Leigh Richardson of the Brain Performance Center and host of In Your Head Podcast speaks with Ruth Poniarski, artist and author, to talk about her struggles with mental illness triggered from ingesting angel dust, a negligent doctor and hiding her condition, then finding the right doctor and the support she needs, including turning to painting and writing poetry. She eventually wrote her memoir, Journey of the Self-Memoir of An Artist, where she rediscovered the patterns and lessons in her experiences, and found inner peace.
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About Ruth Poniarski:
I grew up in Glen Cove, Long Island, NY. I attended public school and then graduated from Pratt Institute earning a professional degree in architecture, 1982. My mother was a homemaker and talented artist, my father was a civil engineer and a commercial roofing subcontractor.
As a child I excelled in art and math, influencing my decision to study architecture.
In 1977, my fourth year in college, I attended a small party, when I innocently ingested angel dust baked in a brownie cake, given to me by a scheming male friend. This triggered years of life threatening nervous breakdowns occurring every six months to a year. In between these breaks I graduated from college, struggled with employment, traveled alone, had too many friends, and always searching for 'Mr. Right'.
For seven years I was under the care of a negligent doctor, and self destructive patterns including severe insomnia, paranoia, irrational thinking, went unchecked, until I found the right doctor, after I suffered a thirty foot fall from my apartment window in 1984.
Henceforth, my life became more normalized, breakdowns occurred less frequently, and in 1987 I married and became the mother of two children.
In 1988, as my doctor suggested, I turned to painting, leaving the male dominated architecture and construction world behind. Painting allowed me to channel my immense creativity and focus on being productive as a professional artist. In 1995, I commenced writing poetry corresponding to each of my surreal paintings.
In 1999, I was prescribed a very effective anti-psychotic medication and a few years later the correct dosage was established. Since 2010, I have been 'break' free.
In 2020 my memoir, Journey of the Self-Memoir of an Artist was published. I continue to paint and write and achieved an inner peace with myself, today...
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Leigh Richardson is also the author of Brain on Game On, available at Amazon and on www.thebrainperformancecenter.com and www.leigherichardson.com. The Brain Performance Center is located in Dallas, Texas and can be reached at 214-329-9017.
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