The Writer in Me
Philip J. Gale
A lifelong collection of stories and articles
CHAPTER 2
"Grief is hurt, it’s an injury that needs salve and treatment. It needs TLC and it needs time.
The feeling needs to be felt. Acknowledge it and allow it to develop, appear, live, perform, run its course, and to be expressed. It needs to be expressed! Face and acknowledge grief with truth. Don’t deny it, but accept it and allow it the freedom to be heard."
Phil Gale
Judy Davenport
Judy Davenport is a fictional, but clever exposé into the interwoven lives of therapist and patient. It is quite fascinating and I am certain that you will find yourself begging for more when the story ends. But there is magic in a reader envisioning the ending in your own mind. Do you picture a future for the attractive but utterly broken Judy and her handsome but lonely therapist Dr. Hastings?
The Double-sided Story of that Man on the Street
The Double-sided Story of That Man on the Street is an outstanding piece of writing wherein Phil gives you that missing perspective on schizophrenia in relation to his brother Vic. It was published, using a pseudonym, in the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper on March 2, 1995 in the Viewpoint section.
Phil was constantly going to battle with the British Mental Health Association to get his brother the help he needed. However it was tough because his brother frequently refused to acknowledge that he needed any help.
Thanks to initiatives by the young Royals in England and “Bell Let’s Talk” day here in Canada, mental health conversations are becoming commonplace and no longer carry the stigma of staying in the closet hidden behind shame.
The Enemy in The Closet
The Poor-Me Syndrome (more commonly referred to as the victim mentality) was very much alive and well in Phil’s home life as a child, and so he unconsciously received its conditioning. Having a good understanding of its detrimental effects, he worked hard to overcome them, and wrote this article to help others do the same.
