by R.P. Whitmore-Bard (they/them)
May 18, 2022

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” 

– J. Krishnamurti

Symptoms speak

As therapists dedicated to liberation and social evolution, listening to mental health struggles means more than seeking potential solutions.

We can also listen for how symptoms themselves actually ARE solutions; to problems silenced by a repressed culture, by a society built on the true mental illness of dehumanization practices, colonialism and imperialism.

Awareness of mental health is important, and we know that treatment access for affirming mental health care is life-saving. Yet to truly honor Mental Health Awareness month, we should also talk about what our society actually considers mental health to be.

Listening beyond the personal  

 

Queer and trans people have a long history of our desires and truest expressions of self being treated as a problem to be solved. 

Many of us have painful inner monologues as a result; I must be doing something wrong, what I want is wrong, who I am is wrong.

Our world contains multitudes of truth, multitudes of reality. We see this in the study of history, where often only one narrative is featured as the true one.  In reality, we know life is more complex than this – and so are our personal experiences. 

Is it any wonder that so many in our community suffer from symptoms of anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders and mood swings?

Collective PTSD isn’t easily treated in the therapy room

We have the power to recognize the symptoms of collective trauma – and to help others we care about to contextualize their personal suffering within a broader framework of who we are, how we are being treated and how we’ve been treated historically.

It also takes steadfast recognition and love from broader society – schools, families, faith communities, governing bodies – to uproot the conditions in which hate, discrimination, fear and division thrive. 

How to support

This spring, let us plant the seeds for recognition of our shared responsibility, realization of our deep interconnectedness, and manifestation of our love for humanity to grow. 

Help us to do so by donating today at queerasterisk.com/donate. You can also Text to Give “queerasterisk” at 56651.

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #FreedomToTransform