On ‘Bird Box’: psychosis, empathy & the able gaze w/ James
Freyia (she/her) and her younger brother James (he/him) use the apocalyptic horror film, Bird Box, as an entry point to examine Freyia’s first psychotic episode, from both the internal and external perspective.
#donthushthehysterics
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Content Warnings:
Discussions of mental illness - including psychosis and psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations; trauma; death - including suicide and violence throughout.
There are specific mentions of the following topics at the time stamps provided:
33:21 - 33:33 - InCel culture
47:30 - 50:03 - The use of the word “psychotic” as a ‘playful insult’
55:55 - 56:25 - Racism
96:26 - 96:41 - Harry Potter
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References:
What It’s Like To Be ‘Mind Blind’ - Nayantara Dutta
/
The Walking Dead
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/
/
A Beginners Guide To DID - The Entropy System
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkyMdbf5QIPF-xuh90wEMJ6hixqDo7gz_
Structural Dissociation- DIDR
https://did-research.org/origin/structural_dissociation/
Introduction To Structural Dissociation - The CTAD Clinic
Memory and Trauma - Jessica Maguire
Plural Selves - Meg-John Barker
https://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/PluralSelvesZine.pdf
Parts Work Therapy - Dr Arielle Schwartz
https://drarielleschwartz.com/parts-work-therapy-dr-arielle-schwartz/#.YuVIqBAo8go
/
What Is Alexithymia - Emily Nagoski
https://emilynagoski.bulletin.com/q-a-what-s-alexithymia/?section=comments
What Is Interoception? - Embodied Philosophy
/
White Gold
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6010920/
/
Between Bird Box and A Quiet Place: Blockbuster Depictions of Disability - Melinda C Hall
“Nothing About Us Without Us”
Sia’s Movie: Another Autistic’s Response Because Y’All Won’t Listen - Tianasao
/
What Is Epigenetics? - Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
/
Homeostasis vs Allostasis - UChicago Online
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wcliBV3-WaE
Allostasis vs Allostatic Load - Active Health Clinic
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JeZ3Qmt91wA
Window Of Tolerance and Emotional Regulation (Dr Dan Siegal) - Lewis Psychology
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TNVlppGz0zM
/
This Is Experiential Learning - EBLS
/
The Meaning Of Bird Box | A Reflection Of Modern Society - Kevin Burke
https://headstuff.org/entertainment/film/film-features/bird-box-meaning
/
The Matrix
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093
/
The Ghost of Christmas Past
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_of_Christmas_Past
/
Why Was Everyone Talking About Emotional Labour In 2018 - Sophie Wilkinson
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/5ea9f140-f722-4214-bb57-8b84f9418a7e
/
What Exactly Is A Boggart? The Creepy History Of A Very Mancunian Monster? - Saima Akhtar
Black Mirror: Playtest
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5709242/
Sour Hall - Laura Kirwan Ashman
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Sour-Hall-Podcast/B08SM42H7T
Interview With Writer/Director Laura Kirwan-Ashman (Sour Hall) - The Final Girls Podcast
/
“Canary in a coalmine”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/canary-in-a-coalmine
/
Medusa
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Medusa-Greek-mythology
/
The Weeping Angels
https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Weeping_Angel
/
The Conjouring
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1457767/
/
Here's What The Monster In 'Bird Box' Actually Looked Like, According To Sandra Bullock - Julia Emmanuele
Flanimals
http://www.rickygervais.com/flanimals.php
Davros
https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Davros
It Chapter Two - Grandma Scene
/
The Trolley Problem | The Good Place | Comedy Bites
The Trolley Dilemma: Would You Kill One Person To Save Five? - Laura D’Olimpio
https://theconversation.com/the-trolley-dilemma-would-you-kill-one-person-to-save-five-57111
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Credits:
H O S T
Freyia Lilian
G U E S T
James Swailes
NinebyNine (his music project)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5WLA654NKqvLa7iekAjROp?si=2nSNQiE0SSKqo6dX9YWWmg
Bandcamp: https://ninebynine.bandcamp.com
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nineby9
D I S T R I B U T I O N P A R T N E R
Strong365
Website: https://strong365.org
M E N T O R S H I P
Chantel Garret (she/her)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantelgarrett
M U S I C
Foxhunt (he/him)
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/foxhunt-official
S O U N D
Dr Ted Wickstead (he/him)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-wickstead/?originalSubdomain=uk
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3593-1222
Research Lab Page: https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/yuelab
Blog: https://notsomentalhealth.com/about
Instagram: @norestforthescientist
Twitter: @DrTedWickstead
A S S I S T A N T
Becca Vines (they/them)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-vines-3111b81b8
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If you are concerned about your mental health, Folie À Deux always recommends turning to trusted members of your community first.
In the words of Drs Amelia and Emily Nagoski:
“The cure for burnout isn’t self care, it’s all of us caring for each other.”
Access allowing, spending your time and resources finding a supportive professional you gel with can be invaluable to your journey.
If you are in crisis and you don’t know where to turn, Strong 365 hosts their own free 24 hour peer led online mental health chat which can be found here:
https://www.7cups.com/p/strong365/?wla=strong365
A thorough list of mental health helplines for a range of countries can be found here:
https://www.helpguide.org/find-help.htm
The world is better with you in it.