Augustine Ihm and his family were in and out of homeless shelters in Chicago through his childhood. Often alone and vulnerable, he was abused and the experience left him racked with shame and estranged from his mother when she didn’t protect him. He has since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and uses mindfulness and his […]
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Helping people belong, Augustine Ihm
Loving the skin you’re in, Eryca Freemantle
As a child, Eryca Freemantle was bullied at school for being different, and remembers the constant feeling of heaviness and sadness. Home was her safe space. But when a life-changing accident left her with serious facial scarring from burns, those memories of childhood bullying came back. After suffering a breakdown, having suicidal thoughts and finally […]
Falling down the rabbit hole, Claire Eastham
Claire Eastham is a mental health blogger who writes about her experiences of social anxiety and panic disorder. Although she had experienced social anxiety as a child, it wasn’t until Claire had a breakdown at 24 that she was diagnosed. Since then, she has tried many methods to deal with her conditions including medication, therapies and exercise. Dogs and humour help too!
A map to find your way through life, Justine Hardy
Justine Hardy is a trauma therapist who works with people in conflict zones and other desperate circumstances. But she says that the devastation of feeling lost in a dark place in your life can happen to anyone, without an obvious reason. Trying to find a way out, Justine says, is the most important thing. When working with refugees, Justine tries to find […]
Adversity happens: how to face it, Charlie Cannon
Charlie Cannon and his sister only just survived a car crash: he fell asleep at the wheel. It took Charlie a long time to come to terms with the accident and the terrible mistake he had made. Now he works as a coach and an expert in resilience who teaches others how to overcome their […]
Being brave is beautiful, Petra Velzeboer
Petra Velzeboer was brought up in a cult, the Children of God. Lacking education but feeling that she was meant to save the world, she used alcohol and drugs to try to cope. Lonely after the birth of her children, she reached rock bottom but realised she had a choice. Petra chose to pursue happiness. […]
Turning Shit into Fertilizer, Azita Nahai
Kundalini Therapist When you feel there is something missing in your life, it’s probably you, says LA-based trauma specialist and Kundalini yoga teacher Azita Nahai. Straight-talking Nahai, Ph.D., specializes in a practical and holistic approach to help ‘turn shit into fertilizer’. Nahai, a child of Jewish Persian immigrants, suffered trauma first-hand from an abusive relationship […]
Massage, the Mind… and Kylie, Ben Barnett
Healing Massage Dubbed ‘The Magic Touch’, Ben Barnett has developed a breakthrough, crossover therapy. Just treating the body isn’t good enough, says the Kent, UK, based therapist. So while Ben massages, he gives therapy at the same time. With a background in sport and engineering, Ben honed his skills over the past 22 years. In […]
Climb Every Mountain – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Peter Goodall
PTSD Sufferer When Peter Goodall took his new wife to meet his parents, back in Johannesburg (South Africa), robbers shot at Peter and tied up the family. It was only much later that Peter started suffering debilitating panic attacks and was diagnosed with PTSD. ‘I didn’t think I had it.’ Peter, an actor by trade, […]