Helen Hanson’s book, Hollywood Heroines: Women in Film Noir and the Female Gothic Film.[1] This text represents an amazing work of scholarship, connecting well-researched critical feminist histories, studies in the formation of literary and filmic genres, and close-readings of the narrative
Monster and Men Part II: Healing Toxic Masculinity, Disney’s new Beast
!Spoilers for Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast follow! Last week, I discussed Gaston from Disney’s new live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. I was interested in how the film makes space to complicate Gaston’s character while opening into a discussion concerning trauma and scenes of toxic masculinity. This week, I’d like to talk about
Monsters and Men Part I: Gaston, Trauma, and Toxic Masculinity
!Spoilers for Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast follow! Gaston rears his fist back, he’s intent on striking the man in front of him, Belle’s father, who has just said that Belle will never be with him. This is the most glaring example of his raging temper up to this point in the narrative.
Facebook and Uncanny Identity
I’m sitting in a meeting at the LGBT Resource Center. It’s Monday night, a few weeks past now. They have a large comfy couch, free pizza, brightly colored artwork on the walls, posters for other events. It’s only six in the evening, but I’m exhausted. Not the I-didn’t-get-enough-sleep-because-coursework kind of tired, but the soul-weary exhaustion
A new way forward: healing from depression
I used to love goal-oriented words like “achievement” and “success”, but after my experience with depression, they’re more likely to make me uneasy than swoon. An inordinate focus on what I achieved, rather than an appreciation for my nuanced person, is part of what led to my struggle with mental health. Having refocused the way
Behind the doors of psychiatric treatment centers
Exterior of McLean Hospital, the institution referenced in Girl, Interrupted (photo by John Phelan) “Is it going to be like ‘Girl, Interrupted’?” I cautiously asked my husband before being taken to the psychiatric wing of our local hospital. He assured me it wouldn’t and, in unfortunate ways, he was right. I spent less than four
Depression – a coming out story
Chandelier II, a sculpture from my art show, “The Strength in Our Scars” Two years ago I came out: not with a revelation about my sexuality, rather an announcement about my mental health. At the point I came forward, I had been struggling with major depressive disorder for roughly a year, but things had recently