How Dale Walsh Overcame Mental Illness & Found His Voice

Dale Walsh joins Rich Bennett to share his remarkable journey from a schizophrenia diagnosis to becoming a recovery coach and prolific poet. In this raw and inspiring conversation, Dale opens up about battling stigma, discovering purpose through writing, and the creation of his Live Love coaching method. If you’ve ever questioned the power of resilience, this episode will leave you hopeful and fired up.

Guest: Dale Walsh

Dale Walsh is a recovery coach specializing in schizophrenia and serious mental illness. Diagnosed in 1975, Dale has achieved full recovery and now helps families better understand and support loved ones living with mental illness. He is also the creator of the Live Love coaching method and the author of five poetry collections, with several unpublished novels reflecting his extraordinary journey.

Main Topics:

·         Dale Walsh’s personal journey with schizophrenia and recovery

·         The creation and philosophy behind the Live Love coaching method

·         Challenges faced by family caregivers of individuals with mental illness

·         The stigma around schizophrenia and barriers to finding support

·         Dale’s unpublished novels and his transition into poetry

·         How writing served as therapy and creative expression during recovery

·         The role of medication, self-awareness, and support in healing

·         Strategies for communicating with and supporting loved ones with serious mental illness

·       

Join us for “One Song,” a benefit concert by the Big Infinite to support the Ed Lally Foundation’s mental health and suicide prevention initiatives. This special evening will feature heartfelt music and person stories, fostering connection and well-being among attendees. Come together to celebrate unity and healing through the power of music.

One Song Benefit Concert for the Ed Lally Foundat

Emily Adolph and Ona Crow are the co-creators of Nourish & Connect, an event designed to foster meaningful connections in a supportive and empowering environment. NOURISH & CONNECT – The Soul Lift

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction & 10-Year Milestone
• 1:37 Meet Dale Walsh
• 2:57 Unpublished Novels & Creative Beginnings
• 4:57 Poetry as Therapy
• 8:37 Inside Dale’s Books
• 14:17 Coaching with the Live Love Method
• 18:07 Barriers & Stigma in Mental Health Advocacy
• 22:37 Mental Illness, Substance Use, and Recovery
• 30:37 Advocacy, Frustration & Hope
• 35:37 Supporting Families of the Mentally Ill
• 41:37 Dale’s Recovery Journey & Sobriety
• 47:37 Final Reflections & Advice
• 53:37 Listener Question & Close

Transcript

Rich & Wendy 0:00
Hey, everyone is Rich Bennett. Can you believe it? The show is turning ten this year. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who've tuned in, shared an episode, or even joined the conversation over the years. You're the reason that this podcast has grown into what it is today. Together, we shared laughs, tears and moments that truly matter. So I want to thank you for being part of this journey. Let's make the next ten years even better. Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios. Harford County Living presents conversations with Rich Bennett. 

Today, I'm going to get kind. 

No, no, no. The truth is. 

Rich Bennett 1:00
Today. I'm honored to welcome Dale Walsh to conversations with Rich Bennett. Dale is a recovery coach specializing in schizophrenia and serious mental illness. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1975. He has since achieved full recovery and now dedicates his life to helping families navigate the challenges of mental illness. With his unique inside out perspective. Dale has created the live love coaching method, giving families the tools to communicate effectively and reclaim their own sense of self while supporting their loved ones. We we're going to take a little turn here because Dale and I were talking before we started recording, and he told me something which blew me away. He's got seven books that are unpublished. So we're going to talk about that. And of course, we're going to talk about the level of coaching method as well. So how are you doing, Dale? 

Dale Walsh 2:03
Very well. Rich, how are you? Good to be here. Thanks very much for having me. It's 

Rich Bennett 2:07
Oh. 

Dale Walsh 2:07
an honor to be here. 

Rich Bennett 2:09
My pleasure. So I. This blew me away. And I want to get into this right away. The box. So you say you've written you got seven manuscripts, right? 

Dale Walsh 2:21
Correct. 

Rich Bennett 2:22
None of them published yet. When did you write the first one? 

Dale Walsh 2:26
Why? I actually what happened was I basically I wrote all my books after I got taken away from Dartmouth College. I was in a psychiatric program in New Jersey, and I wrote five or six books, including Slick. My first book was a my My old girlfriend called it a series of autobiographical sketches, which is called Slick Dynamo Circus or the Sinking Gods Guide to Frisbee. And then. And that's basically my gospel. It's like where I declare that I'm God and basically tried to back it up in everything. And then and then employ what I call my bestseller for the 20th century is a 

apocalyptic romance called Velvet Billboards Follies book to ah, the Fly, the Daily, you know, which is my spaceship and. 

Rich Bennett 3:22
Oh. 

Dale Walsh 3:23
So and that's a that takes place. These were all written from between 

1976 and 1985 when I graduated, barely. Dickinson. And then when I graduated, I turned my focus to poetry. And since then, since 1985, I've accumulated an archive of more than 5000 poems, including five collections on on Amazon. And I also recently, about a year and a half ago, I was in a cause called it was about Amazon Pure books, you know, and which is like some sort of form that Amazon has. And so I wrote a book about my great psychotic break at Dartmouth College in 1975, which is called Escape from the Ivy League, or How Becoming God Changed My Life. 

Rich Bennett 4:22
Okay. You don't have any of these published. 

Dale Walsh 4:25
Jasmine. Jade. My five collections of poetry. 

Rich Bennett 4:29
But not the novels that you wrote. 

Dale Walsh 4:31
Now. 

Rich Bennett 4:32
Okay. 

Dale Walsh 4:33
And I'm. I'm planning to get an escape from the Ivy League on Amazon soon. 

