Maybe we are not losing our minds but that we have been seeing thru the glass darkly. What we are losing is our misunderstanding. What we are finding is a clear eyed reality of the society in which we live. Painful but a step to regain our footing on solid ground.
This is also why we have to usher in a new way when this regime is finally gone. Things clearly were NOT working for so many people. That is what helped give rise to this tyrant and his enablers.
I heard Pete Buttigieg speak in person last month at a speakers series near my home. He said we need to start planning NOW for what that looks like. He said, "Imagine the day that Trump is gone." (The crowd erupted in applause.) He said we need to think NOW about what we want to do to make this a better country that is not susceptible to such a person in the future. We cannot wait for the day to come. We have to plan for what that looks like and be ready.
Marianne, it heartens me to read what Mayor Pete said; I highly respect him. A group has formed in my town that is addressing the issue of the common good ... what is it and how is it restored. Robert Reich wrote a book The Common Good. I'm seeing the phrase pop up more and more in the things I read which tells me that a lot of folks are seriously looking beyond these horrific days. A hopeful quote by Anand Giridharadas I can't get out of my head ... "We are living through a revolt against the future. The future will prevail."
Sharon, this is it! We are seeing things for what they are. We lived for decades thinking that our country and its citizens were one thing, and we have learned the ugly truth--that there are more people than we realized with warped values. There are millions of people who are of a combination of the following: willfully ignorant, complacent, cruel, paranoid, racist, misoygnistic, greedy, soulless...the list goes on. We knew these people lived among us, but it stunning to realize how many people seem okay with what the anti-Christ unleashed.
We tried to warn many of them. "Oh, but the price of EGGS!"
I agree with both of you. Many Americans just weren't able to see or accept just how bad our country has become until this bunch rubbed our collected noses in it.
Truth, Sharon. One of my teachers, Thomas Hübl, refers to this period in our collective history as The Great Detox. It’s like lancing the boil so healing can begin. We have to be aware of all the awfulness before we can begin to build a society that works for everyone.
Absolutely! "IT" has always been there. Now with that darkness in the Light healing can begin.
P.S. I remember Nixon's resignation and many thought that, too, was the end of days. They asked, "how could such a thing be for the President of our country?" They had eyes but did not see, ears, but did not hear. They played "ostrich" until it was too late.
Thank you. I spiraled in the first go around, but had a weaker grasp back then on how many idiots in my life supported and even loved him. I understand now that they're lost causes and having them out of my life feels not only necessary, but freeing. It's so much worse this time, but I've managed to rely on my own understanding of how wrong it is. How wrong they are; how they lie to themselves. They are the opposite of what they proclaim and it's stunning but no longer destabilizing.
I knew how bad it could get. I expected a lot of this to start after 2016. After his alleged second "election," I started to prepare for the worst. If this bunch lasts until 2028, our country will be unrecognizable.
I have known this most of my life. But no one wanted to hear or talk about it. Millions of historians, social scientists, legal scholars, and social workers know our society exactly for what it is—for what it has always been. We have never been Reagan’s shining city on a hill.
Ditto, Joan! I have felt like I was shouting into the void for most of my life. It's depressing to think that it had to get this bad for the conscientious of America to wake up to what has b been put in place for around 50 years. Bit by bit. It will take some time, but we have to change the laws and requirements and stay vigilant.
John, as always, you have perfectly captured what is going on and what I have increasingly observed (and felt personally) since the anti-Christ was first elected. In 2016, I started noticing people acting differently in many settings--people on edge, drivers being more reckless, apparently thinking that rules didn't apply to them, people being more impatient, people feeling more emboldened to do and say things they normally wouldn't. Clearly that has only intensified in the years since.
Now, we have been exposed to years of collective traumatization. We have all been gravely abused--on SO many levels--and as you point out, it does not spare the sheep who follow him blindly.
I am a clinical psychologist, and while I do not practice directly with clients anymore, I am in an administrative position where I see how access to care and funding are gravely threatened. And it is scary.
