Back

Challenge the Norm: Rethinking 'Normal' in a Medicated World | Day 285 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Oct 14, 2023· 3 minutes

Challenge normal!

The game is on!

We are recording eight podcasts in six days. We had nothing in “the bank” when we sent the grandparents off from Barcelona, and we want to stay true to our goal of sharing one per week in the SelfDirectedPodcast and one per month in the LaidisFixingTheWorldPodcast.

It is lovely work. One of our most important life elements is to grow by talking to interesting people about important stuff. The podcast interviews are exactly that. This day, we talked with Laurie Couture, an attachment and early childhood trauma expert. We met online a few months ago, and it was a true pleasure to meet in real life. She has powerful insights into what childhood is for institutionalized children, and it was a pleasure to talk with her.

I am always impressed when I meet people who find the energy to work inside the systems to help children broken by it. This woman found the strength to push through without giving in to the standard procedures; she even wrote a book about what we can do instead of medicine. The episode will air in a few weeks; sign up for our newsletter to get the news.

I can not stress enough how important it is to challenge the mainstream system, especially the element of medicating people to fit into it. We NEED to revolt against this! The entire concept of “normal” has to be challenged by as many people as possible and can NOT be standardized by how the establishment looks - especially not if human beings are not thriving in it.

In the best case, the structures happened by coincidence, and we all need to remember we want a community to live better lives, not because we want to sustain a community, some traditions, big money, or old habits.

Sometimes, it is very complicated conversations we need to have with people we love and who might become very angry, but it is IMPORTANT to stay with our truth.

And mine is: This is crazy! Do not medicate children for mental stuff unless they are psychotic or do not sleep. Which is rare. Change the scene, solve the problem!

We also did a lot of preparations for our American trip. Bought more plane tickets. Looked at insurance. Locations. Recommendations. It just takes time. Nice to do on a rooftop terrace in the shade on a warm day.

So, we also went for a walk and dipped in the Mediterranean as the sun was setting. Staying true to what is important. Staying together. 

With love

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

Thank you for reading
I would love to hear from you. Listen to your thoughts and reflections - or praise :) It is often emotional to share our lives like this, and we get very happy when we get your feedback. So feel free to share a comment below 😋 

Not many adults take the time to play. This is too bad. A D&D adventure is a great experience to share with loved ones; any game, any play pretend, a…Read more
Visiting Great Britain, we thought: let's go visit a tearoom. Asking around, the best tearoom in the area was supposedly the PuddleDuck Tearoom. Eati…Read more
I will let the pictures speak for themselves. There is not much more to say. Walking for several hours with my family and my friends in this beauty w…Read more
We all had the feeling we were walking in the Shire. Beauty unfolds all the time, new angles, new hills, new beautiful horizons and small details, fl…Read more
It can not wait; we are leaving soon. Living nomadically gives you a sense of urgency. It wakes you up and forces you to decide and revise what is mo…Read more
What is a good life? What makes us happy? How do we succeed in doing the things that make for a good life and make us happy? Hiking in the rain, chan…Read more
It is not very interesting to drive on a highway in the rain, slowly, because of road construction. One of the delays was a 27 minutes queue deriving…Read more
There is something about the footpaths in England. At some point, a law was installed to protect the paths, allowing everyone to walk on the establis…Read more
Watching Britain in a park. The different people, their vibes and styles, and projects. I love to look at people. I was amused by observing most of t…Read more