Namaste,
My name is Gayathri Ramprasad. I’m the author of the upcoming memoir from Hazelden Shadows in the Sun: Healing from Depression and Finding the Light Within.
Julie and I have been friends and mental health colleagues for almost ten years. It’s exciting to finally announce that the book we originally discussed in a restaurant booth when we were both starting our mental health advocacy work is finally a reality. The book comes out in March, but Julie wanted me to introduce myself to everyone before we talk more about the release.
I was born and raised in Bangalore, India, amidst ancient traditions, and a large, loving extended family of twenty-three – grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. My happy childhood, however, gave way to a traumatic adolescence. By the time I was 18, I was debilitated by generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. At 23, as a young mother in America, I struggled to free myself from the death-hold of depression.
On April 30, 1989, confined in the seclusion room in a psychiatric ward in America, stripped of freedom, dignity, hope and humanity, I promised to emerge a messenger of hope and healing. For every indignity that I had suffered in shame and silence, I promised to fight to restore my dignity and the dignity of others like me around the world. And for every moment that my family and I had lived in despair, I promised to bring hope to the lives of others like us.
I dreamed of having a life where I could be a loving mother and wife as well as someone who could honestly tell her story. I didn’t know how it would happen, but I knew I would do everything I could to help others who went through and are going through what I experienced. I started a nonprofit called ASHA International- Julie is on the board! We promote cultural competence and mental health awareness. Writing the memoir took many years. I’m glad I kept going and I hope I can encourage you if today is a tough day or if you care about someone who is having a hard time. We can get better. I still deal with my depression and anxiety, but I now have tools to keep it managed. I talk about all of this in the book.
Helping others has helped me heal and become whole again.
ASHA literally means HOPE both in Sanskrit, one of the world’s most ancient languages which originated in India, and Hindi, India’s national language. In English, ASHA is an acronym for A Source of Hope for All touched by mental illness. I look forward to telling you more about Shadows in the Sun. Check back for more information in the next few weeks!
Wishing you wellness,
Gayathri
Click here to watch a video trailer about the book.
Click here to read more about ASHA International.
Click here to read more about Shadows in the Sun on Facebook!
A note from Julie: I’m so excited that this book will finally be available to the world! It’s the first memoir ever written by a woman from India that directly addresses mental health. Amazing!
I have been married to my husband for forty years. We have three grown-up children and two grandkids. My husband has been very abusive for a long time, and everyone says I have been a fool to stick with him. Our last born daughter seems to have been affected by her father
Dear Jane Rose,
My heart goes out to you and your family. It is difficult to help someone get treatment when they are in denial, and yet, as family members, we have to continue to try. My friend Julie coaches family members and partners of people struggling with mental health issues. I encourage you to contact her at http://www.juliefast.com/family-coaching/ Good luck!
If you born and raised in Bangalore, you read this… (sorry not comfortable in English…) Nanage ee bipolar manasika vyadhiya kaaranadinda yaawa kelasagalallu hecchu hottu nillalaagalilla… Namma deshadalli ee samasyeya bagge ashtaagi tiluwalike iruwawaru bahala virala… Nanage eega aaptasalaheginta naanu maadabahudaada udyogada awashyakate ide… Nimma ee “Asha” samsthe Bengaloorinalli ideye…? Idda pakshadalli alli nanagondu udyoga needi… Neewu kottashtu sambalakke opputtene… Nimmanthaha maatru hrudayigalu intha samasyegala bagge bahala kadime tiluwalike iruwa ee namma deshakke hecchu awashyakate ide, Akka… Nanage sahaaya maadaballawaru illi yaaru illa… Nanna bagge yellaru olitu bayasidaru naanu anubhavisuwa kashta enthaddu endu namma tande-taayigu tilidilla… “hara kollal para kaayvane..” emba gaadeyanthe, devare namma kai bittaga naawu daivikateyannu nimmanthaha uttamaralli hudukabekaaguttade…
Dear Mr. Poornachandra,
Thanks for writing! I am sorry to hear about your troubles. I certainly understand the challenges of finding acceptance and support in India, and applaud your courage in seeking help. ASHA International does not have a presence in Bangalore. I sincerely hope you can find a mental health advocacy organization in Bangalore to help you. Good luck!
I am just curious. Have you tried supplements? If so, which ones and what was the outcome? There are many reasons that supplemets don’t work for everyone. Please be tested for pyrroluria, methylation problems, Candida, food allergies and sensitivities to dairy, milk, etc., and heavy metals. Please read “Who’s Crazy Here? Steps to Recovery Without Drugs” (for Central Nervous System disorders are listed next) by Gracelyn Guyol. She had bipolar for years until she was relieved of all her symptoms when she was diagnosed with pyroluria. This caused a severe deficiency of B6 and Zinc. It was the reason nothing else helped with her depression even though the manias were releieved. Her book explains all the common causes of mental disorders, the imbalances, the geneic quirks (that can be tested), the digestive woes and allergies that prevent the body from utilizing even the wholesome foods eaten, and the toxic dangers that can be removed with nutrients. She further lists all the testing sites. This is an excellent book for anyone who has not been helped with the micronutrients, no matter which brands were used. No supplement can provide healing for every person. She also authored the book “Healing Depression and Bipolar Disorder Without Drugs” prior to the above book before she was diagnosed with pyrole disorder. Another excellent book is authored by Carl C. Pfeiffer, Phd, M.D. It is titled, “Nutrition and Mental Illness. An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry.” He was the director of the Brain Bio Cneter, the leading research center into mental illness and nutrition in the world. I purchased both on Amazon.com. Good luck and don’t give up on trying that which is natural to your body and brain. I don’t have bipolar but am intimately involved with those who do and have seen what psych drugs can do to harm their brain and body.