These things were already a concern with him OUT of office. Now it certainly appears that these soulless beings are actively trying to make people ill and even die. So much for "pro-life," as I often comment to people.
It just underscores my anger at people who voted for him based on the abortion issue. If they are truly "pro-life," they would not support politicians who strip healthcare, deny people food, loosen gun access, pollute the environment, deny life-saving reproductive healthcare, and bomb innocent civilians, including schoolchildren.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for seeing the truth and naming it clearly. You are one of the greatest beacons of light and sustainment in these dark times. I am so very grateful for your humanity, compassion, wisdom, and love. You are a true follower of Christ. God bless you.
THIS IS ME! I have been outside in nature, but my heart is so heavy that I can barely drag it along. I have been wondering who I can talk to, who I can call, without depressing them further. I read this morning that even Putin now fears inside threats. (About time.) WE THE PEOPLE do not want war, would never choose war. WE THE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD want better for ourselves and each other. So, what is it with the warmongering men in power? We need them OUT.
Please call 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline. They will connect you to a trained, licensed crisis counselor. Do not wait until you feel like you are at the end of your rope. Call before then! You do not have to be suicidal to call! Feeling frustrated and isolated is reason enough.
"Men and women, already prone to depression and anxiety, those normally driven to despair without any discernible cause or reason, now also have objective data that makes that hopelessness quite sensible.
The MAGA movement is making otherwise mentally healthy people emotionally sick and making already ill people much worse."
I'm glad that this is the first email I opened. Thank you, John.
You have opened my eyes to my problem, so as a result I am taking today off and not watching any news or posting anything. I'll watch a few movies, read a book, and take many naps.
Thank you for continuing to put in words what I and many others are feeling. As a mom and grand parent it is increasingly difficult to keep the ‘happy face’ around my loved ones. Some are aware of the dire straits our country are in and others act as if we are not in danger. Crazy making times!😣
Happy to join the two comments below by Sharon and Diane, to add that, John, you're really pumping out some powerful observations about how far this situation in our country has developed. Handing over the leadership of our government to these sociopaths by the decision of six SCOTUS Justices that States alone could not enforce the 14th Amendment against insurrectionists coming to power in an election is our decline and fall. Enough has been written about "a clear-eyed reality of the society in which we live," and not enough about how to step to solid ground. (I keep asking for Blue States to place all our Fed taxes in escrow before next month to cut off the blood supply of this cancer).
What are we going to do after the first Tuesday next November when another blatant blow is dealt US by this régime? Each one solidifies their power so there's no going back. Fascism can only be overthrown by war, and even telling it like it is becomes treason advocating the overthrow of an illegitimate government. Time to see that buying all those million-dollar warehouses for prisons is the plan equivalent of sending dissenters to Siberia to make ours a country where all the people remaining free have been raised in the new generation of ignorant obedience happy with their Black Fridays and entertainment.
I need to add what Jung would call "synchronicity of meaning" just after I posted the above about SCOTUS on July 1, 2024 over-riding the self-activating 14th, which happened just after the 'assassination attempt' on Trump: Wa Po News Alert just now:
To tilt Hungarian election, Russians proposed staging an assassination attempt
To aid Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a friend of Russia, in his election, operatives proposed “the Gamechanger” — a staged assassination attempt to stir supporters.
It has been noted that Trump’s ratings were stagnant then his handlers set up the assignation attempt. They were ok with there being other lives ended as ‘collateral damage’
True. Several substack writers wrote about it at the time, as I did and my concern was that such selfish purpose to stay out of jail and get the power to plunder our government was a crime another level of magnitude and foreboding an unlimited fascism for US.
