[Mania…] you lose all control, you lose all logic, and it’s real dangerous ~ Alec Morrison
A natural born storyteller, Alec Morrison talks about his manias leading up to his various hospitalizations. Interwoven in his tales is how his song-writing and music helped him along the way.
His last hospitalization was in 2005 and he has recently recorded an acoustic album in that, very same, psychiatric ward.
Alec performs a song from this album in the interview (I get a tinsy-winsy excited so watch out!)
What are your thoughts?
What has been your experience with music and your mental health? Do you find music is a release or an agitator? What type of music do you listen to in order to ease your symptoms? We would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Also, do you have any questions for Alec? Please post your questions in the comments and Alec will do his best to respond.
Alec Morrison is a Poet, Musician, and Artist from Northern Ontario, Canada. He has studied Blacksmithing and Sculpture at Haliburton School of the Arts, and has taught poetry workshops in elementary schools and colleges. His music is his main focus however, playing in bands and performing since the age of thirteen, Alec is now pursuing a solo career. His album titled “Already Been Where I was Goin…” was recorded in a vacant psychiatric hospital where he was once a patient. At the age of twenty he was diagnosed with Bi-polar schizoaffective disorder, he has been psychosis free since 2005.
You can view all of the MHT guest posts by/related to Alec here.
Drew Jacques
Hey! Thanks for this!. Keep up the good work. I have always been very proud of Alec and all the very hard work he has done since the Spring of 2005. I hope some day he gets to do a National Tour of Hospitals to bring his message to “the nicest people” as he says.
As for me, I’m moving on to a new career. Since last we e-mailed I’ve become a certified Laughter Yoga Leader Trainer. ( http://www.laughteryoga.org ) . The positive impact of Laughter in relation to Mental Health is incredible. If you want I could hook you up with a fascinating person who has had remarkable success in reducing the pain of Fybromialga using Laughter Yoga, after years of struggle with mental health issues.
Keep up the good work! Drew
1 in 5 Canadians struggle with mental health issues. 4 out of 5 of them do not require CMHA.
Trish
Nice to hear from you Drew. Yes, it must be very easy to be proud of Alec.
Congrats on your new career! Sounds fascinating. I will check out the web site.
Please do connect me to the person you write about–ask them to please send me an email if they are interested in telling their story on Mental Health Talk.
Much love and laughter to you Drew!
Earla Dunbar
Trish this is wonderful – Alec is simply delightful. Loved it and so proud of him.