We all have sounds we hate; dogs licking themselves, slurping soup, scraping on plates, but misophonia is much more  than the hatred of sounds.

   Misophones (individuals with misophonia) are so triggered by certain sounds that their bodily system goes into fight/flight/freeze mode and their episodes last even though the sound has stopped or they have withdrawn away from the scenario. These triggers can cause anxiety, mental anguish, and rage.

   "Exploring Misophonia" is both a book   containing lived experience stories from sufferers as well as technical and medical information  by professionals explaining this unique and much misunderstood condition.

   What I enjoyed about this book was that it was the first of its kind I've read so I found it very fascinating.

  "Have you lost friends due to your mental illness?  I know I have few friends left myself.  This wonderfully touching book is about friendship.  A friendship spanning an ocean.  Both people living in different countries but yet have such an incredible bond. 

   Fran has Bipolar Disorder, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Martin is always there for her.  Either by  way of Skype, text message or by phone.  They even met once in person!

   What I really respected  about this friendship is that Martin treats Fran like a friend first.  When Fran is symptomatic, Martin, who is part of her support team, steps in with gentle reminders or words of encouragement so Fran doesn't totally rely on his which allows her to gain independence.

   I thoroughly enjoyed "High Tide Low Tide:  A Caring Friend's Guide to Bipolar Disorder"  because of the many comical conversations between Fran and Martin; just like two "normal" friends would have and so it should be!

   

   A wonderfully written novella describing the benefits of healing at a mental wellness farm.

   James Townsend, the author of "Moving to Oregon:  A Bipolar Journey", begins his story when he was a melancholy child.  Growing up he manages his mood and maintains a select group of friends and good grades.

   The crash in James' life occurs when he receives a very disappointing call from the university.  This call put him in a tailspin of deep depression and mania.

   After a couple of hospital stays, James is released and heads to Oregon to heal at a working farm.  The daily routine and healthy lifestyle, in addition to the group therapy and individual sessions with his therapist, James was ready to begin his new life.

   I rated this book a 5 star as the  way James Townsend wrote the book I could visualize being a the farm with him.

   A story  of a woman's struggle with a serious mental illness and various physical ailments.

     For as far back as Stephanie could remember   she had always felt uncomfortable in her own skin.  She had been an emotional roller coaster and struggled with her sexual orientation.  Coming from a  very strict family neither of these were topics that could be discussed so sadly  Stephanie had to battle her demons on  her own.

     Her schizoaffective disorder raged on and she experienced dozens upon dozens of overlapping hallucinations which resulted in numerous hospitalizations.  Stephanie's hallucinations were so believable to her that at one point she ended up serving time for a crime.  Her mania caused her to lose everything; her wife, her family, her career, and much more.

​     I did enjoy reading Stephanie Anne Allen's, "My Mental Madness Memoir" as it was an incredible  narrative story.

    In  all fairness to the author, in my opinion, she must have been terribly ill while writing this book because the flow of the book is quite choppy, there is a lot of repetition and redundancy.   I questioned her  accuracy to details given her psychotic state to which she responded  that "she was a genius and  God told her what to write".

​     This book  was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.