u/Ulchbhn

I don’t really know where to go from here. We were coming up on 4 years together. This conversation was from just last weekend. I have some of the best memories of my life with him and I feel like I’ve let him down. I don’t know if I can even remain friends at this point it just really hurts. I’m trying so hard to imagine life alone or with someone else and I just cant. For context, I have a life riddled with a lot of trauma and as a result my development has been kinda messed with and I have a really hard time imagining a life thats fully independent. I know I am fully capable of it my heart and mind just get in the way so much of the time. Well, things are different know, I’m joining an outpatient program and I’m doing EMDR with an amazing specialist who has faith in me. I just want to get better so badly. We’re both men btw.

Had an encouraging session today. Brain has been wobbly and weird since so practicing some grounding and thought Id treat myself to snacks and a movie.

The story follows a group of 40 women that are being held underground in a cage with no recollection of how they got there or knowledge of the state of the world above, with the protagonist being a young girl who was born after the change and has no memory of the world before at all.

It’s really hard for me to gather my thoughts onto this book in one post but I’ll try. I read many books, and I can say that it isn’t very often that a single story profoundly changes the way I perceive the world and myself in it in the way that this one did. I’m familiar with a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction, The Road, Tender is the Flesh, Parable of the Sower and so on, this is one of the few that stands out to me the most and I think should be held with the same regard as the classics.

This book has a way of lulling you into a state of total isolation with yourself, making you feel that your story resonates as much as the lives of the characters it handles. It challenges you to imagine what it would be like for you to be completely alone, no companions, no world, no memories, no knowledge. With that in mind, the question it poses is: who are you truly without any of these things? The author does an excellent job at confronting what we think we know about ourselves, and exploring what it means to be human. I don’t know if I will ever feel the same again after reading this knowing what I know now. Simple concept, beautiful prose, and outstanding ideas that it poses. I really really loved this but I don’t know if I could ever bring myself to sit through its entirety again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hi EMDR community! I made a post the other day on how gaming has impacted my EMDR experience and wanted to make a follow-up to support others who practice this and maybe others who are interested in trying. I spoke with my specialist about this topic and she was thrilled and enthusiastic on incorporating both worlds for a stronger healing journey thats personal to me and my interests. I would like to give some reasons as to why I made these choices and some suggestions for others who might want a different experience.

In my experience, games with these elements have helped a lot with the processing of my thoughts, feelings and memories:

- Atmosphere

This is probably my biggest one as having a strong atmosphere is really essential to getting in the space for processing. I personally enjoy playing in post-apocalyptic worlds because feeling like I’m the last person in the world and therefore being the writer of my own story and having the freedom to do whatever I want is really soothing to me.

- Engaging gameplay

I’ve found that games that call for an understanding of complex systems that I can really devote my attention to is very helpful. Tetris is often recommended for PTSD survivors for this reason, and shows how games can be an effective resource for healing when used in a therapeutic way.

- Comfort & Nostalgia

Some of these choices are ones that I’ve stuck with for all my life and that have never failed at bringing me into a calm and happy state. Id strongly recommend trying out games that you maybe haven’t touched in a long time that you have a strong relationship with, you might find it brings you as much peace in the now as it did back then.

Recommendations!

Here are some universal recommendations for anyone who’d like to try with this method that I haven’t mentioned in my image. I hope these bring you joy and nourish your healing journey.

- Abzu & Journey

Both of these games evoke a sense of awe and wonder unlike anything else I’ve ever played. Gorgeous art and music.

- Dredge

A relaxed fishing & ocean exploration simulator with a dash of cosmic dread here and there. This is technically a horror title so keep that in mind but I’ve seen many people consider this their comfort game.

- Gris & Neva

These are two fantastic works of art that grapple with grief and healing in unique ways. They’re both fairly brief but have very engaging gameplay and story.

- Katamari Damacy

A beautifully ridiculous and enjoyable classic. You play as the prince of the universe whose goal is to roll up everything with a magic ball to help put the stars back in the sky. It’s very delightful and engaging.