Rich Bennett 4:40
Okay. So with the you mentioned earlier you didn't know how to go about getting them published. 

Dale Walsh 4:46
Well, basically, yeah. I mean, I. I use CDP for my poetry books. 

Rich Bennett 4:53
Right. 

Dale Walsh 4:53
But, you know, I mean, I'd like to really sort of like get a publisher and sort of go more mainstream in my novels. But, you know, I, I guess part of it is sort of like lack of self-worth or imposter syndrome, But also it's also I just feel, you know, I've been I've circulated some of my books and people say these don't fit into any category. So, you know, so I mean, I think it's just it just shows how innovative they are. And but, you know, I think one of my reluctance is, is just this idea that, you know, nobody wants to hear what I have to say. 

Rich Bennett 5:36
All right. Let me ask you this. And do you like reading what you wrote? 

Dale Walsh 5:41
I do. I think Velvet Velour is Foley's book, too. I played Lane in my bestseller from the 20th Century. Is like a mess, a masterpiece. 

Rich Bennett 5:54
I want to do everything possible to help you get these published. And if you want, this is to do you have them electronically digital or they all handwritten. 

Dale Walsh 6:08
Just my my escape from the Ivy League and in the Lords Follies book too. I that that's another thing is I don't have any except one manuscript. I have them published on paper, but not electronically. None, none on my computer. So I have to like, transcribe does. 

Rich Bennett 6:29
Which shouldn't be too hard to transcribe nowadays. Back in the day, it would have been a real hard. 

Dale Walsh 6:36
Right. 

Rich Bennett 6:37
if you want it, this is totally up to you. What I would do is something that a lot of authors do now is what's called an advance reader copy. So you could send a copy of your manuscript to people that you know or trust and get their input. And they can write like a testimonial, almost like a book review for it. So this way, before it's published, you already had the reviews for it, which you can also put in the book that helps sell the books a lot. I think 

anybody that says there's no there's nobody that will read that, I say. 

I mean, it's just like with a podcast. People want to get into podcast and then don't because he said they say nobody's going to listen to it. 

Dale Walsh 7:33
Right. 

Rich Bennett 7:35
They will. Even if it's one listener. Even if it's five. Even if it doesn't matter. Here's the thing with the if you don't mind me asking, let's talk about what's the first book called The First 

Dale Walsh 7:47
Leg 

Rich Bennett 7:47
Man? 

Dale Walsh 7:47
Dynamo. Circuit Saws The Thinking Guides Guide to Frisbee. 

Rich Bennett 7:51
Okay. What's that about? 

Dale Walsh 7:52
Well, as I said, it's a series of autobiographical sketches, but it's basically the chronicle of my first year and a half is a diagnosed psychotic. 

Rich Bennett 8:06
I would read that in a heartbeat. I know of other people that would read it because to me I think that would help people. A Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe a It's not that way, but I would also think it would help others to understand people that have that type of I guess it would be a mental illness. 

Dale Walsh 8:32
I agree. I just, you know, I mean, I make declarations and it like, hi, I'm God. Why? Why not? I mean, that that that's just sort of one page in everything is sort of like, you know, and they're, they're like sort of like semantic things that I do semantic games. I play in everything. Like every you. Y you y0ui see. Is u h you g h which is my best friend. So you know, what do you feel? And then another thing that I'm big on is substituting d w which is my initial s for deal. 

Rich Bennett 9:11
Video. 

Dale Walsh 9:12
Yeah, like I do. You know, when. 

Rich Bennett 9:15
Oh, I like that. How hell can I do that with my name, though? 

I think in all honesty, I think you're sitting on a goldmine there. 

Dale Walsh 9:30
Well, that that's that that's also what we were talking about about how I'm so we're pivoting out of the mental health space and you know I spend 50 years now and I guess since I was taken away from Dartmouth and everything and basically my focus has been been better explaining my recovery and dealing with my mental illness. But I decided on my 10th birthday that I wanted to be a writer. And I'm sort of like got distracted away from that. I'm an I still write poetry every day. I'm still like a very prolific poet. But, you know, I just I just like just in the last, like two or three days, I've been been by the bug of it's time for a new book because, you know, because just what's happening in the world is very relevant to what I write, you know, I mean, like billboards, follies what to it? You know, it ends with the verses attacking the United States with their ceremonial tronic weapons to create the United States a museum. So I don't know if you know, when you try and make weapons are. 

Rich Bennett 10:43
No, but I know you're going to explain it. 

Dale Walsh 10:45
When 

Rich Bennett 10:45
Okay. 

Dale Walsh 10:45
you try to make weapons, your weapon said kill the people, but leave the building. So you know 

Rich Bennett 10:51
Okay. 

Dale Walsh 10:51
that it was like a concept. It was developed during Jimmy Carter's presidency. But basically it's like, you know, the joke is, have you ever heard about a neutron martini? 

Rich Bennett 11:07
No. 

Dale Walsh 11:08
Get your bomb, but leaves you standing. 

Rich Bennett 11:13
I think there was a wine cooler similar to that. 

Dale Walsh 11:16
Right. Right. 

Rich Bennett 11:17
Called Cisco. 

Wow. So, all right, I want to talk about the poetry as well, because you say you've written over 5000. 

Dale Walsh 11:27
Correct. 

Rich Bennett 11:29
But those published online 

Dale Walsh 11:31
No, no. 

Rich Bennett 11:32
only. 

Dale Walsh 11:32
Only five books. Only five books in us. So I publish probably about 500 out of 5000. 

Rich Bennett 11:41
Wow. 

But those are available on Amazon. 

