An unknown speaker identifying herself as ‘Sister Fran’ performs two original spoken-word poems at SYT Annapolis 2024. The first, ‘Battlefield on the Brain,’ recounts her 2018 psychiatric hospitalization for OCD and PTSD, drawing on Oprah and Dr. Bruce Perry’s trauma-informed framework; the second, ‘Onward and Upward,’ traces childhood trauma rooted in abuse and charts a healing journey through therapy and spiritual faith.
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Transcript
[02:56:27] Good evening, everyone.
[02:56:34] I don’t have strong stage presence, so please bear with me.
[02:56:38] I’m working on my presentation skills.
[02:56:41] So, the piece that I’m about to share tonight is called Battlefield on the Brain.
[02:56:48] And it was written in April 2018 after I experienced a mental breakdown.
[02:56:54] I was inspired to write this piece after watching an interview
[02:56:56] with a woman who had a mental breakdown.
[02:56:57] I was inspired to write this piece after watching an interview with Oprah
[02:56:57] and Dr. Bruce Perry on 60 Minutes as they discussed a new trauma-informed approach
[02:57:03] on childhood trauma instead of asking what’s wrong with you, ask what happened to you.
[02:57:10] Battlefield on the Brain.
[02:57:14] On April 16th, as we know it’s Emancipation Day, the day slaves were freed in Washington, D.C.,
[02:57:22] I had left my happy home in handcuffs battling anxiety.
[02:57:26] I was given a life-threatening treatment for my mental disorders, OCD and PTSD.
[02:57:31] I voluntarily admitted into a psych ward, emotionally drained and mentally exhausted.
[02:57:37] I call it Battlefield on the Brain because literally I almost lost it.
[02:57:44] My roommate was sent from the Peace Corps.
[02:57:47] She was struggling with a bipolar disorder.
[02:57:50] My other roommate was battling depression, so I barely got the chance to know her.
[02:57:56] We laughed at her.
[02:57:56] We laughed and we cried uncontrollably.
[02:57:59] We shared our stories, then we wept.
[02:58:02] Wandered the halls in our green gowns, took our meds, then we slept.
[02:58:08] Thought about Oprah’s approach on childhood trauma while observing a dude who calls himself
[02:58:13] Satan.
[02:58:14] Instead of asking what’s wrong with that dude, I asked what happened to that patient.
[02:58:20] Fix the hole in your soul.
[02:58:23] Thank you.
[02:58:26] Thank you.
[02:58:27] Thank you.
[02:58:28] This last piece that I’m about to share is called Onward and Upward.
[02:58:37] My mother was complicit, working weekends and night shifts.
[02:58:41] I was grown by a pedophile father who enticed me with nice gifts.
[02:58:48] I carried the weight of the world, so I wasn’t the nicest.
[02:58:52] Doing the inner work of my healing journey is priceless.
[02:58:55] and journey is priceless so I reached out to a therapist she considered me a
[02:59:01] crisis might just change the world one day but I feel like a flight risk
[02:59:09] didn’t make it so in Yala to get my entire life fixed reached out to God
[02:59:16] instead and he turned on the light switch I can see things clearly now
[02:59:23] living my life righteous self-actualization I’m leveling up to
[02:59:30] the highest thank you
[02:59:48] it was David’s fault it was Dave’s fault
[02:59:53] hey give it up for one more time y’all