Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
How Dark Can It Get?
How dark can it get? So dark that you don’t know if your eyes are open or not, but you feel your eyelids blinking right? It doesn't matter. You concentrate and open your eyes wide, "even if it's a small little light," even if it's dim. I don't care, just please. Nothing, tears have been slipping out but you’re too busy thinking to notice. You put your arms in front of you. Reaching for anything to give a sense of where you are. Even if it's the slightest touch, please, nothing but the cold empty air. You start to panic more because you can't see and now there's nothing to grab a hold of. Fear fills your body, can you hear anything? ...gulp. You sit down on the cold hard floor. Your heart beats louder as you listen, pounding like a drum ready to burst. You try to calm your banging heart, your ears adjust to the quiet, ready to hear the faintest sound. You hold your breath and hope with all you’ve got. Closing your eyes hard, wishing for this to end at any moment. Your past the crying and your body is adjusting to nothing. You want to keep on, begging to be saved from this, emptiness. Suddenly you remember that person who liked you last week, the person who wanted to ask you out but you gave no chance. They don't even seem so bad, you cry again. Anything would be better than being here, wherever this is. Your parents, oh Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for being who I've become. I'm so sorry, save me. Take me away from here, I can never get out, it’s so lonely. You hold yourself, you’re all you've got left. But then you start to hear something, it’s faint but it's something. You jolt into action. Where is it? What, is it? You search around with anticipating eyes, your heart is racing and your breath became short and fast. You turn around and see a small little light. It's tiny but you don't care, you start running, you’re racing to it. You feel the adrenaline rushing through your weak body, you trip, it doesn't matter because your already back up and running. The light gets bigger and tears stream down. "A door?" I don't care. Your blood is rushing through your veins, you've been running so hard. Just when you were ready to give up completely. As you are within range to see, there's people waiting for you. They’re shouting, cheering you on as you get closer. They’re yelling for you to make it and you run harder than you’ve ever did before. You bolt past the door and fall to your hands and knees, your feet hurt but that doesn't matter, your blood rushing and you’re out of breath, bones are aching but, I don't care. You feel joy as everyone surrounds you and you notice it's your family, friends and neighbors, everyone who you’ve ever encountered in your life. Your tears can't stop flowing but who gives a shit, you’re free. Your Bestfriend embraces you and you them. As they all walk you home you feel something around your ankle. Ignore it, you’re free now. You’re home safe, you eat and fill that empty stomach of yours. You wash up and get ready for bed, your Mom and Dad hug you goodnight and you tighten it. Their hugs have never felt so good. You’re safe, you’re home, Mom and Dad are there. You get ready for bed and turn out the lights then hesitate. You turn on your lamp, “no more darkness.” You lay down and turn to your side, as you are about to sleep you start thinking, "how long have I been gone?” stop, I'm home now. “How did I end up there?” no, stop it, you’re free. You turn on your back and once again feel a tug on your ankle. You finally decide to see what it is. It’s a thread tied around your ankle. You try to take it off, it's stuck, so you grab a pair of scissors but it's still no use. You get curious so you follow the thread. Taking along your flashlight, it leads to the forrest just up ahead. "What?" You continue to follow the thread that tugs you back to wherever it's going. You have walked quite a bit but finally reach, a door? The sign on the door read "depression." The thread leads through it, no, not there. Stop, I'm not going back. It tugs again and let's you know that at any moment you can be dragged back without a care. You pull the thread and stop it. No, I just got home, I'm not going back. You turn around and walk home, the thought never leaves your mind, "at any moment I will end up there again." You climb onto your bed and wrap yourself in the blanket, I'm staying home. You shut your eyes and fall asleep. Still, at any moment.
By Introv3rted B8 years ago in Psyche
Taken Hostage
There comes a time in all of our lives where we must make certain choices that will define our future and most of you have families that stand behind whatever your decision may be. Whether you choose a college, or to take some time off school for traveling. However, my family did not much support my particular decision as I chose to take off right after high school to go on let’s just say a magical journey to locate my birth mother. I had grown up without her and needless to say there were questions that spun around in my head. Like most people who might have grown up with one parent; I wondered why was I not good enough!
By Alyssa Horn8 years ago in Psyche
Mental Illness: The Demons Within
Anxiety is an illness that has the least in common with possession or the occult, but it still has some similarities. This chapter will most likely be more about the illness itself rather than similarities to possession but hopefully it will still be helpful to others. Based on people I have talked to and some research I have done it seems that like depression, anxiety is one of the most common of the mental illnesses.
By Alyssa Lactin8 years ago in Psyche
Overcomer: Intro to What Influenced Me
Imagine a world where Michael Jordan was captain of his basketball team in high school instead of getting kicked off the team, would he still have become one of the greatest players of all time? Would Steve Jobs be able to invent Apple if he had completed college instead of dropping out? There are events within everyone’s life that serve as turning points and moments of impact. These moments are the ones that help define who we are today and without them who knows where life would take us. What is my moment you ask, well let me tell you about my story.
By strength pursued8 years ago in Psyche
Past the Borderline
Ever since I was young I had the most difficult time when it came to making and keeping friends. I would always seem to lose friends and it would never last more than 4 years or less. I was forced to go to counseling when I was younger but to say that it helped at the time, I don't know if I could say. From waking up being angry at the world to going to bed hating myself and the world. "Why me?" I would always say to myself. Why was it me that got adopted, why is it me that always cries and gets in trouble for trying to having her emotions and feelings heard? Why why why??
By Emily Buehner8 years ago in Psyche
How to Spot the Silent Killer
Everyone has heard of the term Anorexia Nervosa, but few know what is and how to spot it. Anorexia Nervosa is a mental disease that has affected millions of men and women, including me. I am a survivor of this disease and many others that I obtained while having this mental monstrosity. For the longest time I was ashamed of the label “anorexic” because people would look at me like I was a strange species. I wasn’t considered human at that point, but a human trapped in a monster’s body. This disease is a silent killer that will own thousands of bodies every year, and as a survivor I feel compelled to share my insights of how to spot the warning signs so your mom, friend, sister, brother won’t be taken from this.
By strength pursued8 years ago in Psyche
The Girl on the Spectrum
My name is Hannah and I am 25 years old. I was diagnosed with ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) in July 2016, at age 23. Prior to this, I lived my life without support or acknowledgment of my blatant differences and although my family was aware that I was not the same as everyone else, the medical professionals we approached misdiagnosed me with depression, anxiety, eating disorders and simply brushed things off as me being quirky.
By Hannah Quinton8 years ago in Psyche
Drug Abuse & Mental Illness
An 18 year old like myself, who struggles with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, often finds herself too caught up in her own mind trying to analyze whether or not she's doing good enough, if she did everything she needed to get done, and if she's being mindful of other people in her life, but it all just turns into a recipe for disaster when she does this. Me, that is. How can such innocent thoughts cause disaster in one's life? Easy. Throw in mental illness, and that can feel like the whole disaster itself.
By Majestic Healing8 years ago in Psyche