The current Administration, under the real leadership of Stephen Miller, Russell Vought and the Wizard behind the curtain, Steve Bannon, carefully planned out their assault on the non-White, Straight (rich) Males in their Project 2025. It was designed to do just what John describes in this essay. Intimidate, gaslight, discombobulate and cause women, BIPOC, Immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ people to shut down, withdraw in fear and keep our heads down. Thankfully, these stupid men really don't know true American history, just their sanitized, White Supremacist version. Women, Racial and Sexual minorities have been dealing with adversity for hundreds of years and have developed resiliency, subversive tactics, tight communal bonds and endurance. We will not go backward and we are pissed. I spent the last three days at the annual Psychotherapy Networker Symposium Conference where thousands of psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and social workers gather to hear leaders in our field teach strategies and interventions for helping ourselves and our clients move from internal & external danger into safety and self empowerment. At a gathering of LGBTQIA therapists we spoke of all the adversity we have fought and endured for generations. We will defeat these ignorant men. They will fail because they underestimate women, BIPOC & LGBTQIA folk.
It's cold comfort to remember that Trump is also severely mentally ill. Couldn't have happened to a better guy. But hopefully it's terminal - imminently.
The dementia he’s suffering from ultimately ends in death. He is spiraling out of control. I suspect that he will be gone before 2028. My dad died from Alzheimer’s so I recognize the symptoms. He won’t be around for a lot longer.
Sorry to hear about your Dad, Sharon :( That must've been hard; my Mum had dementia too so in my own way I've been there too. But she didn't deserve it, just like your Dad didn't....
Liked J Glaspie ‘Dragging my Heart along’… (Tom Petty song) and mine; “MORAL INJURY” for this human experience for us compassionate and empathetic souls. I find it very important to Name the symptoms we beloved folks are suffering from everyday, because it is then possible to figure out the cure next! God is with us as we grieve, cry and hopefully one day Heal in Him.
Thank you, John, for writing so clearly about this regime's harm to our collective MH. For ten years women have been living with the ugly mug of this abusive misogynist and I'm amazed at their strength. Compassionate men have been harmed. I hate to consider what some kids growing up in these times have learned; their parent's will have a say in that, I suppose. I'm reading Rebecca Solnit's The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change. It inspires and helps with perspective. I cannot wait for the day after. Also, must say that I love the comments to your substack. Thank you all.
As a mental health professional for nearly three decades, I have worked with my share of traumatized people. What the criminal sociopath currently occupying the WH has done to an entire nation over the past decade is inexcusable--indefensible, to say the least. Every damned day we wake up to something horrific and this bottom feeder continues to reach even lower lows than any decent person could fathom. As long as we continue to be subjected to the cruelty of this regime it will be difficult for folks to really heal. How can one effectively heal when being subjected to more blows? Strong, healthy communities where people can know they are not alone and can be reassured they're not crazy--they really are seeing exactly what they are seeing and that they are not alone in it--are so critical to our getting through this dark time in our history.
We all watch the telly or "boob tube" (and Lord only knows we have too many boobs or misguided idiots on every political scene-both parties). However, it never ceases to amaze me about the number of psychotropic med commercials there are. Wraylar, Cobenfy, Resulti, etc. So many of us, if not all of us, grew up watching TV whether it was color or black and white. But what is definitely black and white these days is that the status of mental health is worsening. It got worse from the 2020 pandemic-the first and second terms of DJT, the ongoing detriment of climate change and folks just going nuts from killing their parents and/or children. This mental health crisis did not just happen-it has been going on for a long time. When someone called 911 years ago because they did not get enough chicken nuggets from Mc Donalds or a lady in my area threw her Burger King whopper at a counter worker because there were not enough tomatoes in her sandwich, I knew we were in big trouble. So here is the "Rx"-if you feel you are suffering at any point on the mental illness scale-get therapy ASAP. You do not have to be shamed for going on psych meds-you are treating an illness. If you have to get transmagnetic stimulation for 36 sessions-do it. If you are about to commit hari-kari-call 888 or 911-because the life you save will be your own and those who love you will not have to feel the ultimate pain. Call your friends, your clergyperson and stop watching the "boob tube" except for HGTV and Aminal Planet. The news is out.
Maybe we are not losing our minds but that we have been seeing thru the glass darkly. What we are losing is our misunderstanding. What we are finding is a clear eyed reality of the society in which we live. Painful but a step to regain our footing on solid ground.
This is also why we have to usher in a new way when this regime is finally gone. Things clearly were NOT working for so many people. That is what helped give rise to this tyrant and his enablers.
