BRAIN, BODY, SPIRIT

"Brain, Body, Spirit" is a memoir focused on my experience with psychosis as part of a mental illness called "schizoaffective, bipolar type" meaning I have psychotic symptoms between and during mood episodes of mania and depression. I can have no symptoms sometimes, but usually there's at least some level of disorganization, hallucinations, delusions and cognitive problems. Psychosis is not what you may be prone to think. It doesn't mean I'm dangerous or crazy. It means "a break from reality". Somewhere along the way, I started believing really odd things that became delusions, like for example, I was donating my body to science even though I'm still alive. Once I thought I was Taylor Swift and attempted to write a song for every one of "my" fans. I stayed in a psychiatric ward every time I was ill, at least usually. There was one time I was able to avoid the hospital. Psychosis can be dangerous, to myself and others, but I would never mean to hurt anyone. I just didn't understand the concept of what I did and what I knew to be true. It all made sense to me but no one understood that. I was so terrified, believing I was in hell because I couldn't find Jesus anywhere. Sit back, relax and let me tell you about it. This is my story.