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"From Pain to Poetry: Unveiling Hidden Strengths" · Eye Opener Society

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  Hi, everyone. Welcome back to Eye Opener Society. If you happen to be joining
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  us on YouTube right now and you're looking at the video portion of this,
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  you might have noticed in the last three episodes, third episodes,
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  we haven't changed our clothes.
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  So, yeah, that's because we do all three episodes at once.
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  Have a child. There you go. So, I mean, there's plenty of excuses,
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  but we can be found on YouTube if you wanted to see the video versions of this.
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  And we can always be found on Facebook under EyeOpener Society or EyeOpenerSociety.podbean.com.
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  Of course, I have my beautiful stepdaughter with me again, Hannah.
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  And this one, I didn't even know when she said she was going to do this.
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  I didn't know if I was ready for it. So I didn't know if she was going to be ready for it.
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  But she's we all know Hannah and we all know how she operates.
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  And she's so inspirational.
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  And in the past couple of episodes and also just knowing I open society the
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  last since October, there's been a lot of changes and Hannah gone through a divorce.
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  And obviously it's been some changes in our life and it's sometimes it gets
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  difficult, but there was a great way around that.
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  And it's something, you know, we've spoken about here, journaling,
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  writing stuff down, doing things, keeping your mind occupied,
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  um, even stuff to reflect on even the bad things that are going on.
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  Hannah turned to poetry and I've seen these poems I've I've read them and I've been absolutely,
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  you know floored by them I I'm the type of person like I really think poetry gives a real.
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  Glimpse into what a person is going through and Hannah you decided to read one
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  of them so I'm gonna read it and I guess Gary can say what he thinks about it
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  or ask me questions whatever he wants to do.
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  So I wrote, oh, it doesn't tell me when I wrote it.
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  Yes, it does. I wrote this poem on 1-11-2025 from a response.
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  What is it to you? For me, it's the tossing and turning while trying to sleep.
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  It's waking up from the one hour of sleep I got drenched in sweat.
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  It's studying something so hard, but my brain fails to retain anything other
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  than the bitter whispers of the damage made.
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  It's constantly being mad at God or the universe. It's being happy then later
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  on feeling guilty for feeling joy.
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  It's the moment where I catch myself staring into nothing, but that nothing
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  is clouds of negative thoughts I feel of myself. Trauma response, you ask?
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  It's not just a response now. It's who I've become, and it's consumed me.
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  I, I really, I can't thank you enough for, you know, reading that because it takes a lot.
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  Yeah. See, it takes a lot to read something like that because,
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  but when those words flow, whether you're writing them down or typing them, whatever you're doing.
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  And then when you're verbally speaking them, you're, it's, it's just like meditation
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  where you're taking that deep breath in and then you're letting go of all of
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  the negativity. I feel that's what poetry does.
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  It gives you that outlet to face what troubles you as well as breathe it back out.
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  And I think, and especially on this one, because when you're saying the trauma
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  response, it's saying, hey,
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  I've learned ways to start dealing because I'm starting to realize what has harmed me. Yeah.
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  And I think like how like my like when I was writing it, I was just not able
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  to process anything like it was just bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.
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  And it was just like everything became a trigger for me.
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  Everything was like all my brain was was the trauma that I went through.
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  So it consumed me in quite an unhealthy way, mentally, physically, emotionally.
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  It literally felt like I was suffocating. And I just had to get it out.
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  And, you know, I think that was like maybe the third poem I wrote.
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  And it just for me it literally it
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  was every single thing that I wrote there
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  like being waking up drenched in sweat you know feeling joy and then feeling
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  guilty about feeling happy in a moment and it's hard because you like you you
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  look at yourself in the mirror and I would look at myself and I'd be like you're
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  going to be okay and you're going to be okay but like.
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  Everything in my body at that point in time was just like, no, you're a wreck.
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  I don't know how long it's going to take you to get out of this.
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  Everything is triggering for you. Everything is traumatic for you.
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  And it like I said it quite literally
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  suffocated me for the longest time and then
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  just day by day you know writing more poems and
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  just figuring shit out um I'm doing okay right now you know but trauma is scary
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  um and it shows up in many many unhealthy ways um and I think it's important that, you know,
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  you find things that work for you and seek out help.
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  And you have to really realize that you're not alone, that there's always something
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  or someone out there for you. Like, you don't have to be alone.
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  Because for the longest time, I thought I was going to be alone,
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  but I found poetry and I have people in my life that love me and care about me.
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  And, you know, I'm going back to the doctors more and figuring my life out and,
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  you know, getting my health back and track.
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  So in that moment though, like just from 111 to now, you know,
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  I think I've come a decent way.
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  Yeah. And the poetry and forgive me, I don't know if you wanted to release this,
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  but you wanted to write a book based on this.
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  Yeah, I do. I don't. Yeah. So I want to release a poetry book.
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  Um, I don't want to get my idea out, so I'm not going to say my idea.
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  Um, cause I don't want anyone to snatch it.
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  But yeah, I do. I have probably about 12 poems right now. I've taken a little
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  break. I haven't written in a while.
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  My life has just been crazy and work and everything.
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  But yeah, I do want to eventually release a short poetry book about my,
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  not necessarily about my life, but just, you know, it'll kind of be about my life in a sense.
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  So I'm excited and I hope I will stick through
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  to it with it so yeah i
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  think you will and you really should uh the a book
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  of poetry too much like the
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  lyrics to songs and all people can relate to stuff because i'm going through
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  this i am going through this right now and i think turning the pages of a book
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  and reading all of this people might find only one poem they relate to or they
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  may relate to the entire uh you know,
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  collection of poetry, but that's going to help people.