I heard Pete Buttigieg speak in person last month at a speakers series near my home. He said we need to start planning NOW for what that looks like. He said, "Imagine the day that Trump is gone." (The crowd erupted in applause.) He said we need to think NOW about what we want to do to make this a better country that is not susceptible to such a person in the future. We cannot wait for the day to come. We have to plan for what that looks like and be ready.
We have work to do. And we will do it together.
Marianne, it heartens me to read what Mayor Pete said; I highly respect him. A group has formed in my town that is addressing the issue of the common good ... what is it and how is it restored. Robert Reich wrote a book The Common Good. I'm seeing the phrase pop up more and more in the things I read which tells me that a lot of folks are seriously looking beyond these horrific days. A hopeful quote by Anand Giridharadas I can't get out of my head ... "We are living through a revolt against the future. The future will prevail."
Sharon, this is it! We are seeing things for what they are. We lived for decades thinking that our country and its citizens were one thing, and we have learned the ugly truth--that there are more people than we realized with warped values. There are millions of people who are of a combination of the following: willfully ignorant, complacent, cruel, paranoid, racist, misoygnistic, greedy, soulless...the list goes on. We knew these people lived among us, but it stunning to realize how many people seem okay with what the anti-Christ unleashed.
We tried to warn many of them. "Oh, but the price of EGGS!"
I agree with both of you. Many Americans just weren't able to see or accept just how bad our country has become until this bunch rubbed our collected noses in it.
Truth, Sharon. One of my teachers, Thomas Hübl, refers to this period in our collective history as The Great Detox. It’s like lancing the boil so healing can begin. We have to be aware of all the awfulness before we can begin to build a society that works for everyone.
I love this! This is exactly what is needed.
Absolutely! "IT" has always been there. Now with that darkness in the Light healing can begin.
P.S. I remember Nixon's resignation and many thought that, too, was the end of days. They asked, "how could such a thing be for the President of our country?" They had eyes but did not see, ears, but did not hear. They played "ostrich" until it was too late.
Great perspective!
Thank you. I spiraled in the first go around, but had a weaker grasp back then on how many idiots in my life supported and even loved him. I understand now that they're lost causes and having them out of my life feels not only necessary, but freeing. It's so much worse this time, but I've managed to rely on my own understanding of how wrong it is. How wrong they are; how they lie to themselves. They are the opposite of what they proclaim and it's stunning but no longer destabilizing.
I knew how bad it could get. I expected a lot of this to start after 2016. After his alleged second "election," I started to prepare for the worst. If this bunch lasts until 2028, our country will be unrecognizable.
I have known this most of my life. But no one wanted to hear or talk about it. Millions of historians, social scientists, legal scholars, and social workers know our society exactly for what it is—for what it has always been. We have never been Reagan’s shining city on a hill.
Ditto, Joan! I have felt like I was shouting into the void for most of my life. It's depressing to think that it had to get this bad for the conscientious of America to wake up to what has b been put in place for around 50 years. Bit by bit. It will take some time, but we have to change the laws and requirements and stay vigilant.
John, as always, you have perfectly captured what is going on and what I have increasingly observed (and felt personally) since the anti-Christ was first elected. In 2016, I started noticing people acting differently in many settings--people on edge, drivers being more reckless, apparently thinking that rules didn't apply to them, people being more impatient, people feeling more emboldened to do and say things they normally wouldn't. Clearly that has only intensified in the years since.
Now, we have been exposed to years of collective traumatization. We have all been gravely abused--on SO many levels--and as you point out, it does not spare the sheep who follow him blindly.
I am a clinical psychologist, and while I do not practice directly with clients anymore, I am in an administrative position where I see how access to care and funding are gravely threatened. And it is scary.
These things were already a concern with him OUT of office. Now it certainly appears that these soulless beings are actively trying to make people ill and even die. So much for "pro-life," as I often comment to people.
