In this episode, you’ll join me for an interview with author, screenwriter, and activist Rose Cartwright, whose battle with disturbing intrusive thoughts initially led her to a diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. However, after rising to fame through a seeming liberation due to her diagnosis, she found herself at a crossroads that led her to drastically rethink healing and mental health.

A profoundly transformative moment at a silent meditation retreat during a personal dark night of the soul would mark the beginning of a new chapter. It was here where Rose encountered a profound silence that opened the door to exploring altered states of consciousness. This experience led her to the unconventional path of psychedelic therapy, where she found revelations and healing outside the rigid diagnostic frameworks of traditional mental health.

Throughout our conversation, Rose and I dive into how she moved beyond the biomedical model and labels that once defined her. From her initial diagnosis to her courageous exploration of psychedelics, Rose's journey illustrates a profound shift from seeing herself through the lens of disorder to embracing a spiral upward, becoming more truly herself while alchemizing the pain of her childhood.

My hope for listeners is that this episode will serve as an invitation to rethink what it means to truly heal. For anyone questioning conventional mental health approaches and finding themselves stuck at a crossroads and overcome by psychological suffering, Rose's story will offer a radical perspective on embracing the full complexity of the human experience.

REFERNECES: 

✧ Rose’s new book: “The Maps We Carry: Psychedelics, trauma and our new path to mental health”

✧ “I was the poster girl for OCD - Then I began to question everything I’d been told about mental illness” (article by Rose Cartwright via The Guardian)

✧ Knots by R.D. Laing

✧ We've Had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy--And the World's Getting Worse by James Hillman

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The information contained in this podcast episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment or consultation with a licensed mental health professional.

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