Dale Walsh 11:46
The books are. Yes, under De Walsh. 

Rich Bennett 11:49
One of them is not fossil fuel for the brain. 

Dale Walsh 11:52
That's it. Fossil fuel for the brain and entering the new year of do for those who hate birds and angels seraphim on cusp of spring. And then there's the last I think it's due Sun is up forever love. 

Rich Bennett 12:11
I don't know. Those of you listening, you go on to Amazon and you look under Mr. De E Walsh in books, you're going to find them here. And to give you an I don't know if you know this or not, they'll but like fossil fuel for the brain rank pretty good for epic poetry in books. 

Dale Walsh 12:41
Well, that's good to know. I never check. 

Rich Bennett 12:44
What got you into poetry? 

Dale Walsh 12:47
Well, that day it was just like. I basically after six novels, it was like I graduated from college and I just felt that, you know, I could express myself more succinctly and more universally through poetry because it was a lot easier because, you know, a novel took like 6 to 9 months at least to write, whereas a poetry, you know, I can whip off a poem in 30 minutes at the most. So and so I've developed probably like seven different forms of poetry. And, and, you know, so basically what I do is, I mean, how I write every day is I basically just get an idea for like one or two lines and then I use those and use a form which you're very structured to just like improvised and write the poem. 

Rich Bennett 13:46
Wow, 

Here you are. You still got a lot more books to release on your poetry because you've only done 500. You got 5000. 

Dale Walsh 13:55
Correct. I've 

Rich Bennett 13:57
Why? 

Dale Walsh 13:57
been writing at least a poem a day since one 123. Because Because 2022 I only did like a total of 50 poems or the whole year, which to me was like a terrible year of production. So I decided for my New Year's, you know, motivation and resolution, I was going to write a poem a day and I haven't stopped since. One 123 So in the last two years, I basically produced a thousand poems. 

Rich Bennett 14:28
Let me ask you this, because a lot of people, they. Right. And it's good therapy for them. With you, was it writing the novels or the poem? Is that or better therapy for you? 

Dale Walsh 14:41
Well, one thing you have to understand, Rick, is that they were two separate periods in my life. 

Rich Bennett 14:48
Okay. 

Dale Walsh 14:49
So so the novels were therapeutic when I was going through the intensity of of first getting diagnosed and then the program and everything, you know, basically the, the, the novels were ways to sort of like distance myself from the immediacy of the intensity of my therapy, because I had very intense therapy. I was in a residential, private, residential psychiatric program for five years. I had like therapy three times a week in group therapy for an hour and a half, twice a week. And it was all under the direction of one doctor. And I got hospitalized nine times when I was in the program. 

Rich Bennett 15:31
Wow. 

Dale Walsh 15:31
And so basically that the books were basically sort of like a way to express my imagination and let my imagination be free in a way that was being suppressed in therapy. 

Rich Bennett 15:46
So with the poetry. Were you reading poetry before you even started writing? 

Dale Walsh 15:52
Well, I studied poetry in college, but I never got into reading poetry. You know, people. 

Rich Bennett 15:57
Really? 

Dale Walsh 15:58
Yeah. I mean, everything I've done is like, sort of, like, self-produced. 

Rich Bennett 16:04
Wow, That's amazing. All right. Now, crazy question, because any time I think of poets, I think of the coffeehouses. Then reading their poems. you considered that at all or done it? 

Dale Walsh 16:20
It's interesting you should say that, because there was a big coffee house, you know, audience in the early 2000 in New Jersey. But since then, it's the whole industry has been shut down, you know, and I don't have a car and, you know, but open mics, are you know, open mics now are for music and, you know, stuff like that. And poetry is basically forgotten. So, you know, I just I just produce. And, you know, sometimes I read stuff over the phone or, you know, I share I share with my counselor every week, you know, my poetry and, you know, and he thinks it's extremely good. But, you know, I just actually, I, I did a book for that. I plan on publishing soon on Amazon. I wanted to publish it before Christmas, but I have the manuscript and, you know, anything you want to read of mine, I'd be happy to send the one. 

Rich Bennett 17:22
Oh, absolutely. And I'll help you get it published. I talk to publishers, I talk to authors all the time. And I just 

it's the publishing world has changed a lot because back in the day, you had to find an actual publisher. Now you got self-publishing. Some people just do it themselves and do it through the CDP program on Amazon. I believe there's some other ones out there. But what I found from talking to these other authors is the advanced reader Copy helps a lot, especially if you're going to be self-published. The advanced reader copy helps a lot, and doing what you're doing now, getting on podcast, talking about your book. Yeah, that's free advertising, you know. Now I would be more the actually, I would be honored to because I think, like I said, you're sitting on a goldmine there and I know they would help other people. 

Dale Walsh 18:26
This is the pivot that I'm doing these days. But, 

Rich Bennett 18:30
Mm hmm. 

Dale Walsh 18:31
you know, basically all the podcasts I've been on have been sort of talking about schizophrenia and my 

Rich Bennett 18:36
Right. 

Dale Walsh 18:36
right and my program and everything. But, you know, I now I don't know if, you know, Pod Matt said, that's how we met. 

Rich Bennett 18:43
Yes. 

Dale Walsh 18:44
But PARTMENT has been very helpful and now I'm like appointed rider shows and said just mental health shows. 

Rich Bennett 18:53
You know, the other thing you can do, Dale, is you're what? New York or New Jersey? 

Dale Walsh 18:59
New Jersey. Hackensack, New Jersey. 

Rich Bennett 19:01
Okay, Look for some writers groups to join. 

And what they do, though, everybody gets together. A lot of them will critique, critique each other's books. There's talk about publishing. Some of these writers groups have publishers in and and it's just like a support group on writing. 

