I have self harmed, on and off, since I was fourteen. I have self harmed both before and after coming to faith, and I still struggle with, and often fail to resist, the urge to do it when I am depressed. As you may know, I have written my Guide to Self Injury, covering everything […]
“High Flight”
May 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I have recently been reading a book called “Through Corridors of Light: Poems of Consolation in Time of Illness” (you can buy it at Amazon UK if you like) which includes lots of poems about illness, some with a spiritual element and some not, and which I would heartily recommend. I would definitely check out […]
Suicide and Religious Faith
May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment
This another question posed by Adrian Warnock in his post: Suicide and Religious Faith following on from his question about mental illness which I posted about in mental illness and my faith. This week, his question is: Research suggests that religious faith protects against suicide. Why do you think that is in light of how your […]
Mental Illness and my Faith
May 11, 2013 By 4 Comments
Apologies for the essay-like title, but I am writing this post in response to Adrian Warnock’s posts on Patheos (“A conversation about faith and mental illness” and “How has faith shaped our view of mental illness?”) He asks a question, in the light of the publishing of Amy Simpson’s book Troubled Minds and the suicide of […]
Gentleness and Stigma
May 5, 2013 By 3 Comments
To acknowledge ourselves as having a mental illness can make us vulnerable. If you read the website of Time to Change, the anti-stigma campaign, you can read about others who have experienced discrimination because of their mental illness, who have been told that they are “faking it” and that they have a flaw in their […]
Holy Wit?
April 15, 2013 By 1 Comment
A little while ago I wrote about sorrow, mentioning 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 which talks about “Godly sorrow” and how feeling haunted by our sin can lead us to repentance, which should then lead us to an understanding that we are forgiven. I there spoke about how I can find it hard to let go of […]
Suicide, Matthew Warren, and my experience
April 9, 2013 By 6 Comments
I heard about the death of Matthew Warren over the weekend. He was the son of Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, and a leader in American Christianity, so the news went all over the internet. I don’t know much about the Warren family or Rick Warren’s teachings, but I have a great […]
Lord Jesus, Think On Me
April 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Another hymn for you, the words to this one are from Synesius of Cyrene, circa 430 (Μνώεο Χριστέ); translated from Greek to English by Allen W. Chatfield. I use these hymns as an example for prayer and reflection, as well as something nice to listen to – they are not just added here as “filler” posts. The lyrics are […]
Bit of a Personal Update
March 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Sometimes I feel as though I am, in this blog, only reflecting back on times when I have been “properly” ill – in particular the four major episodes of mostly depression (with some hypomania) in the past ten years. I thought it was time for a little more about me today. I am on ESA, […]
Stripped Bare
March 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Standing before the throne of God can be a terrifying experience. All the pious platitudes, the polite faces we put on in church circles don’t matter any more. My respectability is seen to be a sham, I cannot hide my face. All that I am – good and bad – is open, is in the […]
