What does it mean to be diagnosed with a life-threatening disease? Does the term only entail being given so many days, weeks, months, or years to live? Who considers conditions that aren’t potentially fatal yet induce insufferable quality of life issues? Reproductive health headlines claim that endometriosis isn’t widely recognized as a life-threatening disease. In fact, the condition … [Read more...] about We Beg to Differ: Endometriosis, Quality of Life, and Rethinking the Term ‘Life-threatening Disease’
Racial Gaslighting (Mass Manipulation), Self-gaslighting, and the Grey Rock Method
It’s one thing to deny and downplay one person’s lived experiences—twisting their words and reality like a spine-chilling contortionist and shoving them into a deep hole of self-doubt via gaslighting. It’s another thing to undermine and minimize painful experiences linked to entire racial groups. Now that’s what you call mass manipulation, rearing its ugly head in the form of racial … [Read more...] about Racial Gaslighting (Mass Manipulation), Self-gaslighting, and the Grey Rock Method
“Seen Being”: Racial Trauma and Social Invisibility (Poetry)
“Seen Being” When your existence seems trivial, And grief grows from the pit of your soul To stomach, numb, empty, PTSD Seeking an ounce of empathy, sensitivity That’s offered genuinely, and to be Viewed as a vital part of a human entity Or feel a sense of belonging As others don’t save yet selflessly protect You or at least show some decency, respect Do you know what I mean? This is … [Read more...] about “Seen Being”: Racial Trauma and Social Invisibility (Poetry)
Racial Trauma and Social Invisibility: Seeing and Believing Mental Anguish beyond the DSM-5
Cultural heritage and history observance periods last for 28 to 31 days. These celebratory tributes become somber occasions when descendants consider the oppressive forces that incessantly wreak havoc on their wellness—from racial profiling to public lynching and brutality disguised as ‘protecting and serving’. Trauma scraps—cut from a thick cloth of racial, ethnic, and cultural identity … [Read more...] about Racial Trauma and Social Invisibility: Seeing and Believing Mental Anguish beyond the DSM-5
The Victim Façade (Continued): The Narcissist, Gaslighting, the Gaslightee, and DARVO
“The truth hurts,” they say. Instead of accepting reality, people tend to apply avoidance strategies—hoping that doing so will magically erase roadblocks in the long run. When you navigate the world using a fragile ego as a compass, the truth doesn’t set you free; it propels you into a state of fury or even leaves you trapped in an abyss of endless, internal agony. For some, acknowledging the … [Read more...] about The Victim Façade (Continued): The Narcissist, Gaslighting, the Gaslightee, and DARVO
The Victim Façade: Exposing the Wounded Narcissist who Confronts ‘Extreme Narcissism’
Narc: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall.” Narc: “Who’s the most victimized of them all?” Narc: “Pick me!” Narcissistic folks tend to be the type of people who throw stones at glass homes, terrifying and traumatizing occupants—only to eventually duck or run and later fabricate a massively tall tale, claiming that they were chased and hunted by a vicious mob of glass home owners. Narcissistic folks … [Read more...] about The Victim Façade: Exposing the Wounded Narcissist who Confronts ‘Extreme Narcissism’