September Updates from Vered
Fall schedule starting this week!
I’ve scaled back my ambitions for a more focused fall. Check it out!
The End of History didn’t last too long1
They tried to bury us in paperwork. They didn’t realize we were hamsters.
What do you mean I can’t use my notes for bedding?
I am behind on notes.
This statement is true as I’m writing this. This statement is probably going to be true when the newsletter drops, when you read this sentence, and any other point between now and the end of the universe.
If you can relate, my condolences. But, good news!
Starting next week (9/17), I’ll be launching an online co-working group. We’re going to meet weekly, on Thursday evenings.
It’s going to be a casual, drop-in affair. Bring some work, log on, and enjoy the company of others who are chronically behind (or is that just me?)
For more information, read more here:2
The Horror…
I like reading horror when I’m stressed. It helps my body and brain process what seems like unending bad news. If you’re the same, here are a few recommendations I’d start with. I omitted content warnings for brevity, but each book merits several.
For fans of David Lynch -
This book has the fascinating, the mysterious, and the weird. Still, the most disturbing elements are rooted in accurate portrayals of domestic cruelty.
“…a captivating story of gothic suspense about a powerful family, the magical and dangerous silk their fortune is built upon, and the exploitative history they are desperately trying to hide.”
For fans of Jordan Peele -
An uncomfortably realistic exploration of racism, violence, and what it means to thrive in a broken society.3
“Jasmyn and King Williams move their family to the planned Black utopia of Liberty, California hoping to find a community of like-minded people, a place where their growing family can thrive…Frustration turns to dread as their loved ones start embracing the Liberty way of life.”
For fans of Darren Aronofsky -
This is my favorite of the three books. Dark Academia Ballet School, with an original spinhehe.
“Arriving at Saint Anselmus in the middle of the year, Rosamund Hammond is ready to practice hard and prove she deserves to be there. But something at this boarding school doesn’t feel right.”
Showing Some Love
#MEAction
The fall CEU schedule starts with a free class on Long Covid.
This class owes a debt to the advocacy done by groups like The Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Action Network, better known as #MEAction.
Still Sick
Still Fighting
My profession is complicit in the continued abuse and silencing of people who are sick. From my work as a therapist, as well as as a chronically ill person, I am acutely aware of the amount of suffering that gets written off as “just depression,” “just anxiety,” “malingering,” or “conversion disorder.”
I feel that we, as mental health professionals, have a moral and professional obligation to use our authority to advocate for our patients. We need to use our power to help patients get actual care.
The work of #MEAction provides support to people who are suffering, who have been failed by the medical and behavioral health systems, and who are demanding research, care, and treatment possibilities.
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Monthly Hater’s Corner
Sources Regarding My Ire
a.k.a. please don’t sue me
1 Reference to the book The End of History and the Last Man. Per wikipedia: “The End of History is a book of political philosophy written in 1992 by American political scientist Francis Fukuyama which argues that with the ascendancy of Western liberal democracy…humanity has reached…the end of history…democracy as the final form of human government.” 2026 has some complaints about the stability of world powers, sir.
2 The title is a reference to a quote I find particularly resonant: They Tried to Bury Us, They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds. For more information on the larger cultural (and historic) context, read here.
3 I can’t think of anything to say about the current political environment (and lived experience of being Black in America) that is both brief and honest. (Especially when the lived experience is not my own.) I want to speak frankly about this situation, but I can’t do it justice in the form of a book review. I refer to Linda Villarosa’s work for deeper context. This novel draws from everyday horrors to explore a world of its own.
Until next time,
Vered