It just underscores my anger at people who voted for him based on the abortion issue. If they are truly "pro-life," they would not support politicians who strip healthcare, deny people food, loosen gun access, pollute the environment, deny life-saving reproductive healthcare, and bomb innocent civilians, including schoolchildren.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for seeing the truth and naming it clearly. You are one of the greatest beacons of light and sustainment in these dark times. I am so very grateful for your humanity, compassion, wisdom, and love. You are a true follower of Christ. God bless you.
THIS IS ME! I have been outside in nature, but my heart is so heavy that I can barely drag it along. I have been wondering who I can talk to, who I can call, without depressing them further. I read this morning that even Putin now fears inside threats. (About time.) WE THE PEOPLE do not want war, would never choose war. WE THE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD want better for ourselves and each other. So, what is it with the warmongering men in power? We need them OUT.
Please call 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline. They will connect you to a trained, licensed crisis counselor. Do not wait until you feel like you are at the end of your rope. Call before then! You do not have to be suicidal to call! Feeling frustrated and isolated is reason enough.
Powerful and true.
"Men and women, already prone to depression and anxiety, those normally driven to despair without any discernible cause or reason, now also have objective data that makes that hopelessness quite sensible.
The MAGA movement is making otherwise mentally healthy people emotionally sick and making already ill people much worse."
I can testify to this personally.
I'm glad that this is the first email I opened. Thank you, John.
You have opened my eyes to my problem, so as a result I am taking today off and not watching any news or posting anything. I'll watch a few movies, read a book, and take many naps.
Thank you for continuing to put in words what I and many others are feeling. As a mom and grand parent it is increasingly difficult to keep the ‘happy face’ around my loved ones. Some are aware of the dire straits our country are in and others act as if we are not in danger. Crazy making times!😣
Happy to join the two comments below by Sharon and Diane, to add that, John, you're really pumping out some powerful observations about how far this situation in our country has developed. Handing over the leadership of our government to these sociopaths by the decision of six SCOTUS Justices that States alone could not enforce the 14th Amendment against insurrectionists coming to power in an election is our decline and fall. Enough has been written about "a clear-eyed reality of the society in which we live," and not enough about how to step to solid ground. (I keep asking for Blue States to place all our Fed taxes in escrow before next month to cut off the blood supply of this cancer).
What are we going to do after the first Tuesday next November when another blatant blow is dealt US by this régime? Each one solidifies their power so there's no going back. Fascism can only be overthrown by war, and even telling it like it is becomes treason advocating the overthrow of an illegitimate government. Time to see that buying all those million-dollar warehouses for prisons is the plan equivalent of sending dissenters to Siberia to make ours a country where all the people remaining free have been raised in the new generation of ignorant obedience happy with their Black Fridays and entertainment.
I need to add what Jung would call "synchronicity of meaning" just after I posted the above about SCOTUS on July 1, 2024 over-riding the self-activating 14th, which happened just after the 'assassination attempt' on Trump: Wa Po News Alert just now:
To tilt Hungarian election, Russians proposed staging an assassination attempt
To aid Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a friend of Russia, in his election, operatives proposed “the Gamechanger” — a staged assassination attempt to stir supporters.
It has been noted that Trump’s ratings were stagnant then his handlers set up the assignation attempt. They were ok with there being other lives ended as ‘collateral damage’
True. Several substack writers wrote about it at the time, as I did and my concern was that such selfish purpose to stay out of jail and get the power to plunder our government was a crime another level of magnitude and foreboding an unlimited fascism for US.
The current Administration, under the real leadership of Stephen Miller, Russell Vought and the Wizard behind the curtain, Steve Bannon, carefully planned out their assault on the non-White, Straight (rich) Males in their Project 2025. It was designed to do just what John describes in this essay. Intimidate, gaslight, discombobulate and cause women, BIPOC, Immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ people to shut down, withdraw in fear and keep our heads down. Thankfully, these stupid men really don't know true American history, just their sanitized, White Supremacist version. Women, Racial and Sexual minorities have been dealing with adversity for hundreds of years and have developed resiliency, subversive tactics, tight communal bonds and endurance. We will not go backward and we are pissed. I spent the last three days at the annual Psychotherapy Networker Symposium Conference where thousands of psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and social workers gather to hear leaders in our field teach strategies and interventions for helping ourselves and our clients move from internal & external danger into safety and self empowerment. At a gathering of LGBTQIA therapists we spoke of all the adversity we have fought and endured for generations. We will defeat these ignorant men. They will fail because they underestimate women, BIPOC & LGBTQIA folk.
