WOW!
I am grateful for the many stories shared here....
Thank You all for DO~ing so. If nothing else, I trust it let's others KNOW ...
They are not alone in their experiences. One of the greatest benefits of 'therapy" and 'group work' in particular is that it supports (a term that is escaping me right now)..yet...the gist of it is...the KNOWING that one is not alone in their experiences.
Recovery teaches us that "we are as sick as our secrets". Racism in the lives of Afreekan Descendants IS NOT A SECRET, yet, when we attempt to TALK ABOUT IT....We are told it was somehow OUR FAULT, or that we "should get over it" etc....So...we suppress the thoughts and in so doing...the feelings as well....ANGER...and it is turned against the self.
Ya'll must KNOW...I have much more to say then I can possibly say in writing. On Saturday, I will speak about my OWN bouts of depression, the pathways I took towards healing and the things I have come to know about it. I will also speak to the very real and painful reality of "leaving people where they are" and my learnings of what that's ALL about. You all have touched on some parts of it...i.e. "not getting 'down' with them ...the need to 'protect self'.
People's openness and willingness to talk about such things here I see as acts of altruism. SiS phynxofkmt, each1teach1, Zulile and Brothers lilpea and Ionlyspeaktruth have shared some very personal aspects of their lives....for themselves and the beauty of it all...is that it is for others reading cause they are likely to benefit from it. That's BLACKTASTIC in my book.
I trust that when Sis sweet apple*pie returns, her Spirit will be blessed as well.
Brother James....THANK YOU as well. Often having someone simply acknowledge and validate someones painful experience with the expression of it's impact on them...also...makes a world of difference. The person is no longer carrying that pain alone.
Here's a work I found interesting and may be useful for some to check out:
"...In mainstream society depression and mental illness are still somewhat taboo subjects; in the black community they are topics that are almost completely shrouded in secrecy. As a result, millions of black men are suffering in silence or getting treatment only in the most extreme circumstances-in emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and prisons. The neglect of emotional disorders among men in the black community is nothing less than racial suicide. John Head's explosive work, Standing in the Shadows, addresses what can be done to help those who need it most.
In this groundbreaking book, veteran journalist and award-winning author John Head argues that the problem can be traced back to slavery, when it was believed that blacks were unable to feel inner pain because they had no psyche. This myth has damaged generations of African American men and their families and has created a society that blames black men for being violent and aggressive without considering that depression might be a root cause. The author also explores the roles of the black church, the black family, and the changing nature of black women in American culture as a way to understand how the black community may have unwittingly helped push the emotional disorders of African American men further underground...."
http://www.enotalone.com/article/4744.html
Also remember the three "A's" of Recovery....Awareness, Acceptance, Action
Recovery is a program that "works if you work it".
Hepetu!
M.E.
I am grateful for the many stories shared here....
Thank You all for DO~ing so. If nothing else, I trust it let's others KNOW ...
They are not alone in their experiences. One of the greatest benefits of 'therapy" and 'group work' in particular is that it supports (a term that is escaping me right now)..yet...the gist of it is...the KNOWING that one is not alone in their experiences.
Recovery teaches us that "we are as sick as our secrets". Racism in the lives of Afreekan Descendants IS NOT A SECRET, yet, when we attempt to TALK ABOUT IT....We are told it was somehow OUR FAULT, or that we "should get over it" etc....So...we suppress the thoughts and in so doing...the feelings as well....ANGER...and it is turned against the self.
Ya'll must KNOW...I have much more to say then I can possibly say in writing. On Saturday, I will speak about my OWN bouts of depression, the pathways I took towards healing and the things I have come to know about it. I will also speak to the very real and painful reality of "leaving people where they are" and my learnings of what that's ALL about. You all have touched on some parts of it...i.e. "not getting 'down' with them ...the need to 'protect self'.
People's openness and willingness to talk about such things here I see as acts of altruism. SiS phynxofkmt, each1teach1, Zulile and Brothers lilpea and Ionlyspeaktruth have shared some very personal aspects of their lives....for themselves and the beauty of it all...is that it is for others reading cause they are likely to benefit from it. That's BLACKTASTIC in my book.
I trust that when Sis sweet apple*pie returns, her Spirit will be blessed as well.
Brother James....THANK YOU as well. Often having someone simply acknowledge and validate someones painful experience with the expression of it's impact on them...also...makes a world of difference. The person is no longer carrying that pain alone.
Here's a work I found interesting and may be useful for some to check out:
"...In mainstream society depression and mental illness are still somewhat taboo subjects; in the black community they are topics that are almost completely shrouded in secrecy. As a result, millions of black men are suffering in silence or getting treatment only in the most extreme circumstances-in emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and prisons. The neglect of emotional disorders among men in the black community is nothing less than racial suicide. John Head's explosive work, Standing in the Shadows, addresses what can be done to help those who need it most.
In this groundbreaking book, veteran journalist and award-winning author John Head argues that the problem can be traced back to slavery, when it was believed that blacks were unable to feel inner pain because they had no psyche. This myth has damaged generations of African American men and their families and has created a society that blames black men for being violent and aggressive without considering that depression might be a root cause. The author also explores the roles of the black church, the black family, and the changing nature of black women in American culture as a way to understand how the black community may have unwittingly helped push the emotional disorders of African American men further underground...."
http://www.enotalone.com/article/4744.html
Also remember the three "A's" of Recovery....Awareness, Acceptance, Action
Recovery is a program that "works if you work it".
Hepetu!
M.E.