Life After Meds

Joanna
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Hi, I’m Joanna, and this is Life After Meds. If you’re here, you’re probably going through psychiatric drug withdrawal… or you’re trying to understand what someone you love is going through. Either way, I’m really glad you found your way here. After 11 years on all sorts of psychiatric meds, I went through withdrawal myself, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It took years. This is where I share what I’ve learned, both from my own recovery and from the people I’ve walked with.

  1. 6d ago

    When Withdrawal Makes You Feel Like an Outsider

    💌 Join my email list for a free 1-1 call with me: https://lifeaftermeds.com/meet Relational disconnect is one of the most common and most painful parts of withdrawal, and one of the least talked about. In this video I share what that disconnect actually is, why it happens, and what it looked like for me on both sides of it. Blog version: https://lifeaftermeds.com/feeling-disconnected-in-withdrawal Was this video helpful? Leave a tip: https://lifeaftermeds.com/tips If you're having thoughts of self-harm, here are the support hotlines around the world: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines#Crisis_line_organizations_by_country 00:00 When Withdrawal Cuts You Off01:15 What Relational Disconnect Feels Like03:46 It Is Not You05:08 How to Talk to the People Around You06:55 Your Inner Circle08:23 Give Yourself Grace09:24 What Comes Back10:53 Life on the Other Side11:58 Take Heart Heads up: this channel offers education, support, and community, not medical or therapy advice or services. Nothing here replaces professional care from a doctor or licensed mental health provider. By engaging with this channel, you accept full responsibility for your own choices and outcomes. No results are guaranteed. Full disclaimer: https://lifeaftermeds.com/disclaimers 💬 Let's keep the comment section an encouraging and kind place. 🙏

    13 min

  2. May 15

    Your Brain Can Heal Without Medication

    💌 Join my email list for a free 1-1 call with me: https://lifeaftermeds.com/meet If you had a diagnosis before you started tapering, you may be wondering whether you were ever really okay, or whether you ever will be. I've been there, flat on my back in agony, asking the same question. Blog version: https://lifeaftermeds.com/the-lie-the-system-told-you-about-your-brain Was this video helpful? Leave a tip: https://lifeaftermeds.com/tips If you're having thoughts of self-harm, here are the support hotlines around the world: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines#Crisis_line_organizations_by_country 00:00 Broken for good?01:16 When the DSM and psych meds grew up together02:17 Dependency mistaken for illness04:27 Two people, same diagnosis, very different outcomes06:21 "This proves you need meds for life" and why that's wrong07:22 The belief you can't heal is a symptom08:46 Flat on my back in agony09:31 Suffering before the diagnoses came11:04 What healing from dependency looks like12:29 What the hard season can give you Heads up: this channel offers education, support, and community, not medical or therapy advice or services. Nothing here replaces professional care from a doctor or licensed mental health provider. By engaging with this channel, you accept full responsibility for your own choices and outcomes. No results are guaranteed. Full disclaimer: https://lifeaftermeds.com/disclaimers 💬 Let's keep the comment section an encouraging and kind place. 🙏

    13 min

  3. Apr 29

    She was on 47 meds over 28 years. Here's how she healed.

    I sit down with my friend Elissa to hear her full withdrawal healing story: 28 years on psychiatric medications, 47 different drugs, five hospitalizations, and what finally changed. She shares what got her through the worst of it and what life feels like on the other side. Elissa is now a withdrawal coach at Life After Meds! Book a session with her. Give her channel a follow: Healing After Psychiatry Blog version: On 47 Meds Over 28 Years: Here's How She Healed Was this video helpful? Leave a tip. If you're having thoughts of self-harm, here are support hotlines around the world. 0:00 The walk-in clinic, Paxil, and how it all began; 4:28 Lonely with a panic disorder label; 9:54 Postpartum, a family history question, and the bipolar one diagnosis; 17:11 28 years on the medication treadmill; 22:26 47 meds; 28:01 "The only thing I haven't tried is no meds"; 33:36 The taper and what she didn't know; 41:21 Quitting her job and hitting the floor; 47:46 Post-it notes and borrowed thoughts; 55:31 Windows, waves, and Jekyll and Hyde days; 1:02:56 The long dark wave and the windows that followed; 1:11:14 Feeling joy for the first time in forever; 1:18:11 What she knows now about those 28 years Heads up: this channel offers education, support, and community, not medical or therapy advice or services. Nothing here replaces professional care from a doctor or licensed mental health provider. By engaging with this channel, you accept full responsibility for your own choices and outcomes. No results are guaranteed. Full disclaimer. Join my email list for a free 1-1 call with me.

