Schizoaffective Reference – Episode 2

The Butterfly Effect (Part 1)

After being discharged from an Alabama psychiatric hospital in April 2019, I found myself starting over with little more than hope, determination, and a long list of dreams that had been put on hold.

In this deeply personal episode, I share how one seemingly ordinary decision set off a chain of events that changed my life forever—what I call The Butterfly Effect.

You’ll hear about:

• My first weeks after leaving the hospital and rebuilding my life.
• Landing a job at UPS while searching for work in academic libraries.
• Taking my first solo trip to Europe, including Barcelona and Florence.
• Beginning a new career as a cataloging and metadata librarian in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• A long-distance relationship with a woman from Chile that ultimately ended in heartbreak.
• Meeting Lilian from Brazil and creating the Ubuntu World Music Project, a humanitarian initiative intended to unite people through music.
• Traveling to Brazil during the early days of COVID-19 and experiencing Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
• The return of psychotic symptoms while abroad and how they affected my ability to communicate.
• Visiting Belo Horizonte, meeting Lilian’s family, and falling in love with both Brazil and the possibility of a new life.
• Returning to the United States just as COVID began spreading—and then making the decision that would change everything.
• My second trip to Brazil, a psychiatric crisis, my encounter with Brazilian police, and my involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital where I didn’t speak the language.

This episode explores how mental illness, relationships, travel, chance encounters, and seemingly small decisions can create enormous ripple effects throughout a person’s life. It is an honest account of living with schizoaffective disorder while trying to pursue purpose, adventure, and meaningful human connection.

Content Note: This episode contains discussions of psychosis, psychiatric hospitalization, involuntary commitment, and mental health crises.

Coming Next: Part 2 continues the story inside a Brazilian psychiatric hospital—what happened during my hospitalization, how I eventually returned home, and the lessons I learned from one of the most challenging periods of my life.

GOTO: www.schizoa.com (for just information or peer-2-peer or to make a donation)