Michelle shares her journey supporting two young people through extreme distress, from hospital stays to first responder callouts. She talks about the challenges with emergency services and the healthcare system, the power of being there for someone, instead of trying to fix them, and why she created Kaboose, a community app for neurodivergent people.
After her first daughter’s birth, Bek experienced intense postnatal panic. Misdiagnosed and overmedicated, she spent three years in and out of psychiatric hospitals. In this episode, she shares how she fought to get her life back and regain her agency.
In this episode, our guest shares their experience of two extreme states: psychosis and depression. They talk about how they managed to overcome intense adversity and the teachings that followed. They speak about how reading 200 books in 2 years helped them find purpose and how they found a way to find a life worth fighting for. Please keep in mind that this guest would like to remain anonymous. ✨ Check out the Star Size Comparison video mentioned in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
This is a conversation with Jesse about suicide. Jesse shares his own experiences of suicidality and offers different ways we can have more compassionate conversations about it. We think about suicide as a natural physiological response to distress that contains a message for the individual and those around them. We explore some of the misunderstandings around suicide, the importance of language and allowing people time and space to process and heal. Jesse works at LifeConnect who offer suicide ...
We sat down to chat with Mary O’Hagan, who’s currently the Executive Director of Lived Experience in the Department of Health in Victoria. Mary shares snippets from her memoir “Madness Made Me” and speaks about how value and meaning can be derived from experiences of madness. We ponder what it could look like if communities looked after each other and created space for people in distress. Check out Mary’s Book here: https://www.madnessmademe.com/ Come and listen with: Lucy (She/Her) – A big fan ...
Elsa talks us through her new role as the spiritual care lead and some of her hopes for the role. Elsa breaks down and simplifies what the word ‘spirituality’ means, what it can look like in a modern world and why it can be important in the context of mental health and healing. The definition of spirituality mentioned references the work of Canda, Edward (2008) Spiritual connections in social work: boundary Violations and transcendence. Journal of Religion and spirituality in social work 27. 25-...
In this honest chat with Paul, he helps to bust some myths about common misconceptions in the medical world. Paul speaks about the value of humanizing people’s experience rather than medicalising it and how including people’s loved ones in their care can make a real difference. Come and listen with: Lucy (She/Her) – A big fan of ice cream and storytelling Rachel (She/Her) – Social Worker, Dialogical Practitioner, mad footy fan and wildly passionate about transforming the culture of mental health...
Paul helps to bust some myths about common misconceptions in the medical world. Paul speaks about the value of humanizing people’s experience rather than medicalising it and how including people’s loved ones in their care can make a real difference.
In this conversation we chat with Chris about how the experience of bipolar can feel but also how we can learn and grow from it. Chris talks about the importance of inclusion and connection, having a ‘vibe tribe’ and dropping judgement when caring for people who are having a rough time. This episode mentions “The Road Less Travelled” By M. Scott Peck Come and listen with: Lucy (She/Her) – A big fan of pickleball, ice cream and storytelling Rachel (She/Her) – Social Worker, Dialogical Practitione...
In this episode, we chat with our guest who describes how it feels to experience psychosis. We talk about what they found helpful and not so helpful while being in that state and what life after psychosis has looked like in their life. We touch on the different ways phenomena like psychosis can transform people and how we can better care for people going through psychosis. Come and listen with: Lucy (She/Her) – A big fan of pickleball, ice cream and storytelling Rachel (She/Her) – Social Worker,...
How can we respond to distress with greater compassion and humanity? Sometimes as humans, we have experiences that aren’t shared or understood by others. Often these experiences can feel extreme, scary, unreal or even euphoric. Experiences like psychosis, depression, grief and addiction. Here is a little taster of highlights from some of the conversations Lucy and Rachel have had so far with incredible humans who vulnerably share their different perspectives on these ideas. Come and listen with:...
How do you be a human first and a professional when it’s required? In this episode, we speak with Jamie, a social worker in the mental health world. Jamie shares his unique perspective on what it’s like to experience his own mental health challenges and how that’s shaped the way he now works as a clinician and a person. Jamie talks about burnout, knowing when to take a pause and drawing on our humanity when facing distress. Come and listen with: Lucy (She/Her) – A big fan of pickleball, ice crea...
In this first episode, we chat about what Extremely Human is all about. Extremely human is a conversation about the profound experience of extreme states. When we speak about extreme states, we want to explore a more humanistic way to understand people’s experiences that aren’t always shared by others. Each extreme state holds different meanings for each person, including those related to psychosis, depression, grief, and addiction. As we chat with a variety of humans, we explore the important q...