    1h 13m

  4. Apr 21

    The Dark Cloud Is Not Who You Are

    💌 Join my email list for a free 1-1 call with me: https://lifeaftermeds.com/meet I spent 10 years on psychiatric medication not knowing what I was missing emotionally. Then withdrawal stripped everything bare. Here's what the withdrawal brain does to your self-perception, and what emotional healing actually looks and feels like on the other side. Blog version: https://lifeaftermeds.com/what-the-other-side-actually-feels-like Was this video helpful? Leave a tip: https://lifeaftermeds.com/tips If you're having thoughts of self-harm, here are the support hotlines around the world: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines#Crisis_line_organizations_by_country 00:00 Will I be okay emotionally without meds?02:16 Ten years in the medium range02:48 Dark clouds that wouldn't lift08:18 The bad taper11:43 The withdrawal brain15:47 Reassurance, prayer cards, and DoorDash rides18:54 Rounding the bend at 18 months19:29 Life on life's terms23:48 You are giving yourself a gift Heads up: this channel offers education, support, and community, not medical or therapy advice or services. Nothing here replaces professional care from a doctor or licensed mental health provider. By engaging with this channel, you accept full responsibility for your own choices and outcomes. No results are guaranteed. Full disclaimer: https://lifeaftermeds.com/disclaimers 💬 Let's keep the comment section an encouraging and kind place. 🙏

    25 min

  5. Mar 31

    I Was in the Depths of Withdrawal and Still Had to Be Mom

    💌 Join my email list for a free 1-1 call with me I parented three kids through protracted psychiatric drug withdrawal. In this video, I share the warped self-view, the grief, the suicidal ideation, and what helped our family survive it. I also share how being honest with my kids changed everything, and what age-appropriate honesty actually looked like for us. Part 2 covers the anxiety and terror side of parenting through withdrawal. Blog version Was this video helpful? Leave a tip If you're having thoughts of self-harm, here are support hotlines around the world. 00:00 For parents who are in the trenches of both 00:52 Who Joanna is and what she came through 01:44 The thunderstorm of self-blame withdrawal creates 05:05 "Worst dirtbag or not, I'm staying alive for my kids" 08:39 Grieving the parent you used to be 11:23 Letting go of the cushioned childhood dream 15:39 Naming it to your kids and watching them breathe 18:02 Brownies, small wins, and healing out loud 18:38 Your body will figure out how to heal Heads up: this channel offers education, support, and community, not medical or therapy advice or services. Nothing here replaces professional care from a doctor or licensed mental health provider. By engaging with this channel, you accept full responsibility for your own choices and outcomes. No results are guaranteed. Full disclaimer 💬 Let's keep the comment section an encouraging and kind place. 🙏

    20 min

  6. Mar 23

    The Shame Nobody Talks About in Withdrawal

    💌 Join my email list for a free 1-1 call with me: https://lifeaftermeds.com/meet Shame can be one of the hardest symptoms of psychiatric drug withdrawal. If you've been feeling like you're especially doomed, broken, or beyond help, this video is for you. I share what I've learned from my own protracted withdrawal and from the people I've walked with through theirs. Blog version: https://lifeaftermeds.com/shame-in-withdrawal Was this video helpful? Leave a tip: https://lifeaftermeds.com/tips If you're having thoughts of self-harm, here are support hotlines around the world: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines 00:00 The shame withdrawal puts in your head 00:57 Why your brain says you're especially doomed 03:16 What happens when you stop carrying this alone 04:09 Printing out proof that people like you have healed 05:39 "But I had preexisting issues", and why that's not the end 08:19 Walking into a cave with no light, and walking out 09:02 The nerve endings that break off and grow back 11:11 Waking up one day and feeling good again 12:17 Borrow hope from people who have been through it Heads up: this channel offers education, support, and community, not medical or therapy advice or services. Nothing here replaces professional care from a doctor or licensed mental health provider. By engaging with this channel, you accept full responsibility for your own choices and outcomes. No results are guaranteed. Full disclaimer: https://lifeaftermeds.com/disclaimers 💬 Let's keep the comment section an encouraging and kind place. 🙏

