What if the disaster you survived is the story someone else needs to hear? This is the very first Disaster CLASS episode of the UNCOMMODiFiED podcast. Think of it as the anti master class. A master class celebrates success, control and certainty. A Disaster CLASS is about losing, learning and leaning into the pain and provocation of difficulty. Tim Windsor brings Disaster CLASS from two live community events onto the podcast and frames three ways we meet disaster: the disasters we create, the disasters that conscript us into their service, and the disasters that compel us to respond and refuse to let us stay silent.
Ellen Lubensky's story is a disaster that conscripted her. She graduated from Stanford, clerked for Chief Justice Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court and practised medical malpractice law. At 16, in a psychiatric hospital, she was told she would never amount to anything. What followed was a quick diagnosis, 25 years of antipsychotics with almost no offer of therapy, 20 years of physical disability and a long benzodiazepine taper. All of it began with trusting the doctors and the pill in front of her. Tim and Ellen talk about our hunger for the quick fix, the hubris of thinking side effects only happen to other people, and the shame that grows when we hide what we cannot see.
Every disaster that conscripts us can also compel us. Ellen now speaks publicly and is building a not-for-profit to warn others. She is clear that no is a full sentence, and that a provider who will not accept your no is a red flag. Second and third opinions are a right, not an insult. Shame grows in the dark and loses power in the light. To anyone struggling, she offers four simple words: I'm glad you're here. To families and caregivers, she says to listen, collaborate and give a voice to the person who is struggling. This is not a conversation telling anyone to stop their medication. It is an invitation to be informed, honest and brave. If you are in crisis, reach out for help today.
Connect with Ellen at https://ellenlubensky.com/ and The Mental Health Choice Project at https://www.thementalhealthchoiceproject.org/
Connect at https://uncommodified.com/
Tim Windsor
the UNCOMMODiFiED Podcast, Host and Guide
tim@uncommodified.com
PRODUCERS: Alyne Gagne and Kris MacQueen
MUSIC BY: https://themacqueens.ca/
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