disorder
The spectrum of Mental Health disorders is incredibly vast; we showcase the multitude of conditions that affect mood, thinking and behavior.
The Best Friend of My Dreams Who Got Away
I met Nicole, the most treasured friend I have ever had in my life, at the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, Minnesota while Nicole and I were admitted at the Mayo Clinic during the cold winter of February 2013. During those cold days she warmed my heart instantly when she approached me after our dinner had finished at the Ronald McDonald House. She broke the ice by saying “Hey, you just seem very nice and normal compared to a few here, and I’d like to get to know you.” I got that feeling you get when you feel like you’ve known that person forever instantaneously. Nicole asked me, “Do you know what POTS is?” which was her diagnosis, and for some reason, my mind went to pots and pans. Later that night when we went to our respective rooms with our parents and family, we continued to chat over text about our chronic health problems and how we dealt with them. I turned 18 during the 2 weeks our times overlapped at the Mayo Clinic; so, we were just 17 to 18-year-old teenagers who immediately had a crush on each other. We formed such a strong bond as best friends throughout our experience at Mayo’s that carried over into a complicated but beautiful friendship. Throughout the years, we did keep in touch and converse about our health battles and how we dreamed to overcome them.
By Eamon Janfada23 days ago in Psyche
A Headache, New Medication, and a Happy Outcome
As of Saturday, I had a headache. Again. Or maybe still? I had a new prescription that was finally approved that I was really hoping would help with my headache, but was a headache to be approved for in and of itself. The paperwork had been delayed by a week. The paperwork had been completed - and then rejected because one item wasn't "clearly" marked.
By The Schizophrenic Mom26 days ago in Psyche
A new gadget translates stroke victims' silent speech
Some stroke victims are still able to move their lips and form words, but their speech is no longer understandable to others. With the promise to facilitate daily communication and restore some degree of independence in daily care, a soft, neck-worn gadget now seeks to translate those silent, laborious attempts into clear spoken utterances.
By Francis Damiabout a month ago in Psyche
Essence, Embodiment, and Relational Reality
The Failure of Reduction and the Need for Synthesis There is a persistent failure in many modern attempts to explain what a human being is. Some frameworks reduce the person entirely to matter, insisting that identity, consciousness, morality, and meaning are nothing more than emergent properties of physical processes. Other frameworks move in the opposite direction, detaching spirit from reason and grounding belief in intuition alone, often at the cost of coherence or accountability. Both approaches fail because both misunderstand essence. One denies that essence exists at all. The other treats it as something vague and undefinable.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcastabout a month ago in Psyche
The House That Waited. AI-Generated.
The house appeared on the road one evening without warning. Kareem was certain of it because he drove that road every day. Same turns. Same cracked asphalt. Same dead tree leaning toward the street like it was tired of standing. There had never been a house there before.
By shakir hamidabout a month ago in Psyche
Resistance Is Not the Enemy
Iron sharpens iron. Brakes save lives. Friction preserves form. Modern culture treats resistance as failure. Anything that slows momentum is framed as obstruction, anything that introduces friction is assumed to be opposition, and anything that interrupts progress is labeled a setback. But this instinct misunderstands how both physical systems and human growth actually work. Resistance is not inherently hostile. In many cases, it is the only thing preventing collapse.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcastabout a month ago in Psyche
The Refiner’s Fire Is Not the Whetstone
There is a difference between being sharpened and being transformed, and confusing the two leads to frustration when growth does not feel productive. Sharpening implies refinement of existing form. Fire implies change in composition. Both processes are uncomfortable, but they operate on different levels and for different purposes. When people expect sharpening and receive fire instead, they often assume something has gone wrong, when in reality something deeper is taking place.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcastabout a month ago in Psyche







