I'm sorry my mental illness isn't sexy enough for you with Katja Pavlovna from Lives Not Labels
Welcome to episode 232 with Katja Pavlovna, who is an educator and award-winning activist and the co-founder of Lives Not Labels, a project designed to shine a light on the mental health conditions and labels that are stigmatised, discriminated against and typically left out of the mainstream conversation.
After years of struggling with her mental health and fighting to access support, Katja received a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD/EUPD). She was later diagnosed with Schizotypal Personality Disorder (STPD), which is now her primary diagnosis, and an eating disorder.
In this episode I chat to Katja about her experiences with mental illness, everything that led to her diagnosis and why she decided to set up Lives Not Labels with her oldest friend and co-author, Kay Garbett.
We chat about personality disorders and variations of these types of conditions; we chat about some of the common misconceptions and stereotypes that drive the stigma and fear around them and we chat about the day-to-day realities of living with multiple labels and knowing where one diagnosis stops and another one starts.
We also chat about the new book that Katja and Kay have written, which is called ‘Sorry My Mental Illness Isn’t Sexy Enough for You’ which is part memoir, part self-help guide and tells the story of how the project came to be and the unique journeys of the authors.
Some people are just left out of the mental health discourse and it’s all OK to not be OK until you have a label or diagnosis that isn’t as palatable or as common as anxiety or depression.
Stigma can exist for everyone of course, but there is definitely more of it for some than there is for others and through Lives Not Labels and this new book, Katja and Kay are doing incredible work to give everyone a voice.
Follow on socials @livesnotlables and learn more about this incredible work at www.livesnotlables.com
The book is available everywhere learn more here: Book Sorry My Mental Illness Isn't Sexy Enough for You
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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Krystal Evans on how to survive a fire and a chaotic childhood without losing your sense of humour
Welcome to episode 231 with Krystal Evans who is a writer and stand-up comedian.
Krystal is also the author of The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp, a memoir about growing up poor in America, living with a mentally ill mother and narrowly escaping a house fire that led to the unimaginable tragedy of losing her sister.
In this episode I chat to Krystal about the chaos of her childhood, the impact of constantly moving from place to place, changing schools and repeatedly starting over and how identity and a sense of place are important for how we come to understand ourselves and build a foundation for good mental health.
We chat about what it’s like to grow up in an unpredictable household, why things like blame and responsibility get complicated when it comes to family and how everyone assumes a traumatic childhood automatically leads to a messed-up adult.
We also chat about the housefire that Krystal survived when she was 14, the process of finding comedy in that tragedy and how she wrote about it for her comedy special and her book.
Krystal’s book is funny and heart breaking and a lot of other things too and it was a pleasure to chat to her all about it.
Follow Krystal @krystalevanscomedy and learn more at www.comedykrystal.com
The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp is available here: Buy the Book | Krystal Evans
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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Sophie Scott on how to support a loved one's mental health without losing your own
Welcome to episode 230 with Sophie Scott, who is a practicing transpersonal psychotherapist and the Founder of Balance, an award-winning wellness media brand working to bring mental and physical wellbeing to the masses.
Sophie is also the author of ‘You Are Not Alone in This’ a book aimed at the partners, parents, siblings and children of people who are suffering, that offers practical ideas on how to support a loved one with their mental health without losing your own.
In this episode I chat to Sophie about her own experience of growing up around mental illness and having to support family members through challenging times and how that inspired her book.
We chat about how to start difficult conversations, how to be there for someone and the messy feelings that come with caring for someone you love.
We talk about burnout, compassion fatigue, cognitive distortions, warning signs and safety plans and taking a holistic approach to mental health.
This is an important part of the mental health conversation that is neglected and forgotten about and as someone who’s mental health has played havoc with his family over the years, I know full well how useful knowing some of this stuff would have been for the people in my life when I was unwell.
I stumbled across Sophie’s book in my local library and knew straight away that it would make an impactful and insightful episode. It’s a wonderful book, with loads of ideas and tools, and I highly recommend giving it a read!
Follow Sophie on social media @sophie.b.scott
Learn more about her work and book here: www.sophiescott.co
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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"Labels are for jars mate!" Glyn Butcher and the life saving power of true peer support
Welcome to episode 229 with Glyn Butcher, who is a member of the People Focused Group in Doncaster and an Ambassador for the Citizen Network.
Growing up Glyn experienced racism, abuse, poverty and discrimination on a daily basis. When he was 11 his Mum was sectioned under the mental health act and not long after that he left to school to care for her at home.
He spent his youth bouncing in and out of care homes and his adulthood bouncing around the mental health system and spent 39 years as part of one institution or another and struggling with suicide, self-harm and addiction.
Things started to change for Glyn when he was introduced to the People Focused Group, an organisation that embraces a new way to deliver support in the community, based on people power and since experiencing true peer support, Glynn hasn’t looked back.
In this episode Glyn guides me through the challenges and trauma of his early life and how he ended up trapped in the mental health system.
We chat about his path to the People Focus Group, what happened when he got there and the incredible work that he does now.
We chat about hearing voices, the power of community, taking back control, meeting people where they are at and why Glyn has come to see his experiences with mental illness as a gift.
And we talk about the work that PFG are doing in and around Doncaster and how they are harnessing the power of the local community to do things differently to not just change lives, but to empower people to save themselves.
Glyn is an incredible human being! It was a privilege and a joy to chat to him and it’s impossible to spend time in his company and not feel inspired and hopeful.
If, like me, you’re a bit cynical of World Mental Health Day and you want to cut through the noise and the performance of it all, then this is a conversation that you need to hear.
Follow Glyn on Twitter @glynbutcher
Learn more about the incredible things happening at PFG here: https://peoplefocused.org.uk
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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Dr Eugene Lipov is upending everything you think you know about trauma and PTSD
Welcome to episode 228 with Dr Eugene Lipov, who is an anaesthesiologist and pain physician and a leading expert in treating post-traumatic stress.
When advanced brain scans revealed trauma’s invisible scars on the brain, Dr Lipov realised that if trauma could be seen, then it could be treated and he became the pioneer of using a stellate ganglion block to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD, a procedure that is so impactful that it has been nicknamed ‘The God Shot’ by a Royal Marine who received the treatment.
The stellate ganglion is a cluster of sympathetic nerves in the neck that plays a big part in the body’s fight or flight response and it’s this upregulated state that can become hypersensitive in people who have experienced trauma or have a diagnosis of PTSD.
A stellate ganglion block (SGB) is a medical procedure that involves injecting a local anaesthetic in to these nerves, which essentially turns off the stress response, and allows the nervous system to reset to a less anxious state.
In this episode, Dr Lipov joins me to talk about this revolutionary procedure, how he came to work with it and the science behind how it works.
We chat about his own experiences with trauma and how they informed and inspired his passion for this work and he breaks down the myths around treatment of trauma and PTSD that keep people trapped and offers his take on real healing and full recovery.
And we chat about the physiology of trauma, how trauma can be contagious and passed between generations, ending stigma through science and looking at trauma as a physical injury and not a mental weakness.
You can learn more about Dr Lipov’s work at Dr. Eugene Lipov | Stellate Ganglion Treatment for PTSD
His book The God Shot. Healing Trauma’s Legacy: The Science, the Stories, the Solution is out next year and available for pre order here: The God Shot | By Dr. Eugene Lipov and Lauren Ungeldi
Follow Dr Lipov on social media @dreugenelipov
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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