    13 min

  7. Mar 9

    Do I Need Medications To Be OK? The Withdrawal Lie

    💌 Join my email list for a free 1-1 call with me: https://lifeaftermeds.com/meet Do you need psychiatric meds to be okay, or is withdrawal and dependency creating that fear? A walk through the most common myths, what dependency looks like, and why your body can return to homeostasis. Not medical advice, always taper with informed medical support. Blog version: https://lifeaftermeds.com/do-i-need-these-medications-to-be-okay Was this video helpful? Leave a tip: https://lifeaftermeds.com/tips If you're having thoughts of self-harm, here are the support hotlines around the world: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines#Crisis_line_organizations_by_country Timestamps 00:00 Do I Need This Pill?00:49 Why This Doubt Hits Hard01:32 The Craving Loop02:45 Will My Baseline Be OK?04:14 The Chemical Imbalance Myth06:45 The Lines We’ve All Heard10:42 When Marketing Shapes Diagnosis13:38 What Long-Term Outcomes Suggest17:00 A Crucible for Resilience19:35 Peace Can Return Heads up: this channel offers education, support, and community, not medical or therapy advice or services. Nothing here replaces professional care from a doctor or licensed mental health provider. By engaging with this channel, you accept full responsibility for your own choices and outcomes. No results are guaranteed. Full disclaimer: https://lifeaftermeds.com/disclaimers 💬 Let's keep the comment section an encouraging and kind place. 🙏

    20 min

  8. Mar 3

    How to Explain Withdrawal to Your Kids Without Scaring Them

    💌 Join my email list for a free 1-1 call with me: https://lifeaftermeds.com/meet Part 2 on parenting through psychiatric drug withdrawal. I cover the sheer terror and catastrophizing that comes with withdrawal anxiety, practical ways to protect your kids emotionally when you're at your worst, how to explain it to your village without oversharing, what to do when you lose it, and why repair builds stronger relationships than perfection ever could. Plus, what life actually looks like on the other side. Blog version: https://lifeaftermeds.com/parenting-through-withdrawal-part-2 Was this video helpful? Leave a tip: https://lifeaftermeds.com/tips If you're having thoughts of self-harm, here are the support hotlines around the world: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines#Crisis_line_organizations_by_country 00:00 For parents in the trenches of both01:04 The weight of parental fear plus withdrawal terror03:36 Why the guilt and doom are not the final word04:33 Sheer terror, catastrophizing, and fake news from your brain06:49 Borrowing perspective when yours is blocked08:55 How I explained it to my kids, in their language10:13 Letting your village in without oversharing13:57 The tiny things that still make them feel safe16:19 Minivan meltdowns and how to buffer a wave20:27 You will mess up; here is how to repair it22:31 What withdrawal broke open and what grew in its place25:40 My mornings now: minivan, circus school, and coffee Heads up: this channel offers education, support, and community, not medical or therapy advice or services. Nothing here replaces professional care from a doctor or licensed mental health provider. By engaging with this channel, you accept full responsibility for your own choices and outcomes. No results are guaranteed. Full disclaimer: https://lifeaftermeds.com/disclaimers 💬 Let's keep the comment section an encouraging and kind place. 🙏

    28 min
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About

Hi, I’m Joanna, and this is Life After Meds. If you’re here, you’re probably going through psychiatric drug withdrawal… or you’re trying to understand what someone you love is going through. Either way, I’m really glad you found your way here. After 11 years on all sorts of psychiatric meds, I went through withdrawal myself, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It took years. This is where I share what I’ve learned, both from my own recovery and from the people I’ve walked with.

Information

  • Creator
    Joanna
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Joanna
  • Show Website
    Life After Meds