Writing a book was a dream of mine ever since I learned how to read. I was 3 when I was devouring children’s books. My health destroyed by the Chernobyl radiation, I was not allowed to watch television due to migraines and seizures. Often too sick to go to school, books were both my entertainment and my friends. And I swore that one day I would write one. Continue reading Publishing my first book
Tag: Superhero Therapy
When “Weird” Means Wonderful in the Accountant
Guest post: Harpreet Malla, M.A.
When my two greatest passions, movies and mental health, intersect, I become very excited. Especially when it is done well. I was invited to a pre-screening of director Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant, written by Bill Dubuque, and while I expected a good thriller, I did not expect a genre-fluid, well-rounded portrayal of someone with tendencies of Asperger’s Syndrome. Note that the portrayal is sensationalized for entertainment purposes, but still retains value in its complex look at its characters and their unique struggles. The following review will explore themes of mental health in The Accountant, and as always with my writing, do so with minimal spoilers so you can save the treat of watching it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. The following will contain details that will not spoil any plot points moreso than viewing the trailer (see link below) or first fifteen minutes of the movie would.
Continue reading When “Weird” Means Wonderful in the Accountant
Dream Loot Crate
What if you could design your very own dream Loot Crate? What would it contain?
Given my profession and my work with Superhero Therapy, I wanted to put together an idea for a potential Loot Crate, one which could help people in managing their Dementors of depression and their boggarts of anxiety while helping them connect with their superhero potential. Here’s what I came up with.
Star Wars Challenge: Use the Force
Connecting with the Force includes a certain kind of practice – the practice of mindfulness. This means noticing how you are feeling and what is going on around you in real time. Most of the time we are in a rush, overwhelmed, and stuck inside our own minds. So then, how can we practice using the Force? Continue reading Star Wars Challenge: Use the Force
Pokémon Go and Psychology
Pokémon Go is a mobile app, which is quickly taking over the world. In just two weeks after its release the free app has made over $1 billion worldwide through optional in-game purchases. Streets and parks are busy with people playing the game on their phones and yet the media is full of dangerous warnings about this game. Do the benefits of this game outweigh the risks or should people stop playing this game immediately?
The true magic of fantasy books
Last week L. A. Times released an article about Graeme Whiting, a Headmaster at an English school, who claimed that fantasy books, such as ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Lord of the Rings, ‘Hunger Games,’ and ‘Terry Pratchett’s ‘Discworld’ may become addictive and might cause brain damage in children. This blog post is a response to that article. Continue reading The true magic of fantasy books
Doctor Who helps children with depression
Doctor Who, a BBC science fiction television series that has been running for over 50 years, is extremely popular with both children and adults. It has also been adapted to audio dramas (Big Finish Productions), as well as novels, comic books, and a single full feature film. The show is about an alien from planet Gallifrey, who calls himself the Doctor. The Doctor has a time machine, called the T.A.R.D.I.S. (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which looks like a blue police call box. The T.A.R.D.I.S. is bigger on the inside than the outside and can travel through both time and space, sometimes even going where the Doctor wants it to go.
I’m a failure
Have you ever felt like a failure? Have you ever felt like a bad parent, child, partner, friend, student, mentor, human being? Have you felt like you simply weren’t good enough at something extremely important to you? And no matter what you did, you kept seeing the mistakes you made, seeing how others seemed to do it better, fearing that if others knew the truth about you, that they would no longer love you or want to be near you? Or perhaps you felt that you were not thin, beautiful, smart, courageous, creative, strong, productive, or supportive enough?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” please keep reading. Continue reading I’m a failure
You are loved
As we go through our day we may get so wrapped up in what we are doing we may forget to notice the beauty around us. But this post is not abound falling in love with the trees and bumble bees. This post is about falling in love with ourselves.
Finding courage in the face of tragedy
About this time last year things started to come together. My book was getting signed, I had the support of my loved ones, everyone I knew was alive and well. Things were good.
Until they weren’t.