- Okami

Another classic. I could write a whole book about how much this game has changed and impacted my life and it still wouldn’t do justice to what a gem this is. If you’re curious about it, give it a try. It’s everything thats wonderful about games and is living proof that games can be an art form.

- Persona series

You can’t go wrong with any of the titles in this series. They all have gripping and engaging turn-based gameplay balanced with the simple joys of daily living with a very effective story. I put this one here because it also features some really deep and profound psychological and philosophical elements that will be helpful for anyone who is interested in stepping into the worlds of psychology and spirituality.

- Spiritfarer

This is one that I haven’t put in my list as I’ve beaten it but I’ve talked about it a fair bit in my threads. Spiritfarer has been one of, if not the most helpful games in my healing journey. I don’t want to give away too much about it if you’re curious, but it is simply a game that asks you to accept the past and learn how to let go and move forwards while still carrying the memories in your heart. You play as a psychopomp that helps lost souls come to terms with their existence, their life, and their death, and help them move on to the next stage of being. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll learn how to forgive and let be. I hope you find the same meaning in it as I have.

Thats everything I wanted to cover in this post, I hope this will be helpful to you! Thank you so much u/drantoniodcosta for suggesting this idea and helping promote gaming as a resource and mental health awareness. Happy tapping! 🫶❤️

Just finished this like 5 minutes ago and man I am so serious when I say this is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. For those who don’t know, its a story that follows a man and his son (they don’t have names they’re literally just called the man and the boy) traveling across the country after the apocalypse in search of a better life. It can be really heavy at times and the atmosphere carries so much weight to it but never at any point did that make me want to stop reading. The prose is simple and to the point making it very easy to read yet you’ll find that even in the simplest of senses there is so much wonder to be found. There isn’t a single word wasted. I think what I admired most about this story is that even amid such a bleak setting, it manages to tell us a tale of hope, resilience, and triumph in the human spirit. Even after the world ending, this one man and his son still find meaning in life within each other and have that be reason enough to keep pushing forward and I think thats incredibly beautiful. Idk what else to say it’s just perfect. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Its a little bit chaotic but I’m happy with how its growing 😅

I’ve returned to practicing after a couple years hiatus and I finally feel like everything is falling into place in exactly the way it’s meant to be. I’m stepping back into myself and I’m so happy that I’ve made the choice to. The trees and the wind and the birds all remind me that I walk this path for a reason and no matter if I have people around me or not I will never be alone. The world is such a beautiful place to be. Thank you if you’ve read this far. May the powers of the heavens and the earth be with you this day and all days🌿

I’m super excited to dive into this tome of a book. I’m wondering if i should savor this and stop myself from starting it until it’s actually my birthday (my real birthday is this weekend). I’m thinking I wanna make a whole date of it and take it with me all the way to Boston and get some tea and read it in the public gardens or something of that sort. At the same time though I don’t wanna risk damaging it from carrying it in my bag everywhere. What are we thinking? 🤔

In the beginning of the film she sees Nikki giving a homeless person money for food and drink and she goes “Nice, just bought a guy’s heroin for the week” which is just really tone-deaf and culturally insensitive and not a good look for her. And then she has the audacity to confess to Bear and try to convince him to be with her even though he’s already in a happily committed monogamous relationship. The only way I can look past this is if she wanted to be a part of a polycule with the two of them but she never asks that?? All this while knowing Bear is gay and DL and that he’s with Nikki because he’s trying to figure out who he is as a person and Sarah doesn’t even make space for that. Is she the villain?

Let me know your thoughts!

I made this back when I got my first autism evaluation and diagnosis. It was part of my unmasking journey and learning how to live happily and authentically myself. Found a lot of healing in making it but I had a hard time figuring out where to present it because on one hand I wanna raise awareness about my condition but I also don’t wanna make people feel like I’m just shoving my interests down their throat idk. Thought this place would appreciate! ☺️🫶❤️ Lemme know y’all’s special interests in the comments