Dale Walsh 19:26
Right. 

Rich Bennett 19:27
But I will look into to seeing if there's any up there or if don't even need to be up there. They could be virtual. 

Dale Walsh 19:34
Right. 

Rich Bennett 19:35
And do that. And that's I will help you out a lot, too. I want to see these books published. 

Dale Walsh 19:42
Well, I'm a you know, I did. I said, you know, I say I never got married or had children of my books or my children. 

Rich Bennett 19:52
There you go. So what with the poetry, And if you don't want to, this is totally up to you. What is one of the favorite ones that you've written 

Dale Walsh 20:03
Well, actually, that way we can transition into a when I came on to talk about because I have an introductory poem that I used to like swear like tell my story and basically tell what happened at Dartmouth. So it goes that 

Rich Bennett 20:18
Per? 

Dale Walsh 20:18
day. Dale revealing what actually happened high and God was a joke I made after killer Dartmouth talk of some criminal Ivy League smoke, which apparently caused me to choke because in mental hospital I awoke, which will make Gabriel the main bloke who did my delusions. Angelica stroke even while the doctor claimed my brain broke the moment divine gag I spoke tests the point I was only bit quack which clinicians diagnosis psychotic attack preventing me from getting sanity back until I came to Teaneck, Hackensack to pursue resident therapy program track to deal with my evident lack of reason among psychiatric patient pack who never gave me any slack under interrogation story crack. 

Rich Bennett 21:07
Wow, that's amazing. How long did that take you to write? 

Dale Walsh 21:14
30 minutes. It's. 

Rich Bennett 21:15
Come on. 

Dale Walsh 21:16
Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, like I say, I have these forms, and this form is what I call it, Dale. And what it is, it's six words a line and two sets to nine rhymes a piece. 

Rich Bennett 21:31
That is amazing that all right now? 

Dale Walsh 21:35
And then actually you mentioned fossil fuel for the brain, fossil fuel. But the brain is my book that has a lot of details. It is split into three, five sections. It's two sets of details, two sets of brain, your poetry and and then a middle section of a 21st century songs. 

Rich Bennett 21:58
Say what? 

Dale Walsh 22:00
Yeah. 21st century Psalms. 

Rich Bennett 22:03
Wow. All right. So I think what you need to do now, especially after you just recited that poem, maybe do a record you can wrap it. 

Dale Walsh 22:16
Well, it does what everybody says. It says that this is this is pure rap deal, you know, so. 

Rich Bennett 22:23
It's great, though. It's good. It's very good. And I still think that poetry is an art that a lot of people are missing. 

And it just to me, if I still read, I still read poetry. I used to write songs, which is also a form of poetry. But I think people are missing it. To me, when you read it, it makes you feel so good. Depending on the type of poetry you're reading. 

Dale Walsh 22:58
I actually have another introductory poem if your entry is another deal. 

Rich Bennett 23:03
Yeah, absolutely. 

Dale Walsh 23:04
He's called my history in a nutshell. Well, it being said, becoming Bob Frost at Dartmouth time, my mind lost in words from my Ivy League tossed put into therapy considerable cause, stab my brain teeth, flossed by the doctor who me bust every night after I get sore is doing my duty at my posts in hospital where I was ost and met the beautiful female Jill for whom over Dale over hill. I tried to annoy resile until I found the perfect pill to keep my eye, to keep my psychotic demons still which make romantic chance is virtually nil, even while perfecting my poetic skill, I hope will pay the bill for sodas on which I fell. 

Rich Bennett 23:49
Wow. 

Dale Walsh 23:50
I need 

Rich Bennett 23:51
And 

Dale Walsh 23:51
you. 

Rich Bennett 23:51
when did you write these two? 

Dale Walsh 23:52
Did these your 2014? No. 24, I think, actually. 

Rich Bennett 23:57
Wow. 

So how hard were they to write? 

Dale Walsh 24:02
Well, you know, you just follow the rhyme and, you know, you have an idea in mind and you just follow the rhyme. So, you know. 

Rich Bennett 24:11
I'm there. 

Dale Walsh 24:12
So that's how you get to have my brain defrost, you know. 

Rich Bennett 24:17
I love it. I love it. Now, with your your live love method, method, because you do coaching. coaching. 

Dale Walsh 24:26
Right. 

Rich Bennett 24:27
So do you recite any of your poems with your clients there? 

Dale Walsh 24:31
I'm usually not actually level with something that basically God downloaded to me. It's it's a whole new therapeutic method and it's it's an anagram, which is an eight step program for guiding people through the process that I take them through. It stands for a list. No, learn, integrate, validate, explore, and then love this lesson. Observe, value and express. So is it does. You're like the x, you know, sections that we go through and you know for instance, learn, you know, I, you know, I mentor the family caregivers of those with schizophrenia. So the learn session is of like, you know, tell me about your loved one. Tell me what you think about your caregiving. You know, stuff like that. And then integrate is were like, well, where we go from here, you know, I meant how how do you think you can, like, improve your caregiving? And then it's a whole process of like learning how to communicate better with loved ones while also helping people to understand the illness and, you know, their loved one better. 

Rich Bennett 25:43
So you're coaching the loved ones of people that have schizophrenia. 

Dale Walsh 25:48
I am. I basically the family caregivers of those with schizophrenia. 

Rich Bennett 25:53
What's one of the biggest challenges you have when it comes to that? 

Dale Walsh 25:57
Finding people. 

Rich Bennett 25:59
Really? 

