Guest Blog post by Jenny Epstein Kessem, MA, LPC, BC-DMT
In the neurodivergent community, we use the term unmasking to describe a sort of liberation from mainstream expectations of behavior. Another way to think about unmasking is that it’s an experiment with prioritizing authenticity, whatever that may look like for a particular person. In other words, there is no one way to unmask.
Read MoreAbout six weeks ago, I had an accident that left me non-weight-bearing on my right foot for nearly five weeks. Now, I’m just starting to put weight on it again, relearning how to walk. With my wounds nearly healed, it’s time to begin stretching the muscle and scar tissue in my foot so I can eventually walk normally again. I won’t go into all the details of the injury here, but I do have a 2½-inch scar across the arch of my foot from a 1 cm deep cut that caused some muscle tissue loss.
Read MoreHypnotherapy, often shrouded in mystery and misconceptions, is a therapeutic technique that harnesses the power of the subconscious mind. By inducing a state of focused concentration and deep relaxation, hypnotherapy can help individuals address a range of emotional and psychological challenges.
Read MoreI learned the language of resilience before I mastered the complexity of the English language. It was a cloudy day in San Francisco, California, and my family of five was navigating through the congested alleyways as a means of reaching our final destination: the Golden Gate Bridge. Or maybe it was Alcatraz Island. It was some sort of cheesy tourist attraction fitting for an Asian family that was visiting the Bay Area for the first time, okay? That’s all that my mind will allow me to remember about the what/where/when of that day, anyway.
Read MoreDr. Alan L. Hart, who most of us have never heard of, single handedly changed the landscape of tuberculosis (TB) detection and treatment, and saved countless lives, at a time when TB was the gravest health concern in the nation.
Dr. Hart was also a trans man, and the first documented recipient of a transmasculine gender affirming surgery in the U.S.
Read MoreIn the small town of Oswego, NY, outside of an unassuming rural town hall, there is a 900 lb bronze statue of a woman wearing trousers under her knee-length dress, and a quote that reads, “I have got to die before people will know who I am and what I have done. It is a shame that people who lead reforms in this world are not appreciated until after they are dead; then the world pays its tributes…”. That woman is Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.
Read MoreIf someone were to ask me about my “coming out” experiences, I’d have to ask, “Which ones? Coming out about queer sexuality, or coming out about late-diagnosed autism and ADHD (AuDHD)?” Of course, sexuality and neurodivergence are different, so my experiences sharing them have been different. But there were many themes in each experience that felt similar: choosing to let someone in on a part of myself that I hadn’t named or claimed before, the vulnerability of allowing a part of myself to be seen and known, and my fear that this part of me would not be understood, engaged with, or embraced.
Read MoreFor many people, autumn and winter are the “grief seasons”.
The loss of daylight, loss of green as plants turn brown, and loss of the freedom to leave our homes without an extra layer, can all feel like grief.
Yearly traditions can be a reminder that some people aren’t here this year, and the loss of them can feel like grief.
Read MoreIt’s Tuesday morning - I start up my computer, relishing in quaint sips of coffee while I wait. I guide my cursor to a blank document, glide my fingers over the keyboard, and wait a little bit more. I know that for the next couple of hours, my mind, heart, and hands will come together to execute acts of synchronization. They will perform a dance of sorts as a means of transforming my emotions into artwork, my thoughts into poetry.
Read MoreDo you know Honey Dijon? If you’ve listened to Beyonce’s Renaissance album, you’ve heard her work. Honey Dijon is a DJ and electronic musician and producer. Her work on Renaissance, along with the work of producers like Green Velvet, represents a larger trend of house music’s influence on pop music, and mainstream culture in general. But did you know that electronic dance music (EDM) is rooted in Black and Queer history?
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