It's cold comfort to remember that Trump is also severely mentally ill. Couldn't have happened to a better guy. But hopefully it's terminal - imminently.
The dementia he’s suffering from ultimately ends in death. He is spiraling out of control. I suspect that he will be gone before 2028. My dad died from Alzheimer’s so I recognize the symptoms. He won’t be around for a lot longer.
Sorry to hear about your Dad, Sharon :( That must've been hard; my Mum had dementia too so in my own way I've been there too. But she didn't deserve it, just like your Dad didn't....
I’m sorry about your mom. It’s such a hurtful disease, they ‘disappear’ a little more each day. My dad died in 1992, but it still hits me sometimes.
I am sorry about your dad. I can relate, although mine had a different type of dementia. It is cruel and devastating.
The orange felon is the true enemy of the people. When he is gone, he will finally get the parade he has pined for—just not for the reason he wanted.
Liked J Glaspie ‘Dragging my Heart along’… (Tom Petty song) and mine; “MORAL INJURY” for this human experience for us compassionate and empathetic souls. I find it very important to Name the symptoms we beloved folks are suffering from everyday, because it is then possible to figure out the cure next! God is with us as we grieve, cry and hopefully one day Heal in Him.
~May Gods Kingdom Come, Not t’s. ~Sky
Thank you, John, for writing so clearly about this regime's harm to our collective MH. For ten years women have been living with the ugly mug of this abusive misogynist and I'm amazed at their strength. Compassionate men have been harmed. I hate to consider what some kids growing up in these times have learned; their parent's will have a say in that, I suppose. I'm reading Rebecca Solnit's The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change. It inspires and helps with perspective. I cannot wait for the day after. Also, must say that I love the comments to your substack. Thank you all.
As a mental health professional for nearly three decades, I have worked with my share of traumatized people. What the criminal sociopath currently occupying the WH has done to an entire nation over the past decade is inexcusable--indefensible, to say the least. Every damned day we wake up to something horrific and this bottom feeder continues to reach even lower lows than any decent person could fathom. As long as we continue to be subjected to the cruelty of this regime it will be difficult for folks to really heal. How can one effectively heal when being subjected to more blows? Strong, healthy communities where people can know they are not alone and can be reassured they're not crazy--they really are seeing exactly what they are seeing and that they are not alone in it--are so critical to our getting through this dark time in our history.
We all watch the telly or "boob tube" (and Lord only knows we have too many boobs or misguided idiots on every political scene-both parties). However, it never ceases to amaze me about the number of psychotropic med commercials there are. Wraylar, Cobenfy, Resulti, etc. So many of us, if not all of us, grew up watching TV whether it was color or black and white. But what is definitely black and white these days is that the status of mental health is worsening. It got worse from the 2020 pandemic-the first and second terms of DJT, the ongoing detriment of climate change and folks just going nuts from killing their parents and/or children. This mental health crisis did not just happen-it has been going on for a long time. When someone called 911 years ago because they did not get enough chicken nuggets from Mc Donalds or a lady in my area threw her Burger King whopper at a counter worker because there were not enough tomatoes in her sandwich, I knew we were in big trouble. So here is the "Rx"-if you feel you are suffering at any point on the mental illness scale-get therapy ASAP. You do not have to be shamed for going on psych meds-you are treating an illness. If you have to get transmagnetic stimulation for 36 sessions-do it. If you are about to commit hari-kari-call 888 or 911-because the life you save will be your own and those who love you will not have to feel the ultimate pain. Call your friends, your clergyperson and stop watching the "boob tube" except for HGTV and Aminal Planet. The news is out.
One of your best yet! Thank you!