Above Ground Podcast

We all got Psychological factors...yes we do.  Takes one to know one...That is what your head sounds like. Well, come join us for a #RealConvo

This week is the year anniversary of the loss of our friend, Patrick Brearton. We have a walk team for this years AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk for R.I.T.A.

Patrick's Shamrocks

Please donate. 

Thank you for stopping by.

This week the guys continue their discussion on the causes of mental illness. The biology of it all. 

This week we continue our discussion about the causes of mental illness. We stomp the grapes of the biology of mental illness today and listen to the Symphony of Destruction.

Biology effects everything. Genes, predisposition, infections, brain defects and injury and the damage done in utero can send you spinning out like a kind of top. Take one of these and it is a bit to handle. Throw several into a blender and you got a smoothy of uncomfortable intensity. 

Don't forget, in the 518, we have our next meet up tomorrow at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library at 6pm. Follow the group

https://Facebook.com/groups/PeersSupportingMentalHealth/

Will is also busy performing and this week he is at 

https://www.greenwolfales.com

Will and Tim are taking you on a ride through the environmental factors of what causes our mental illnesses, disorders and problems. It all starts on the inside and oozes out. Everything is related and affects the other.

Still reeling from the death of Neil Peart of Rush recently, we entitled this episode 'Between the Wheels'. 

Wheels can take you around Wheels can cut you down

sings Geddy Lee on the album Grace Under Pressure. 

We are talking the inner wheels and how out of control our environment can get if we don't take hold of the handlebars and steer around the potholes, traffic jams, detours and accidents. Remember every machine needs care at some point. Keep your wheels air pressure checked and no flats. Watch out for the curbs. 

This week is also our first spot, Ride for Mental Health 2020 

Taking place June 27-28th, in the beautiful Hudson Valley town of New Paltz, NY to benefit McLean Hospital

A Harvard Medical School affiliate psychiatric training hospital dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by mental illness. This bike ride has donated over $425,000 in just three years. Pedal your way to stomping out stigma. 

This week we talk about the many enemies within and the causes of mental illness. Be well, be safe, be Above

Upon this journey of a thousand miles, we call life; we will come upon many crossroads. We must take one path or choose another. Some we feel called to, others we choose out of safety, ease of passage or we would rather go along with someone else's plans for us , than answer the call of our souls. 

Robert Johnson, the Mississippi Delta Blues Singer of the 1930s wrote and recorded Crossroad Blues on Vocalion in 1936. He sang supposedly of 'selling his soul to the devil' for his musical gifts. I personally feel after many listen to his songs, that he was searching for peace. Peace in a time where the color of his skin would cause him great harm. I also feel he was a tortured soul. 

Like many of us, he was searching for a peace he would never attain. Hellhounds would follow him like wolves and suck his last breath. Depression and mental illness can cause us to feel the hounds are always nipping at our heals. Fighting is all we can do.

Ignoring your mental health at best may be a survival mechanism. At worst it can be a death sentence. If you are listening to us, congratulations, you have survived all your worst days. We are happy you are here. We need you here.

So far we have 33 weeks and counting. Today Tim and I dive into the shallow end and pick are faves up until now. Just to help you along if you are new to the neighborhood.

So Far, So Good So What is my fave Megadeth album, featuring In My Darkest Hour. Come rage again the dying of your light and get some tools to help you stomp stigma and brighten your spotlight.

Be well, be safe, be Above

Rapid heart beat, sweating, shallow breathing, tightness in your chest. Sounds like a serious health event. Could just be a panic attack. I know, just a panic attack? Just a PANIC ATTACK? 

If you are like us, you know these symptoms and all the others that correlate with panic attacks. They are not fun. They are downright scary. I have had two that have landed me in the ER. Tim has died on the table, and come back. Take that Nikki Sixx. 

Be the fly on the wall for our conversation about panic attacks. We even throw in a Star Wars reference for good measure. May the Force Be With You.

Be well, be safe, be Above

Happy New Year...This is the first of 2020. We're spitting about family and the knots that need untying. Often in need of replacing.

Mental Health crisis and diagnosis can often tear families up and apart. Having a family member with these issues make it often hard to live a normal life for those not equipped to handle the trauma that often results. 

This year is kicking off with this first page of the calendar. You can choose your friends not your family. Choose wisely, my friends choose wisely....

Be well, be safe, be Above