For many of us, it’s awful damn dark in the hall
So you want to know what it is like to have full on, straight-to-the-bottom, clinical depression. You have a family […]
Author Archives: Pete Feigal
Camera obscura part IV: As they say, you can’t get there from here
There is a famous New York saying, “You can’t get there from here.” This is exactly what many of our […]
Camera obscura part III – Living on the brain’s left side
Ok, now here’s where it gets interesting. According to the latest updates in split-brain physiology, your brain is divided into […]
Camera obscura, part II – Paying the price for inspiration
Maybe there is an alternative to Socrates’ “divine madness”: drunkenness, eroticism, dreaming. Look at our greatest artists. Michelangelo was a […]
Camera obscura: On creating art
I’ve been thinking about things I learned in art classes or my own readings regarding art; insights from my own […]
Pete’s Reflections – September 2010
When I was first hospitalized in 1971 at 14, in a place that took the “fun” out of “dysfunctional,” I […]
Thanks to the one who shows us the way
My old friend, Bob Peters, one of the most active and humble man in the disability community developed a deep, […]
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday, Hello Black Flash
I’ve ridden motorcycles since 1972: Kawasaki H2-Triples and Z1s, Norton Commandos,Triumph Bonnevilles, Suzuki GS1100Es, Harley Sportsters, Panheads, and Softails. Twenty-eight […]
The daring adventures of Guacamole, teddy bear extraordinaire
“There is no Dulcinea, she’s made of flame and air, and yet how lovely life would seem, if every man […]
With our teardrops and our toil
“The world turns, but we don’t feel it turning. And then one night you look up and a single spark […]
Open letter to a friend with depression
Dear Friend, I got a message that you were struggling and I wanted to let you know that I’m holding […]
Parity, Fathers and Sons, and Never Leave a Man Behind, Pt. 2
[Last month we ran excerpts from Pete Feigal’s keynote speech from the Mental Health Parity fundraising event June 15th, 2007, […]
Noted Individuals Have Experienced Homelessness
“The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to […]
Thoughts on why the Virginia Tech shooting happened
The toughest part of my job as a speaker is that I’m often called into a school or community after […]
The Stars are the Diamonds of the Poor – Part 1 of 3
“The stars are the diamonds of the poor. The rich, in their shame, hide their diamonds in vaults because theirs […]
Can’t Find My Way Home
In 1992, I was fighting a crippling depression that had lasted three years, and was in a day-treatment program at […]
No Place Like Home
Editors Note: We have reprinted one of Pete’s articles that can give some clarity to living with mental illnesses. We […]
Looking Beyond a Disability
While growing up I had to make adult decisions at an early age, and I believe many young people with […]
Penny Wise and Pound Foolish
To the Hennepin County Commisioners, as you consider the proposed cuts to the County’s mental health services, my name is […]
Amy Buys A Rose
At the end of the month, when her disability check comes, Amy buys a single, long-stemmed red rose. It costs […]
Cracked
“The World breaks everyone, and afterwards, many are stronger in the broken places.” -Ernest Hemingway I was once challenged to […]
A New Definition of Protect and Serve
After many hours, a suicidal man is “talked down” off a bridge when a police officer makes a connection with […]
The Point of No Return
On the Atlantic coast of west Africa lie the ruins of a Portuguese fort from the 15th century. You couldn’t […]
The Quality of Mercy
“The quality of mercy is not strain’d. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.” —William […]
If I Were King Of The Forest
If I were King of the Forest, elected Emperor of the Universe, found Aladdin’s magic lamp, won the Powerball, was […]
Save It For a Rainy Day
In ‘95 I was in a day treatment program at Fairview Riverside. My depression had become so severe that I […]
Before Commitment/After Diagnosis
We each keep time in different ways, with our own personal clocks and calendars. Measuring the days and years, remembering […]
We’re Given Academy Awards But Not Insurance Parity
When the movie, “A Beautiful Mind”—the story of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash’s victories over schizophrenia—captured so many hearts and […]
The Worst Day of the Week
Sunday was the worst day of the week because the want ads came out that day. Battling crippling depression, I […]
Letter to Pete Feigal. . .
I’ve been reading your column for almost a year now. Before rape changed my life and caused me to “seek […]
Playing Solitaire With A Pearl-Handled Deck
I’ve owned guns. Growing up in America, guns were normal—a matter of fact. I got a BB gun as a […]
Why Don’t They Just Take Their Meds?
I am alive today, after 30+ years of serious mental illness, because of three things: effective medication; good cognitive therapy; […]
Names and Words Can Hurt My Nerves, But Stones Will Never Harm Me
The famous defense attorney, Clarence Darrow, when admonished by a judge for using profanity replied: “Forgive me, your Honor, but […]
When One Door Shuts, Two More Open And Hit You In The Nose
I will now leave you breathless with the amazing tale of how this sturdy lad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis […]
Don’t “Fix” Me!
I’m not broken. There’s nothing wrong with me. Yes, I’ve been diagnosed with MS, depression, and bipolar disorder. Yes, it’s […]
Playing Hurt
One of the greatest myths that has existed around professional sports is that of the heroic athlete “playing hurt.” This […]
“So, What Do You Say To Someone With Mental Illness?”
As much as it might sound like it, this is not the beginning of a bad Norwegian joke. This is […]
I Can’t Go On…
It’s 4 a.m., I’m sitting in front of this buzzing box trying to write another column, trying to meet another […]
The Six Inches in Front of Your Face
A couple of months ago, I was given the honor of speaking at a hospital for people in crisis. There […]
The King of Infinite Space
One of the gifts of having a visionary like Charlie Smith, even when we lose him, is that it makes […]
The Last Place on Earth
Two years ago, Dr. Jerri Nielsen, the physician responsible for the health of the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South […]
The Light of the World
During the twentieth century – since the writings of Freud transformed the landscape of human thought about our inner selves […]
Life As It Is
The following are excerpts from Pete Feigal’s speech at the MN mental health rally, “Day on the Hill,” February 20, […]
Coming Home
“You can’t go home again.” – Thomas Wolfe “That’s Bull” – Pete Feigal Like the silk-scarved flying aces of the […]
Why They Fear Us
In the “E.R” season finale, popular characters Carter and Lucy are brutally stabbed by a man they’ve been treating for […]
One of Mine
Alfred Saunders, a man with bi-polar disorder was shot to death by Minneapolis police this month. He was the third […]
It Takes a Village
Bob and Becky Barnes are two of the most beloved members at Hennepin County National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. […]
Mark’s Gift
We lost one of the best last week. One of our greatest champions and warriors finally lost his battle with […]
Nothing I’d Asked For, But Everything I’d Hoped For
My July column, “George vs. ‘The Inner Tyrant”‘ got a lot of interest from people who asked me to go […]
Best Days
On one hot Fourth of July morning in 1967, my dad read the entire Declaration of Independence with me. One […]