My conversation partner this week is Rick Rigdon. In Rick's words: I'm a 63 year-old gay man who lives with my spouse of 26 years in Everett, Washington. (We've officially been married for 8 years after marriage equality passed in the US). I'm an INFJ who's a semi-retired web developer. This past year, I created a blog (Mystical Bear) where I document my experiences of using the writing of a novel as a tool to help overcome depression, anxiety, and PTSD that I've experienced most of my life. Find Rick at: mysticalbear.com

We talked about:

- Rick's story with PTSD, depression & anxiety

- Rick's experiences with conventional therapy / what worked for him & what didn't

- Flashbacks & a painful break-up / on unhappy experiences & mental health stuff

- How holotropic breathwork helped Rick

- Rick's current outlook on his depression

- The importance of having a creative outlet to manage his depression

- Rick's fiction project / the origins of the story

- Rick's relationship with his father

- Rick's experiences with blogging & why he is writing

- On writing for ourselves, authenticity, and sharing what we write online

- Why Rick decided to start his Mystical Bear blog

- How sharing his experiences through writing online has helped him thus far

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by ⁠⁠Jas Hothi⁠⁠, with music by ⁠⁠Chris Porter⁠⁠

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