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 😋 

Sometimes I feel like a sheep when in big crowds of tourists. Yet at the same time, I am happy for all the other people who get to visit epic places …Read more
I am not particularly focused on my children learning world history. It is one of the many things that happen by itself while living a life with enou…Read more
Every week, write down the things we learned that week. I am sure I would gain a lot of peace of mind from doing such an exercise regularly. All loos…Read more
The leaning tower of Pisa truly is a must. So we went. To take the pictures, all the stupid ones and some extra stupid ones. Like everyone else. The …Read more
We have to ask ourselves why we have an epidemic of depression and of stress reactions. Both of these psychological states are about not being aligne…Read more
Visiting the David is garnished with masterpieces of Florentine art from the 15th and 16th centuries. We have seen a lot in this genre before, and it…Read more
We have to face our modern society and how consumerism is consuming us. And our world. It is extremely hard to stop. We keep buying stuff, we keep ac…Read more
Playing games with each other creates a space for confirming our codependence, our ethical stand, and in the end, our love for each other. It also cr…Read more
Walking the graveyard and memorial yesterday with my husband and children and with my sister and her children sparked good conversations and deep tho…Read more