Mad Poetry: Mental Illness Reimagined
*Trigger warning: mental illness and suicide*
Welcome to Mad Poetry: Mental Illness Reimagined.
My name is Georgia Vrakas. I am a bipolar woman, a clinical psychologist, a university professor and I write poetry on my mental illness journey.
In this podcast, I will explore the ups and downs of mental illness. In each episode I will be sharing discussion points on mental illness as well one of my poems to encourage reflection on what it is to live with a mental illness.
Why poetry and mental illness? Poetry can offer us valuable perspectives and insights on living with a mental illness. It can also help us in our recovery process. Poetry has been a balm for me. It has grounded me and helped quiet my mind.
I hope this podcast offers you a soft place to land.
I would love to hear from you!
For questions and comments: themadpoetrypodcast@gmail.com
For updates on upcoming episodes check out my IG account @themadpoetrypodcast
Cover art by Jean-François Houle
Intro/outro music: Finding Hope (Emotional Cinematic Inspiring Piano, by Yudi Ashady (ASCAP) via Pond5
Suicide prevention ressources:
Please call 988 in Canada & US
Mental health resources:
For Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html
World: https://www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts/
Mad Poetry: Mental Illness Reimagined
Perimenopause and the Hysterical Woman
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
This episode is about perimenopause, an issue we do not talk about enough despite it being an important stage of life for women. We also delve into hysteria a long forgotten diagnosis. However, there persists an association between it and the perimenopausal woman in the collective imagination.
** I have added an addendum at the end of the episode correcting two errors that slipped through - you’ll see it’ll make you laugh, I hope 😉
Here are some ressources on perimenopause and menopause:
The Menopause Manifesto by Dr Jen Gunter
The Definite Guide to Perimenopause and Menopause by Dr Louise Newson
The New Rules of Menopause: A Mayo Clinic Guide to Perimenopause and Beyond by Stephanie S. Faubion, director of Mayo Clinic Women’s Health .
Instagram: @themadpoetrypodcast
Email: themadpoetrypodcast@gmail.com