Author's Note
Author’s Note
Â
The purpose of Breaking Through the Silence: A Poetic Journey into Healing from Mental Illness is to encompass the emotional impact of disorder and recovery, and to continue sharing my story. This book acts an extension of my first book, Weightless: Healing from an Eating Disorder.
I want my poetry to connect with you, especially if you have suffered from your own mental anguish, know someone who suffers, or would like to gain a new perspective. The mental health stigma is still at large; one of the best ways to reduce a source of negative connotation is to speak about it, as difficult as it may be.
Healing is an arduous, non-linear process. My journey is not over yet; what is most important is to keep going. Writing about my personal struggles is restorative for me and has allowed me to gain incredible insight about myself. It is also very vulnerable for me to share.Â
Reading my work will not resolve any difficulties that you may be experiencing or have faced in the past. Your work must come from within, and you have all the power you need to write a different narrative for yourself. A helping hand is always welcome (and okay to lean on), of course.
It is my hope that my poetry reduces any viable or lurking thoughts that you are alone in your endeavors, and eases the path towards recovery. To provide yourself the best and safest opportunity to become your authentic self, it is advantageous to seek and identify your unique ways of healing and growing. Through suffering, hope can arise. If you are still searching for that light at the end of the tunnel, keep going!
For those who need to hear it, this is my hope for you:Â
That you can open your heart to the emotions bottled up inside, find a connection within yourself, discover that you are not alone, feel empowered to share your journey, and most importantly, heal your own wounds.Â
Everybody has a story and it deserves to be heard. Break through your silence. Give yourself compassion and cling to that hope.Â
Healing is possible; you just need to believe in it.Â
Heart left unspokenÂ
Silence has kept it broken
A shift has transpired
Its voice abandoned no more
It is time for me to heal
Tanka Poetry
All poems in this book are purposefully written in modern English Tanka verse. Tanka, also referred to as “short song,” is a Japanese short form of poetry traditionally written in 31 syllables (5-7-5-7-7). This form of poetry is meant to express emotions and intimate communication from the viewpoint of the writer; evoking deep meaning and strong feelings in the reader.