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  That's going to say, wow, somebody else feels basically, you know, the same way I do.
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  And hopefully they can develop a sense of what you've gone through and where you've been.
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  And, you know, especially if you're right or forward and, you know,
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  to the book and all say, Hey, listen,
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  you know, I've overcome all of this and maybe people can start doing the poetry
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  or painting or music, whatever it is you Want to take up It is a great release And,
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  to help you feel normal again, you know? And I think that's how it made you feel.
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  And I was taken away by the poems. I, you know, like I said,
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  that's just one poem, but it really gives a sense of the moment and the anguish
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  or the happiness or whatever it is that, you know, person is writing about.
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  And I felt overwhelmed by it. And that's why I said, yeah, you know,
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  and I heard the idea that you had.
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  And I think it's fantastic. And I really think it should be done as,
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  you know, probably sooner than later. Yeah.
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  And I think I wanted to bring up to you when I, you know, the first line of
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  the poem is like, you know, trauma response is the name of the poem,
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  but it's what is it to you?
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  And I think for me, it was really important for me to write this poem.
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  Because for me, like I said, I listed it out like I it was trouble sleeping.
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  It was maybe getting one hour of sleep. It was the sweat.
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  It was the guilt. But I think it was important for me because if you're looking
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  at it like a psychological standpoint, I'm listing triggers.
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  I'm listing responses from things that are happening.
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  So I am becoming hyper aware of, OK, this is going to happen like this might
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  happen to me or, hey, I'm I'm triggered right now.
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  All like and because you know sometimes you're
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  blind sometimes you're blind you have your
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  cognitive skills are low because
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  you're going through something so difficult in life
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  um but writing that poem for me i'm like wow like i'm listing these triggers
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  and i wasn't even realizing it you know i i was just getting my feelings out
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  and you know making a poem and you know trying to find something that works
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  for me but i look back at it now you know to a little over two months later.
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  And I'm like, wow, I'm, I'm list, I'm listing things that are helping me.
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  And when we talk about poems and whatever else, it may be that helps you do
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  journaling and all, don't forget just you and I sitting here doing this podcast
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  has always been another outlet for us.
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  You know, the fact that you're even here sitting here and talking and actually
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  reciting the poem that you wrote, that is freedom.
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  You know, that's freedom coming right from the soul, You know,
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  that it's the same with me.
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  I do this podcast really as a form of release because it's grown from a hobby into a part of my life.
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  And it's something I can connect with.
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  And hopefully other people can connect with me too, as well.
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  And then having you here and, you know, all of our other co-hosts and guests and all.
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  We hope to provide with something, something people can connect with and realize and understand.
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  Everybody's going through something or, you know, whether it be anger,
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  happiness, sadness, whatever it is, we can express that.
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  And there's ways of doing it. We don't always have to bottle it all up inside of us.
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  We can put it out in many different forms. And I think that's really important
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  to realize because you don't have to be catastrophic towards others or yourself
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  when you're going through things.
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  It's really important to take a step back and find a healthy outlet of something
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  that works for you. If you want to sing or learn an instrument,
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  even if you're bad at it, who cares?
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  If that's your outlet, that's your outlet. If you want to write poetry or you
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  want to write a book or you want to write in a journal and burn it afterwards
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  or whatever, if that helps you, then that's your outlet.
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  You need to find a healthy outlet because what I can tell you from firsthand
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  experience is that if you don't have a healthy outlet, you're burning relationships,
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  you're burning yourself out, and it's not good for you mentally,
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  physically, or emotionally if you don't have that healthy outlet.
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  Yes, and I want everyone to sit and really consider what it is you're talented
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  with or even if it's something you've never done. You want to take up a baking
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  class or learn chess. Exactly.
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  It's something else to occupy your mind when you're going through the bad times.
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  Whatever it may be, just try it.
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  You know, if it's something you don't like, find something else.
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  You'll eventually find your niche. It will happen.
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  So, you know, find these outlets for yourself.
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  And I hope you can get yourself out of those funks or, you know,
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  or if you are complete opposite, where you're always happy. express that in
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  some way too as well, because we need that beauty too.
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  I like to hear from happy people just as much. So be yourself.
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  Recognize yourself, recognize what it is you want to do when you'll come up
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  with those creative outlets that, you know, can reach out to others.
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  And honestly, just, I just want to throw this out here on a little side note.
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  If you are really struggling and you don't know, and you know.
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  All 911 in emergencies, if you're in the United States and you know,
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  if you're in another country and 988 for the suicide helpline,
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  if you do need that extra help, I just want to get that out there because I
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  really enjoy the fact that there's a 988,
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  simple numbers, just like 911.
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  So if you're ever in any kind of crisis, don't forget those numbers and look
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  up the helplines in your country, depending where you are from.
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  But here in the United States, 988, and you don't have to pick up the phone
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  and actually talk to someone you can text to as well.
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  Sometimes it's easier to talk to somebody like that.
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  So definitely check out 988 if you are in crisis or 911.
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  One uh i just want to thank everybody again
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  and i want to thank you we just uh you know
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  getting back into you know our
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  groove here and you're hitting it out of the park i
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  didn't think you were going to come on so strong so fast yeah man
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  i did but this is awesome i'm so happy for it
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  though um people do need to hear this uh don't forget keep tuning in iopenersociety.podbean.com
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  find us on any platform youtube as well if you want to see the video versions
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  of this And you can also check us out on any other platform,
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  but Facebook too as well. I'm trying to get Facebook's algorithms up again.
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  I'm hating it more and more every day, but we're still there.
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  I open a society and I try to keep it up to date as much as I can.
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  Thank you again, all of you wonderful listeners, and we hope you tune in soon. See ya.