Dale Walsh 26:01
Yeah because I am I am a that that really is my biggest problem because I know I can help people and everything, but there's such a stigma around schizophrenia and mental illness that people I think are very reluctant to actually come to me and say, you know, this is what I'm going through. And, you know, and the other thing is I'm not I don't have, you know, like 20 initials after my name, I'm. 

Rich Bennett 26:28
Right. 

Dale Walsh 26:29
But I have the lived experience and I've gone through 50 years of schizophrenia. And so I know not only the illness and, you know, and I've you know, I was hospitalized 15 times and then 25. So basically I've experienced everything that schizophrenia is. But ultimately, it's just like, you know, people I think, are very reluctant to admit that they have this problem just because they're such a stigma, not only that serious mental illness, but especially about schizophrenia. 

Rich Bennett 27:05
What was schizophrenia do? Is it possible that somebody has it and don't even know? 

Dale Walsh 27:11
Virtually not. 

Rich Bennett 27:12
Now. Okay. 

Dale Walsh 27:15
They might not know it. There's something called Agnes that knows you anO s.o. g and osa i. And that's a term taken from neurology, from stroke victims. So can understand there's something wrong with their brain. So it's estimated that 50 to 60% of people with serious mental illness have Agnes exposure. So the the analogy I use is if you hold a book up to a blind person and ask him to read it, he's not going to be able to do it. And sort of like it's the same type of blindness that a person with serious mental illness has towards his illness. And so basically, for ten years, for the first ten years of my my therapy and my my therapy, my recovery journey I was in, Agnes diagnosed. I didn't see anything wrong with saying I was God. And, you know, basically I was always trying to prove it. And, you know, and so what happened was in 1984, I had this vision of the whole world, the entire Earth being incinerated in a thermonuclear holocaust. And so I called that the Dale. And what, you know, basically my whole personality system is Dale was absolutely annihilated. And it took me nine months before I became I reintegrated into Dewi, who is my alter ego. But but to death, to Dale was to death in my delusion and was also the death of my agnostic. No fear because I realized how sick I had been for the last ten years, even though I'd been having this intensive, therapeutic, you know, therapy experience. But it made me realize how sick I'd been. And I really consider that to begin in my of my real recovery. And that was 40 years ago. 

Rich Bennett 29:16
So with recovery, because you mentioned there is therapy involved. This is also medication and is. 

Dale Walsh 29:24
Yeah, I, but I, I've been on medication for 48 years and I attribute my success very much to my to my the moment I stopped fighting the medication was the moment that I really started improving. 

Rich Bennett 29:42
I'm sorry. The moment you started taking it or 

Dale Walsh 29:44
No. The moment 

Rich Bennett 29:44
why? 

Dale Walsh 29:45
I stop fighting it, baby, because I would take I would take it. And then I would like, stop taking it. Not, you know, within two to 2 to 2 days to two weeks, I'd be back in the hospital with this psychotic episode. So, you know, so the moment I stop fighting the medication and to be honest, I never really fought the medication. Even at Dartmouth. What happened was I was walking around telling everybody what I thought was my great joke. I am God, because how could I be five foot eight? And I found it hysterical. And the campus cops came in and and like said, Are you Dale? And I said, Yes. And they said, Would you come with us to is that you're. So I thought I figured they were taking me to meet the president of the university, but instead they took me to the infirmary where I was interrogated for the next 4 hours by three three sets. But an Ivy League psychiatrist, they put me in a room and showed me full of drugs. In two days later, I was in a mental hospital in New York City with a roommate named Gabriel, who who was very deferential towards my mother, Mary. Her second husband's name was Josephine, who ultimately married the judge. 

Rich Bennett 31:05
All right, you guys. Wow. Okay. 

Now, what year was this? 

Dale Walsh 31:13
This was 1975. 

Rich Bennett 31:15
1975. 

Dale Walsh 31:17
So psychiatry was basically in the dark ages still. 

Rich Bennett 31:20
Yeah. 

Dale Walsh 31:21
Well, 

1111 crucial fact that people overlook is the cost of schizophrenia, of serious mental illness like schizophrenic, are basically 2% of the population, and the cause is schizophrenic schizophrenia. And in the hospital costs, jail costs lost wages in everything they estimate to be between one and $2 billion a year. So. 

Rich Bennett 31:50
Wow. 

Dale Walsh 31:52
You know, but and that the next most expensive mental illness is depression, which has like ten times as many people. And that's like a 10th of the of the costs. So, you know, just that practically, you know, it makes a lot of sense. You know, I'm I'm actually trying to get in touch with Bobby Kennedy Jr to 

Rich Bennett 32:13
Mm. 

Dale Walsh 32:13
see if I can talk to him about this because that, you know, just on a practical financial sense, if we could like take more care of schizophrenics, then, you know, then the costs would be reduced. And the other thing is that so many people that are homeless are in jail or in hospitals have schizophrenia. And, you know, they're they're just left to fend for themselves. I'm I'm part of one group in it's called Colorado MADD Moms. And, you know, like two or three of their people just have like, you know, Colorado apparently doesn't have a very good mental health system. And so these people go to the hospital, They they're given minimal medical action. And then after six weeks, they're just like released on the street with no alternative. And so they end up in jail or back in in. It's just like a perpetrated, you know, perpetrating vicious cycle. And 

Rich Bennett 33:14
Yeah. 

Dale Walsh 33:14
it's it's a real shame. 

Rich Bennett 33:16
It is a shame. And the thing is, when it comes to the cost, 

it shouldn't matter how much. Well, it does matter how much it's going to cost the patient. But as far as the hospital, doesn't matter because you can't put a price on life. 

Dale Walsh 33:34
Right. I am actually I am actually thinking about going to the top and just given the one obstacle. 

