The one that danced with the shadows

Dear Mynd aims to create and encourage conversations around mental health. We do this through stories and that simple fact that connects us all; our human experiences. We are, after all, our stories. And our stories are us.

This episode of Dear Mynd explores the theme of drug addiction in a 15-year-old. It uses a first-person narrative in a story called Dancing with the Shadows by Bobby Menonn – to touch upon a range of themes such as the often innocuous start to addiction, the self-destructive nature of an addict, and the power of acceptance and love.

Details of the episode

1. How drug addiction starts in the life of a teenager.
2. The ‘vicious-circle’ quality of drugs and its hold on a person.
3. How love and acceptance can begin the process of healing.

Meet the host

Srividya Sivakumar is a reader, a teacher, and a speaker. But what really occupies her mind are those strange things that come hardbound or within soft paperbacks or on a device.  Books. Yes, she’s a self avowed bibliophile and a firm believer in the magic that 26 letters and a few punctuation marks can create.  A critically acclaimed poet, TEDx Speaker and a Voiceover Artist, Srividya believes in using her voice as a vehicle – one that drives change, sparks conversations, inspires calm and encourages you – to slow down, one story at a time.

Author bio

Dancing with the Shadows is written by Bobby Menonn. Bobby says that after a long hiatus with work, where he has done various things, he has arrived at a juncture where the experience has dissolved, the knowledge has evaporated and he is just a soul in search of his purpose.

Fear evaporates when there’s no expectation. And so, he does the things that he feared to do 40 years ago. Cook. Garden. Write. Travel. Talk to complete strangers. Strike up friendships.

Bobby thrives in being here, today.

His narrative, Dancing with the Shadows, placed third in the Write Away contest organised by MyndStories.

Resources

To Read

1. Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction – David Sheff
2. Scar Tissue – Anthony Kiedis & Larry Sloman
3. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts – Gabor Maté

To Listen

1. Above the Clouds of Pompeii – Bear’s Den
2. Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
3. Better Man – Robbie Williams

QOTD

Do you have a story of courage and resilience to share?

Write to Srividya – srividya@myndstories.com

Find us on Instagram and LinkedIn.