When the Light Goes Out is a personal look at how trauma and loss impact people differently based on your personal and professional experiences. Why was this an important book for you to write?

I was passionate about removing the shame and stigma that surrounds mental ill-health. By sharing my story, I was able to challenge the notion that mental health professionals are somehow immune to adversity. Having the knowledge of my profession and years of therapy gave me the necessary tools and insight to navigate my trauma and loss. I knew that not everyone had this privilege and it was important that I share my expertise and experience with others in order to provide help to many people who suffer with mental health disorders, tragedy, trauma and daily challenges. As a psychiatrist, I can assist those people that I see in my consulting room every day but, a book was a way to disseminate my knowledge to a wider audience. It makes me happy to know that more people can be reached and uplifted, as poor mental health causes immense pain to those afflicted and their families too.

I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?

It was hard to write about family members. I needed to be extremely thoughtful about this process and took my time to churn through many conflicting thoughts and emotions, so as not to project my hurt and shame onto others.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

Creating a narrative of our trauma can be very healing. Writing allowed me to process my experience and my pain. It provided the opportunity to self-reflect and to find my peace and acceptance.

Shame can be overcome. I had lived with shame for years, but I was able to let go by allowing myself to be authentic and learning to accept that I was an entire being with both strengths and weaknesses. I did not have to be defined by any of these characteristics and it was important to practice self-kindness and let go of the fear of judgement from other people.

Trauma underlies many diverse mental health presentations. Processing and integrating the trauma is fundamental to creating change and facilitating healing. As mental health professionals, we should always be considering the presence and biological and psychologically consequences of trauma in our clients.

Grief is a forever journey.

It can be torturous to live without answers and each person has to find their personal closure in order to move beyond the loss and grief.

Life is a journey that is not easy, but by accepting the pain we can begin to recognise and appreciate the wonders in the normalcy of our every day.

What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?

There is always hope. No one is perfect and we all have to face struggles of various kinds every day. We can always grow through adversity and we are shaped by both good and bad experiences in our lives. Our greatest strength is to be comfortable with our vulnerability.

Author Links: Facebook | Website

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/19/comfortable-with-our-vulnerability/