Rich Bennett 33:41
With your recovery, what's been the biggest obstacle? 

Dale Walsh 33:45
Well, initially with Agnes. No, she just like, didn't you know, I mean, when when I was first in the hospital, I kept saying my doctor, you know, why am I in here? And say, well, if you broke your leg, deal, You come to the hospital, right? And I said, Yes. And I said, Well, you broke your brain and not only did this like traumatize me for 30 years, but it was also false because basically back when I was first taken away and diagnosed in 1975, there was a popular professional view that there was nothing they could do about schizophrenia. 

Rich Bennett 34:24
Right. 

Dale Walsh 34:25
And one of the reasons I'm so active and so intent on getting my story out there is just to prove that I'm at the my my company's called Do Live W, which is my initials Live Love. And the motto of my company is recovery is always an option. And I think that's something that's very important to bear in mind. Of course, 

Rich Bennett 34:50
Mm. 

Dale Walsh 34:50
the the pivotal word in an ad is option because a person has to be dedicated to recovery before he can can he or she can recover. 

Rich Bennett 35:01
With You say you're having problems 

finding clients. 

Dale Walsh 35:08
Correct. 

Rich Bennett 35:09
Have you contact your local health department? 

Dale Walsh 35:14
I'm part of NAMI. 

Rich Bennett 35:16
Oh. 

Dale Walsh 35:17
I am poor I. 

Rich Bennett 35:18
Question. 

Dale Walsh 35:18
I I'm a I'm a I'm actually part of a there in our own voice speaking program. So I 

Rich Bennett 35:27
Oh, 

Dale Walsh 35:27
have 

Rich Bennett 35:27
great. 

Dale Walsh 35:27
been certified as a speaker for NAMI. And I also have reached out to a lot of mental health groups like the Colorado, MADD, Moms and 

Rich Bennett 35:37
Mm hmm. 

Dale Walsh 35:37
stuff like that. But yeah, the the catch 22 is that is, is that, uh, you know, with that the professional licensing and without the professional legitimacy, these, these big, you know like mental health groups won't recommend me because they think they don't value what I do because I don't have the professional training. 

Rich Bennett 36:06
So if at all the certification, 

what could be done to where you're helping other people? 

The and I keep thinking when it comes to like addiction, you have peer recovery specialist. 

Dale Walsh 36:25
Right. 

Rich Bennett 36:26
Which are the ones that, of course, are in recovery, 

although I do believe they do have certifications for that now. 

Have you 

contacted possibly like your local political official, about 

creating something, advocating for it? Okay. There you go. 

Dale Walsh 36:49
Well, actually, I'm a I also have joined a it's called the Advocacy Center, and I'm doing a bootcamp for that, starting March 18th. 

Rich Bennett 37:01
All right, Dad, do you have any more surprises for me? 

Dale Walsh 37:04
Of course, then I am just full of surprises. 

Rich Bennett 37:09
Wow. So, I mean, you're taking the right approaches. 

Dale Walsh 37:13
Right. Well, that that did. That's the thing that disturbs me now is I'm getting a little discouraged just because, first off, I know what I offered you people is invaluable. Now I offer, like, a unique perspective that can help people in a way that the doctors and professionals can't. And so and I know that there to at least 2 million schizophrenics in the nation, that means their families and their caregivers. I have a niche of 10 million, 10 million potential customers. So it is very frustrating to me that I can't find people now, I think. Yeah, I don't know what the solution is, but, you know, I am at this point now, I'm sort of like thinking, I mean, this is just something I came up with I've come up with in the last two or three days is, you know, as I said in your pre-interview, I'm tired of being. Held captive to the victim who had a mental illness. And, you know, and basically, you know, I feel that people with mental illness are basically put in a victim category and they're, you know, they can't break out of it because they always had the diagnosis following them. So ultimately, it just seems like my desire to help people is sort of like waning just because it seems like such a hopeless, you know, such a says that this in this if this Zen task, you know, pushing that rock up the mountain of mental illness all the time and then just watching the boulder roll back down. But you know, and that's that's one thing that I'm really dealing with now because as I said, on my 10th birthday, I decided I was going to be a writer. And I'm thinking about just going back to writing and saying, screw this mental health stuff. But, you know, on the other hand, I feel that's the reason that I got sick in the first place, is because God wanted me to help people. 

Rich Bennett 39:25
And things are. I think 

once people hear your message well, especially once you get your other books published, that's going to be a big turnaround. And as far as the podcast, how many podcasts have you been on so far? 

Dale Walsh 39:42
Probably about 40 to 50. 

Rich Bennett 39:44
40 to 50. Okay, so the word's getting out there. The word's getting out in hundreds of countries. Well over 100 countries. Which is good. I think the next. Have you contacted any non-profits that if remember, before we were speaking or before we start recording, I mentioned Seasoned Psych, which is a local nonprofit here. 

Dale Walsh 40:12
Right. 

Rich Bennett 40:13
Which helps with that. And are there any nonprofits around you that you know of? 

Dale Walsh 40:19
Well, first off, my my, my help is universal because I do it through Zoom. So it 

Rich Bennett 40:26
Right. 

Dale Walsh 40:26
does. You know, it's location free. 

Rich Bennett 40:28
Okay. 

Dale Walsh 40:28
Okay, so. But now I really haven't read you. I haven't really, like, researched the non-profit, you know, mental health. They're nonprofit. Says Good idea. 

Rich Bennett 40:38
Yeah, because, I mean, and I think that's why you're seeing more nonprofits pop up that help with this, because maybe it's the organizations that weren't all those letters after your name with the nonprofits, you don't need that, I guess. I'm not sure, But I still keep thinking about peer recovery specialists. You've been through it. You're helping people. It's a no brainer to me that you should be other people should be contacting you for help. 

