When someone says generational trauma runs in the family, you say, “It runs out here.”
Dear Family and Friends,
This is Rachel Steinman and in less than three months we will be in a new decade- The Roaring 20’s. So let’s seize the day and make bold resolutions.
One of my resolutions is to connect with you. It’s why I’ll be podcasting weekly. And it’s why I want to invite you to PLESE JOIN MY PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP- “Dear Family Members.” (Link in bottom of show notes.)
I’ve been saying a lot lately how I could literally walk up to anyone on the street or knock on any front door and whomever I ended up speaking with would have some type of family issue or a family secret they were ashamed of.
I’m working hard to create mental health and get the message out by:
*Attending WerkIt, a Podcasting Bootcamp put on by the Annenberg Foundation. It was free of charge and meant to encourage a diverse population of women. A brave woman got up to speak about the difficulty of recording in the “hood ” (her words) with helicopters, sirens, and dogs barking all around her. I realized her voice needed to be heard, and podcasting is such an incredible platform to get it out there. We also discussed mixing boards, advertising, production and so much more. I realized how much I have learned since beginning this podcasting journey.
*Sharing my experiences of feeling vulnerable and brave at the same time when I went into a middle school in Burbank and spoke to kids and their parents about the NAMI Ending the Silence Program. You know when something just feels right? Well, this felt right. I felt like I had a lot to offer because I’m a teacher who has taught kindergarten through sixth grade, a mother of two thriving teenagers whom I will take some credit for, and I’ve become a mental health advocate, researching the latest news in addition to owning my personal family stories. Being able to answer the kids’ and their parents’ questions with knowledge and knowing I might change the trajectory of a young person’s life felt really great.
*Attending UCLA’s Friends of Semel’s Open Mind screening of BEDLAM, the first documentary to explore the crisis in the care of people with severe mental illness in this country. It premiered at Sundance in 2019 to a standing ovation. The documentarian was made by Dr. Paul Rosenberg, a psychiatrist, and filmmaker who went into psych wards, prisons and into the tent cities of the homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. California is the epicenter of the homeless crisis and prisons are being used to house many people who used to be held in psych wards, or as they used to be called Insane Asylums. Learning about the history and politics of tearing down mental hospitals to be replaced by prisons was fascinating and sad. Dr. Rosenberg was joined by a panel of psychiatry royalty for an incredible discussion. What made the doctor’s story so powerful was it was personal. His family hid the shame and stigma of his sister’s schizophrenia.
I walked away feeling like my goal of discussing mental health in families was even more important. We as a society have to shine a light on our bias’ against mental illness. By educating our young about mental health, we can prevent self-medication and substance abuse, and keep our youth off the streets. It really matters because 50-75% of youth in the juvenile justice system experience a mental health condition. I feel hopeful because we are beginning to shift the paradigm as our youth begin to see their mental health as a priority and schools are beginning to see the value in teaching mindfulness starting at a young age.
The good news is we CAN break the generational trauma and curses. So when someone says, “It runs in the family,” you say, “This is where it runs out.”
Sincerely,
Rachel
SHOW NOTE LINKS:
PLEASE JOIN:
***Dear Family Members, Private Facebook Group- CLICK THE “VISIT GROUP” BUTTON
*Rachel’s YouTube Video of this Conversation- Please Subscribe
*Second Home Work Space in Hollywood
*NAMI’s Ending the Silence Program
*The Friends of the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA
*Rachel’s Essay- Homelessness is More Than Lesshomeness
Correction on stats-
*As of January 2018, California had an estimated 129,972 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
*According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, as of 2018 there were around 553,000 homeless people in the United States on a given night or 0.17% of the population.
CONNECT WITH US!
*Dear Family, the Podcast Page
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PLEASE JOIN:
***Dear Family Members, Private Facebook Group- CLICK THE “VISIT GROUP” BUTTON
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Thank you! Your support means the world to me. Wishing you love, happiness, and good mental health always.
