Overview

Poetry and fiction offer avenues for finding ourselves. For those recovering from trauma and addiction, resonant literature can provide new perspectives and insights, creating empowering and eye-opening experiences. Using concepts from narrative medicine, Isabella Mori triangulates stories and personal accounts with the painstaking cross-referencing of relevant research. With an emphasis on recovery and hope, Mori explores the intersection of literature and lived experience to draw out rich insights into issues such as addiction, depression, psychosis, childhood trauma, and domestic violence. The unique approach of Believe Me cuts through stigma around mental health and addiction concerns, allowing for new perspectives and a deeper understanding of ourselves and those around us.

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9781988915548

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Reviews

Isabella Mori has written a rare, deeply human, and well-researched book. They do a masterful job of integrating the language of both art and science, including the latest psychological science on various mental health problems. Mori compassionately takes the reader through individual stories of human suffering and healing. Their personal and professional experience with mental health offers a realistic hope for better understanding and mitigating the impact of mental health problems. Believe Me is a must read for all persons, including mental health practitioners, as no one is immune to sufferings of the mind. Ingrid Söchting, PhD Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia The author and story-evoker has created a unique piece of writing that leads with the individuals' experience through their own voice, then brings in research and integrates the two. Magnificent! Every chapter is a page turner. A unique approach and refreshing read, at times personally evoking many feelings, given my own life experiences. Paul W. Gallant, CHE Strategic Consultant, BC Centre for Disease Control, retired Combining creative writing, interviews of people with lived experience and thorough research, Isabella Mori's Believe Me is an illuminating examination of the intricacies of mental illness and substance use. With powerful quotes from interviewees (""I want to be so full of hope that there is no room for doubt""), this is a decidedly welcome addition to the array of books exploring the facets of mental illness and substance use. Victoria Maxwell Mental Health Speaker, Performer, and Strategic Advisor for British Columbia Mental Health and Substance Use Services As a therapist with many years' experience, and as an established writer and poet, Isabella Mori is perfectly placed to write about poetry, prose, and science. Each chapter of this book begins with a piece of their own writing, followed by an interview with a reader's interpretation of the poem/prose, then concludes with research which links to the complex mental health themes that emerge. Despite the darkness of many of the topics - depression, suicidality, addiction, stigma, intimate partner violence - Mori's light and tender touch is felt on each page, linking the authentic and subjective 'true self' with the relative objectivity of research and flowing seamlessly from one realm to the next. This is only made possible by the author's skillful use of metaphor, together with her own erudite scope of knowledge (Latin etymology, Virgil, Perceval, Bateson, and Alice Cooper all make an appearance) enabling the language of autobiography, poetry, myth, and metaphor to intricately intertwine with the firm and clear language of science throughout the book. This book will be of interest to anyone with an interest in mental health and personal and relational narratives. ""The deeper we go, the more we learn"" and readers who delve into this magical book will emerge from it wiser and more reflective. Dr. Annie Hickox Clinical Psychologist/Clinical Neuropsychologist dranniehickox.co.uk

Author Information

Isabella Mori, M.Ed, writes novels, short fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and is the author of three books of and about poetry, including A bagful of haiku - 87 imperfections. Poetry and short fiction have appeared in publications such as Kingfisher, Signs of Life, and The Group of Seven Reimagined. They also hold a bachelor's degree in psychology from Simon Fraser University. An alum of SFU's The Writers Studio, Mori is the founder of Muriel's Journey Poetry Prize which celebrates socially engaged poetry. They were a writer-in-residence at the Historic Joy Kogawa House. Isabella looks back on a thirty-year career as a counsellor. During this time, they wrote for and co-edited Family Connections, a newsletter for people touched by mental health and addiction. They live on the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Watuth nations, aka Vancouver, BC.

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