Dale Walsh 41:10
Well, then the other thing is I have a unique and unique focus in that I help the family caregivers because, 

Rich Bennett 41:18
Yeah. 

Dale Walsh 41:19
you know, I call I call the family, the families of those with schizophrenia, with mental illness and forgotten victims of mental illness, because, you know, everybody focuses on I hate that word patient, but, you know, just for your sake, I everybody focuses on the patient and, you know, the patient as a doctor and everything. But, you know, family members, especially with HIPA, you know, sometimes they're totally lost. Say they have no idea. And they're the ones who are dealing with it. 24 seven 365 The doctor sees their loved one, you know, for 30 minutes to give medication and maybe they have a psychologist for 4 hours a week. But, you know, the family caregivers are really the ones in the trenches dealing with the challenges and the problems that come up. And, you know, I just want to, like, reach out and help them because I realize how much how I put my own family through. 

Rich Bennett 42:18
What advice do you have for someone who's struggling to support a loved one with a serious mental illness? 

Dale Walsh 42:25
Well, I dare a few things. One is respond down. React. Because, you know, people can say very triggering things. And, you know, and if you if you react, you're just going to escalate the anger or whatever's going on. 

I always recommend this book is called I'm Not Sick and I Don't Need Help, which is by this doctor named Xavier Amador. I am a daughter, and that's his story of his journey with his brother, who is schizophrenic and who is in Agnes. And now she has a whole time. And it just has it has like a lot of ways to improve communication and how to talk with someone with an illness and everything. And personally, I say, you know, one thing you have to realize is this is not a two week cold. It's not going go away. And so, you know, and therefore, I encourage for things that love, they tell hope and patience. And those are like the four things that I really recommend that people have. And another thing is that, you know, a lot of times when someone get I mean, most of the time when people get serious mental illness, their loved ones see their new self and they're they're terrified or horrified at the new person their loved one has become. And they just spend all their time mourning the person who's been lost. Rather than getting to know the new person that's there. And 

Rich Bennett 44:07
Right. 

Dale Walsh 44:08
even though it can be very difficult because they have an illness, you know, I think it's very important to bear in mind that this this is the person you loved. But rather than mourning the person that they no longer are, get to know the person that they are so you can communicate with them. 

Rich Bennett 44:27
And I want people to contact you because I know you have a lot to offer. So can you share a success story of someone that you've worked with that really stands out to you? 

Dale Walsh 44:40
Well, actually, my. Okay, so this is someone who was in my boarding school. With me is my my boarding school in coed. My my, my 10th grade year. And this this lady actually was at my boarding school at the same time as I was, but I didn't know her. But so I just, like, put a random post in my class newsletter on Facebook and said, you know, this is what I'm doing. I'm helping the family caregiver. And so basically she has a son who's been suffering from schizophrenia for ten years and so she went through my to program, which I've never like actually fully implemented the full level up program. But I did a beta program and she's just like, so, you know, she's just like so effusive in his praise to me. And she says, you know, I he, he's given me answers that no one else could. And, you know, just like, you know, I, I'm just like, so grateful I found him and so, you know, and that that's very fulfilling. And, you know, I was building a speaking for a speaking career when COVID hit in 2020. But, you know, when I used to speak to people, inevitably people would come up to me after I still spoke and just say, thank you. You gave us hope. 

Rich Bennett 46:12
Good. And you're going to still be giving people hope. 

Dale Walsh 46:17
Yeah, that's my plan. 

Rich Bennett 46:19
It's going to happen. It's going to happen. And the books are going to sell because you're going to get them published. How people get in touch with you? 

Dale Walsh 46:29
Well, I actually I have a website. It's w w w duddy w liv love dot net, but. And then, uh, my the what I'm suggesting to people is maybe Karen Lee link where you can make a 45 minute appointment to just talk and see if you're interested in. You know, and, and and joining the program and everything and that's w w w can only see a l e. N. D. L. Y. Dot com slash deal. Coach 55 and I I'm also on Instagram and deal dot Walsh dot 14 and um, and then I'm also on Facebook at Dale Walsh. 

Parentheses do we Dale do we do. 

Rich Bennett 47:25
So before I get to my last question, which actually comes from one of my listeners, is there anything you would like to add? 

Dale Walsh 47:34
I. Yeah, yeah, definitely. So basically, my, my, my focus in my recovery has been a journey of self-awareness of, of ever increasing self awareness then. And so I've been I've discovered so much about myself, but also I feel that I've been very extremely fortunate and the help I've gotten, I always had this support in my family, both financially and, you know, emotionally and everything, even though, you know, what happened at Dartmouth was. 

Was. They told me. They told me a way and I so I went to my parents apartment and I spent the night with my parents. The next day they said, we have an appointment tomorrow. So I said, okay. So we went. Is there an ornate office in a fancy building on the campus of a New York hospital? And I met my doctor, who is named Keohane. I called him cocaine. Cocaine. And so I said. 

So, you know. So he said, Would you sign this? I said, Sure. Imagine my I looked at my mother and she said, Sign it. So I signed it and my parents got up and went left and I went left to follow them. And Dr. Cohen says, No, Dale, you're coming with me. So that began a 13 week closed, locked unit to stay in pain when the clinic and then I came to the program for five and a half years. I got out of the program. I went back to college, got I graduated with honors, magna cum laude in English from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and I started a private tutoring business, which is I help Fairleigh Dickinson students write papers. So I did that. And and then I just had like I saw I had a time where I wasn't doing anything and everything, but I, I was drinking beer and smoking pot every day. And this is something I want to talk about is the medicate, self-medication and everything. 

