The only way to reduce the stigma of mental illness, sexuality and trauma is through the open and honest sharing of our stories.
Do you have a story to share?
Everyone has a story. What's yours?
The only way to reduce the stigma of mental illness, sexuality and trauma is through the open and honest sharing of our stories.
Read the stories below, or share your own.
My story isn’t like a lot of other rappers. I didn’t grow up in the hood and join a gang and drop out of high school. I’ve never done drugs or partied until I blacked out. I’m a rapper because one day I found the words to express myself and I never looked back …
Read More"In a perfect society, we would all come out unscathed. The trials and tribulations we face would roll off our backs like a spring rain and nothing would deter us from our potential. Sadly, this is not the case and often times we are dealt a hand that has nothing to do with our decisions but the decisions of those who have gone before us. I faced such a situation at a young age and as I grew I found myself standing on the cusp of a decision. Do I allow this revelation to continue to feast on my future, or do I dig into it, removing it from my life forever? "
- M. J. Deskovic
"You learn to dress and act and talk a certain way because that's what they want of you. But still I pushed back, defiantly trying to hang on to what I liked, the parts that made me ME" - Invisigoth Killswitch
Read MoreMy grandmother used to say to me, “Don’t ever worry about the things you’re already worried about, it’s the things you never thought possible that get you.”
I could never fault her with this quote, I still can’t ... - Erin Mahoney
"On May 8, 2015, I was released from my fourth and final mental hospital. I had spent over half a year in them during the age of 14 due to self-harm and a suicide attempt. After two years of being put on God knows how many high dosage medications, it felt like my doctors and I had finally cracked the code" - Sam Wilson
Read More"I was two years old when my mother first abandoned me on my father’s doorstep, and five years old when I began to notice my mother’s abusive behavior. She would ignore me for weeks, pushing me away from her when I tried to hug her. The abuse seemed to grow stronger as I grew older. She would steal drugs from the nursing home she worked at and combine them with Captain Morgan and Diet Coke." - Sabrina Copeman
Read More"Back then, I was paralysed by anxiety and depression, staying awake all night unable to sleep the pain was unbearable. I kept on going, if only for the sake of what my family would go through if I were gone.
Aching from the inside out, even my skin hurt. I talked myself through each step to get through the day: one foot out of bed, open the blinds, open the door, walk to the kitchen, left foot, right foot. I lied to myself, promising if I could get through the day I could fall apart at night. Instead I found distractions to stay awake to the point of exhaustion until eventually I’d pass out, waking again the next day to repeat ... " - Lana Burns
Everyone has a story. What's yours?
By reading someone else's story we get to live their life, at least a little bit. We face their problems with them, experience their joys and disappointments, and feel what they are feeling. We get to see the world through their eyes and see life from their perspective.
The Share Your Story Project aims to provide a platform that will help to reduce the stigma of mental illness, disability, physical injury, trauma, sexuality and alternative lifestyles. Only through open and honest communication can we ever hope to become a more understanding and inclusive as a society.
If you would like to contribute your story, please send me an email. Ideal length of your submission is between 500 & 2000 words. Please include one photo, a short author bio, a suggested title, and a website or social link if you like. Alternatively, tell me if you want to remain anonymous.
Please make sure that your piece is original and has not been previously published elsewhere. I may ask for revisions/tweaks of editing, grammar etc.
This is shadow work with a twist.
- Featuring -
12 exclusive guided audio tracts, introspective contemplations, expansion challenges, & email coaching.
Read more about the course here.
