Our safeword.. Pineapple. Your safeword …CHRISTINA!

/in , /by

Hello Everyone,

As you know there have been a string of suicides again this past week. Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain, and in our business.. Dave Slick. It sickens me and saddens me that so many think there is no hope and no one to turn to. I will admit I have had my lows, just like everyone else. But I have always had the strength to pull myself up and go on. Life is like a rollercoaster, without the lows and the unfortunate times you get turned upside down and lose what’s in your pockets.. you wouldn’t appreciate the highs and the wind blowing through your hair as you soar through the sky. I’m not sure if I’d really appreciate how lucky I am to be be alive if I had’t fought for my life back in 2006 like I did, and the long road back. That’s why I dedicate a good amount of time to help people that can not help themselves, to give the them some of my strength for just a moment. In my industry the there are more suicides and depression then ever before. There are a dozens of reasons why. But in our industry It always comes back to a soul trying to find a better place in this world, trying to feel good about themselves and make money. A lot of young people today turn to porn when they feel the rest of the world is shit, want to feel glamorous, and be a star. Unfortunately, 1000’s of others are doing the same. Sadly, with all the piracy none of us make enough money anymore to keep hiring the way we used to.  So the cycle continues as they search and search until they sadly enough can take no more. If you have not heard yet we have created a new support system for our industry talent.

Welcome

Let me tell you a little bit about it before we move on to the fun stuff of the day:

OUR MISSION

We at Pineapple will provide 24/7 support for all industry performers. There will be no discrimination, judgment or stigma.

We will provide free and subsidized therapy, ensuring that every member of the Pineapple family is cared for should they need it.

We will create a safe, caring environment that every performer will be proud to be a part of.

We will alleviate the isolation felt by many performers by supporting each other, so that no one need ever feel lonely.

We shall promote mindfulness and positivity, being proactive in caring for our mental health.

We will spread happiness, we will be the change.

HOW CAN PINEAPPLE ACCOMPLISH ALL OF THIS?

With determination, elbow grease and a lot of support from you lovely lot.

Pineapple Support is a registered charity recognized in both the UK and the USA (pending approval), which means helping us can also help you. So please support our mission so we can carry on supporting you and the performers you love so much.

Everyone looks better with a smile.

Now that you know what it is, please be sure to send any performer that you see is having a rough time our way, or come to us and we will go help them. I am a trained listener on Pineapple as well a Director and Trustee. We are a charity, therefore, we do need donations to keep this going and to help as many performers as we can.

Adverse Childhood Events

/in , , /by

Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) Study-Physical Problems Due to Unresolved Trauma

How scary is this?  From 1995-1997, Kaiser Permanente, a huge hospital in Southern California studied over 17,000 patients for this study.  It asked questions about abuse and neglect that these patients may have received as a child such as: emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.  What the study found was that people who were abused or neglected emotionally as children had a whole host of medical problems as adults.

These “events” made their brains develop differently than people who didn’t have abuse or neglect in childhood. This resulted in problems with thinking, socializing, and emotions. This led to risky health behaviors such as poor dietary and exercise habits, eating disorders, ignoring illness, addiction, and general bad self-care. Ignoring health led to in increased number of serious medical diseases such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and so on.  It also resulted in social problems such as not being able to get along with others, having a poor support system (if any), and mental illness. This all results in early death due to complications of all of these issues.

It is normal for children to numb themselves or forget that abuse and neglect occurred.  As adults those memories may break through and we may start to recall more than we want to.  As we age many people try to distance or numb themselves from these thoughts, feelings and memories by “self medicating,” and abusing food (eating disorders), alcohol, drugs, tobacco, sex, or other things.

“ Persons who had experienced four or more categories of childhood exposure, compared to those who had experienced none, had 4- to 12-fold increased health risks for alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, and suicide attempt; a 2- to 4-fold increase in smoking, poor self-rated health, ≥50 sexual intercourse partners, and sexually transmitted disease; and a 1.4- to 1.6-fold increase in physical inactivity and severe obesity. The number of categories of adverse childhood exposures showed a graded relationship to the presence of adult diseases including ischemic heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, and liver disease. The seven categories of adverse childhood experiences were strongly interrelated and persons with multiple categories of childhood exposure were likely to have multiple health risk factors later in life.”  ACEs study by Vincent J Felitti, MD, FACP; Robert F Anda, MD, MS; Dale Nordenberg, MD; David F WIlliamson MS, PhD; Alison M Spitz MS, MPH; Valerie Edwards BA; Mary P Koss, PhD; and James S Marks MD, MPH.

“Over the past 10 years, more than 20,000 American children are believed to have been killed in their own homes by family members. That is nearly four times the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The child maltreatment death rate in the US is triple Canada’s and 11 times that of Italy. Millions of children are reported as abused and neglected every year.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15193530.  Sadly, abuse is not rare.

Is there is a chance that you were abused or neglected but you’re not sure?  Or maybe you are sure that it happened. Do you tell yourself, “It’s not that bad?”  Does it cause you shame to think or talk about this? If so, you’re not alone as most people feel this way.  But I would like you to remember, you were a victim, you were a child and you didn’t have the power to stop it.  You may doubt that, but it is true. As an adult you are empowered to talk about this with someone who understands and can support you.

OMG, am I gonna die?!  Well, yes, eventually we all do.  However, if you have a history of abuse and neglect you can get medical attention and regular check ups, eat right, exercise and be more health conscious.  You can meet with a therapist who can help you look at the ways that this abuse or neglect has impacted your emotional health, relationships, etc as well. It is possible to be of healthy body and mind and it is a good thing to strive for.  You are now educated and have the choice to ignore this or empower yourself to go get some help.

Some information taken from the following link where you can get more information: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/about.html

 

WIshing you much happiness, love, and laughter!

Mechele Evans, LCSW

 

Finding A Therapist

/in , , /by

Therapy! Why do I need to go to a complete stranger and open up my deepest darkest secrets? Why would I want to remember the sad or bad things that have happened to me when I’ve worked so hard to keep them tucked away in a box? What if I try it and it doesn’t work? What if I try it and I feel worse? What if I meet a therapist and they judge me?

Some of us may have had the unfortunate experience of going to a therapist and being judged or not understood and coming out with a feeling of mistrust for therapists. We may not know what questions to ask to find the right counselor. That’s why I was so excited to hear about PinappleSupport.com. A place where you know that you will find someone who understands and doesn’t judge. A safe place.

Deciding to go into therapy is not an easy task. It takes a lot of courage to admit that we have a problem that we may need help to deal with. Maybe we’re angry that we’ve been in therapy before and things we thought we had successfully dealt with keep popping back up. Being in therapy doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re healing. It doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means that you’re strong enough to open up and grow.

Here are some things you may want to ask a therapist to decide if they are the right fit for you:
Have you counseled people with this problem before?
Are you comfortable helping me with this issue?
How much experience do you have in helping others with this/these issues?
What things do you do to help clients with my issues?
Can we go at my pace?
Do you give advice, teach coping strategies or just listen?

Remember, ever therapist is not a fit for every person and that’s ok. You may need to try several before you find one that clicks or makes you feel comfortable or heard. If the therapist you try isn’t a good fit, try not to feel bad about yourself or your chances of finding a therapist that’s right for you. Don’t give up on yourself or the process.

Wishing you much happiness, love and laughter!

Mechele Evans, LCSW