Rich Bennett 49:55
Right? 

Dale Walsh 49:56
But long story short, I gave up everything cold turkey and went in October 27. And so I've been straight, sane and sober for 17, almost 18 years. And, you know, people say, How'd you do that? I said, Well, you know, I always knew substance abuse wasn't my problem. My problem was always schizophrenia. 

Rich Bennett 50:20
Mm 

Dale Walsh 50:20
And 

Rich Bennett 50:20
hmm. 

Dale Walsh 50:21
by about self-medication and everything, I think that if, you know, when I was at Dartmouth, I was doing drugs every day. I was I was smoking high powered weed every day. And also doing hallucinogens like LSD, mescaline 

Rich Bennett 50:36
Right. 

Dale Walsh 50:36
and mushrooms and everything. And, you know, people say, well, you know, the you know, why? What caused you to go psychotic? And I think that, you know, a lot of people told me if I just stopped apart, I probably never would have had the problems that I did. But that hallucinogenics basically where the tipping point and so I just say to people, you know, be very wary, you know, both to caregivers and to those who are going through the illness, be very wary of self-medication because the law does it. You know, as I said, I've been hospitalized 15 times and a a lot of those hospitalizations was because I escalated my use of marijuana. I never stopped I never stopped doing marijuana from 1970 from the moment I was taken away to 27. And even though my last episode, my last series, episode was 1993, I was still smoking pot every day. But my you know, I just couldn't handle it because I was so used to it because I'd been doing. 

Rich Bennett 51:47
Right. 

Dale Walsh 51:48
But, you know, I just say, you know, be be aware of the dangers of mixing, you know, illicit. You know, even though marijuana is now not illicit anymore in a lot of states. But, you know, be be very wary of mixing street drugs with mental illness because it's a powder keg that's going to explode eventually. 

Rich Bennett 52:11
Absolutely. And even with some of your over-the-counter drugs mixing it with alcohol, you got to be very careful. 

Dale Walsh 52:19
Right. 

Rich Bennett 52:20
It's. It's. 

Dale Walsh 52:23
Well, that that's the other thing. If you take medication, then that the whole gestalt is the whole compound is just like, you know, there's no telling where it's going to end. 

Rich Bennett 52:34
Yeah, exactly. So this question comes from Hillary. This is actually a good question, especially for you. What were some ways you gathered the strength to keep going? 

Dale Walsh 52:50
The the depth of my delusion was one thing, just this idea that that I was God. So I can't stop. 

Rich Bennett 53:00
Right. 

Dale Walsh 53:01
No, I meant no. But more and more importantly, your just like it just sort of like my my inner rebel, like rebelling against everybody who was saying I couldn't get better. It was like, Damn, I know who I am and I'm going to get better. And no matter what you tell me, you know, basically screw off because I know who I am. And so is it. The determination came from, you know, a lot of people you know, when I tell my story, they say your story is so inspiring and everything. And I just say, you know, to me, it's not inspiring. It's just I did what I had to do to get better. 

Rich Bennett 53:43
Right. And now you're helping others do it. 

Dale Walsh 53:48
Hopefully. 

Rich Bennett 53:50
You are. You already are. And you're going to be getting more, especially when the books get published. And oh, oh, Dale, Dale, I think everything is just starting for you. 

Dale Walsh 54:02
What that does when I keep telling myself that I've been working just for like seven years. So it's sort of like. 

Rich Bennett 54:09
Takes time. 

Dale Walsh 54:11
Well, I hope so when I am, you know, bigger, because as I said, you know, I have a I have a potential niche of 10 million people. And, you know, out of that, I figure I should be able to get like 50 people to help, at least not, you know, if it takes off and so much better. But I you know I'm I'm hopeful with. Bobby Kennedy is HHS secretary to be able to like bring schizophrenia and serious mental illness to the forefront of the American dialogue and not you know that that that's another thing I'm working towards. And I basically consider myself a role model or a poster child, a poster or a poster man of recovery, of the possibilities of recovery. And you know, I don't I don't think I'm really extraordinary. I just think that I was given a lot of good circumstances that allowed me to develop my potential. But ultimately, recovery is always an option. And if you want to get better, you can. 

Rich Bennett 55:17
Absolutely. 

Everybody, listen. If you know of anybody that needs help, make sure that you contact Dale. Also 

get his poetry books. Go on Amazon. Again, look for Mr. De Walsh. Fossil fuel for the brains. Probably the easiest way to find him. Look for that book and then just click on author. After you purchase the book and read it, leave a full review and then purchase more books to give the friends of yours. And once his other once his manuscripts are published, we're going to let you know because he's going to come back on again and tell everybody about it. Dale, I want to thank you so much. It's been a true honor. And yeah, if you want to send them to me, feel free to. I will go ahead and look at them. I'll give you my honest opinion. 

Dale Walsh 56:16
If you could just send me your email through my email that that would. 

Rich Bennett 56:20
Sure. You got it. Thanks a lot, Dale. 

Dale Walsh 56:23
Thank you very much, which is very great pleasure and enjoyed it very much. Thanks a lot. 

Rich Bennett 56:28
Thank you for listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. I hope you enjoy today's episode and learn something from it as I did. If you'd like to hear more conversations like this, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you have a moment, I'd love if you could leave a review. It helps us reach more listeners and share more incredible stories. Don't forget to connect with us on social media or visit our website at conversations with Rich Bennett Dotcom. For updates, giveaways and more. Until next time, take care, Be kind and keep the conversations going.