She Watched Psychiatry Fail Her Mother. Then It Happened to Her. | Ann Bracken | The Gaslit Truth Podcast with Dr Teralyn Sell and Therapist Jenn Schmitz

Send us Fan Mail A brutal headache sounds simple until it becomes the doorway to years of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, opioids, and a procedure that can erase memories. We’re joined by writer and poetry therapist Ann Bracken, whose life mirrors a painful family pattern: she watches her mother get treated for depression and anxiety through heavy medication and dozens of ECT treatments, vows it won’t happen to her, then finds herself pulled into the same current.  We talk through how emotional distress can show up as physical pain, how the chemical imbalance narrative can shut down curiosity, and how “help” can turn into overmedication when informed consent is missing. Ann shares what it’s like to be offered MS Contin and OxyContin for chronic headache, to be told not to cut a pill in half without being told why, and to feel “psychic numbing” that makes life feel unreachable. We also unpack ECT from the patient’s seat: the fear, the sales pitch, the confusion, and the memory black holes that follow.  Then the conversation turns toward agency and recovery. Ann explains how poetry therapy, journaling, self-compassion, spiritual support, and paying attention to what pain is communicating help her step off the medical merry-go-round, taper medications, and make hard choices about the relationships around her. If you’re searching for real-talk mental health stories about antidepressants, SSRIs, tapering, opioid prescribing, ECT side effects, chronic migraine, and trauma, this one will stay with you.  Subscribe for more, share this with someone navigating meds or chronic pain, and leave a review so more people can find these stories. We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate.  Email [email protected] to learn more.  Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E Use promo code GASLIT at checkout! https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT 💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds? Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health 🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff. Support the show Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you!  Message us your gaslit stories at [email protected] While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.   Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!  Thanks for listening! Follow Us individually at Dr. Teralyn: Instagram @Dr_Teralyn Facebook  @DrTeralyn Tik Tok @Dr_Teralyn Therapist Jenn:  Instagram @TherapistJen TikTok @Jenn.Schmitz