If you've ever heard the phrase 'The only thing you can really control in this world is yourself?' and felt like responding with 'ha, so that's another thing I can't do', this video is for you!
A visit to my Psychiatrist a couple of weeks ago triggered me into a dark space around the concept of control after my info dump about my anxiety was met with the phrase above. As someone with two neurodevelopmental disorders AND two mental illnesses (CPTSD & GAD), control over myself, (emotions) and especially my brain capacity is not something I feel I have a good grip on - hence me being at a psychiatrist in the first place...
While making this video and reflecting on my experiences throughout life, I've been saddened by how much of what we are told in mental health settings can be interpreted as invalidating, especially for those of us with life-long disabilities. While I feel some of the responsibility for that sits with mental health professionals, I feel my input and the responsibility I take for reviewing and evaluating my role in the exchange is equally, if not more important this time.
So I took myself down a rabbit hole of research, self-reflection and creative investigating and came up with this video.
This video talks about the following concepts and ideas:
* Control: The real or imagined power and/or influence we have over a subject.
* The three different ways our sense of control can be orientated - Emotional, Cognitive and Relational.
* Learned Helplessness
* Disability, vulnerability and Self-Regulation
* Western Psychology and it's WEIRD data set (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic).
* Eastern psychology and it's somatic approach (mind and body, thoughts and feelings. Introspection and self-reflection).
* Discipline and self-control
I also wrote and performed a poem about my initial feelings and have shared that here.
Thanks for your ongoing support and input on this journey.
30 сен 2024
