Conversations with Calliope- Ravages of Mental Illness

(Statue- San Juan)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you on Saturday.
JOE: I learned that some experiences are like some books. They need to be chewed and digested. I needed some time before addressing what happened Saturday.
CALLIOPE: Sounds rather dramatic.
JOE: It wasn't so much dramatic as profoundly affecting me.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Okay. I met a woman I had once loved and had not seen in ten years.
CALLIOPE: What happened?
JOE: She was a shell of her once vibrant and bright self. Only faintly glowing embers remained of her personality.
CALLIOPE: What happened to her?
JOE: Mental illness ravaged her and she almost disappeared.
CALLIOPE: Did finding her in this state surprise you?
JOE: No. I knew what to expect. Still it is sad to see the remnants of a once promising life now tenuous at best.
CALLIOPE: Sorry to hear it.
JOE: I have known it all too well as a psychologist but it's still hard to accept. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's on your mind today?
JOE: Antici----pation.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like an interesting story.
JOE: Perhaps. Several days ago my daughter asked me to sit on a panel today of people touched by mental illness. The audience consists of law enforcement personnel who will deal with mental illness in their work.
CALLIOPE: Are you prepared?
JOE: I didn't write anything out but I do have a general idea what I want to say. I will talk about wrestling with the idea of presenting, my background as a psychologist and some of my interactions with the police when various family members were beset by acute mental illness.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you have a lot to say. Have you ever thought of writing about it?
JOE: I have written a couple columns and pieces for the Mental Health Association. I am afraid that going further would embarrass my family members. I guess it is up to them to tell their stories when they are ready?
CALLIOPE: Wise move. I hope it goes well today.
JOE: It's about time to leave. I will pause here and finish our conversation when I get back.
CALLIOPE: Good luck.
---
JOE: Hi. I'm back.
CALLIOPE: How did it go.
JOE: Quite well. Once I got started I managed to dispel my anxiety completely. This was the first time I ever talked without notes. I decided to trust myself and it went fine. Now to catch up on everything else. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Bridge in Central Park- New York)

Liberalism is a Mental Illness

The above title graced a bumper sticker which recently caught my attention. I wondered what that made conservatism. What about the varieties of religion, occupation, interests and other ways in which people differ. Sometimes we hear of something we could never imagine doing and say, "A person must be truly sick to do such a thing." When we can't picture ourselves thinking or acting in certain ways, we sometimes think those who do must be showing signs of mental illness. Might it not be possible to think or act in different ways from ours and still be sane?

(Reconquista celebration- Vigo, Spain)

Art Therapy

When I first heard this term many years ago, I wondered what to make of it. Art seemed like creative expression and therapy was a way to address mental health problems. Over the years I have come to see that the two are interlinked. One of the effects of mental illness is to make people feel they are cut off from "normal civilization." They often feel others do not understand how they feel and are often frustrated in trying to explain their feelings to others. Art is a way of expressing feelings in a graphic way without the difficulty of words. People understand art in their own way and are often able to communicate through art in a way in which words do not allow them to.

(Acrylic on paper- Pete L.)