How do you define community? Our guest on Shining Light on Shadows, Dr. Rachelle Kritzer, will talk about the importance of community support for people and families struggling with mental health challenges and people with disabilities.
For me, my community support has been online, through livestream productions like “Shining Light on Shadows” and “Unspoken: Conversations with Candace.” It’s come in the form of emails, texts, responses to social media posts and viewer comments.
I’ve only recently started talking publicly about my own struggles with anxiety and occasional depression. Before we started this show, I’d never said those words publicly, much less talked about seeing a therapist.
We will discuss the importance of community support (and the different forms it can take) on a new show that I launched with Dawn Helmrich, “Shining Light on Shadows: A Candid Conversation About Mental Health.” Dr. Rachelle Kritzer will be our guest. (She also happens to be my mom's neighbor in New York and a close friend. You can watch the show live on Thursday, Sept. 12 or catch the recording on Facebook, Twitter*, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram* and my website.
*We won't know the exact urls for Twitter and Instagram until we go live. For now, those links go to my main accounts on those platforms.
In 2023, I opened up about my experience as a survivor of sexual abuse by co-hosting Season 3 of “Unspoken: Conversations with Candace.” Candace Sanchez dedicated that season to male survivors of sexual abuse. People like me.
Although I have been in therapy for most of the past thirty years, it has always been one-on-one. I’ve never reached out to support groups or participated in group therapy.
My support has come from participating and hosting these livestream shows.
For example, on August 22, when Steffen Kaplan was talking about the role that spending time in nature plays in self-care, I shared my own struggles with self-care. I talked openly about the numerous things I should be doing - eating better, sleeping better, exercising even a little, taking my blood pressure medication regularly, using my CPAP machine, drinking more water,, following up on ADHD testing - and my uncertainty on where to start.
During the show, my sister called me out on not taking my medication. She was right to do so. And I was doing my best to keep it authentic by sharing honestly.
After that show, however, and my annual physical, I started working on a few of these things. I started using my CPAP machine after almost eight months of letting it sit by my bedside (not every day, but at least a few times). I started taking my medicine more regularly. When I had phone calls, I laced up my sneakers and went for a few walks.
There’s still a lot more to do, but my assumption is that support groups provide a chance for people to share their story and speak their truth. They provide an opportunity to get feedback and support. They provide a forum for accountability.
“Unspoken: Conversations with Candace” and “Shining Light on Shadows: A Candid Conversation About Mental Health” have served that purpose for me. The emails and social media posts have also helped. To everyone reading, thank you. To everyone who has responded to my emails, thank you. To everyone who has engaged on social media, thank you. In particular, to everyone who has watched any of these shows (and to Candace Sanchez and Dawn Helmrich in particular as my co-hosts), a most heartfelt thank you.
We have started a “Shining Light on Shadows” Facebook Group. Please consider joining. Thanks.
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