REPLAY: Adoptee Remembrance Day Virtual Candlelight Vigil - Ep 121
Release Date: 11/27/2023
Unraveling Adoption
"We have only ourselves. And when I'm thinking about that, I'm thinking how strong we are. Because we have survived and still live and still create and still talk about our history." -- Kâlánguak Absalonsen 📘📘📘Join the Book Launch Team for our soon-to-be-published book Adoption and Suicidality by clicking here: 📘📘📘 Episode Summary: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of speaking with Kâlánguak Absalonsen, an adopted person from Greenland living in Denmark. Kâlánguak shared her unique perspective on adoption, colonization, and the...
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"The experience of being stuck is a pretty good place to be, I think, a lot of times in therapy and life." - Stephen Rowley 📘📘📘Join the Book Launch Team for our soon-to-be-published book Adoption and Suicidality by clicking here: 📘📘📘 Podcast Episode Synopsis: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Stephen Rowley, a school administrator, college professor, and psychotherapist who shared his fascinating journey of adoption and destiny. Steve's memoir, The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny, delves into the complexities of adoption...
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Podcast Episode Synopsis: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I, Beth Syverson, provide a detailed update on the latest happenings within the Unraveling Adoption community. As an adoptive mom to my son Joey, we are dedicated to delving into the complexities of adoption and providing support to those impacted by adoption. Book Launch Announcement: The main highlight of this episode is the impending launch of our first book in the Unraveling Adoption book series. Titled Adoption and Suicidality, this anthology features stories, poems, and resources for adoptees, families, healthcare...
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“Psychedelics can offer a portal to other consciousnesses and open spaces beyond our regular reality.” -- Mee Ok Icaro (adoptee) “Psychedelics can be a powerful tool for deep work and accessing feelings”. - Leslie Pate Mackinnon (birth mom) “Psychedelics can lead to transformative experiences, dividing life into before and after the journey.” -- Beth Syverson (adoptive parent) *********** All adoption constellation members (adoptees, birth/first parents, adoptive parents, and other allies) are invited to a Medicine Circle on July 7, 2024, led by Mee Ok Icaro and...
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"Being trans was not in my product description, and my 30-day money-back guarantee return policy has long since expired." -- Sanjay Pulver Read the transcript here: Episode Synopsis In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of hosting Sanjay Pulver, a transracial intercountry adoptee from India, who shared his unique journey as a trans man raised by white parents in San Diego, California. Sanjay's story sheds light on the complexities of being an adoptee and navigating the intersections of adoption, gender identity, and cultural heritage. Sanjay shared his origin story,...
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"I think it's really important at this moment for us in our society to understand that we collectively and continuously, in every little micro level ways and macro level ways, differentially value mothers in America, and we are still making decisions that are rooted in really bigoted assumptions, that are rooted in racism." -- Rebecca Wellington Read the transcript: Podcast Episode Synopsis: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, host Beth Syverson welcomes guest Rebecca Wellington, an adoptee, mom, and historian, to discuss the complexities of motherhood in the context of adoption....
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"I'm just enjoying the journey. What happens when the journey is over? Then what? So I'm just chasing the buzz." - Ryan Anderson Read the transcript; or read along while listening, if you have trouble udnerstanding Ryan's lovely Scottish accent: Podcast Episode Synopsis: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of speaking with Ryan Anderson, a foundling and transnational, transracial, and late discovery adoptee. Ryan shared his incredible journey of being found on the streets of...
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"I truly felt the weight of the world telling the story. I felt like it was a great responsibility, but I had to do it." -- Kristal Parke Read the transcript here: EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristal Parke, an adoptee and filmmaker behind the acclaimed documentary Because She's Adopted. Kristal shared her journey of self-discovery and identity exploration through the creation of her film, which delves into her childhood, reunion with her birth mother, struggle with addiction, and intentional reconnection with her Indigenous...
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“I didn't want to lose them. I loved them both and I thought, it's hard to think about your life separated. I guess now knowing all that I know about being separated from the first person that I was supposed to be with, you know, I just never wanted to be separated from either one of them.” -- Jane Spreckley Episode Summary: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, the host, Beth Syverson, interviews Jane Spreckley, an adoptee whose adoptive parents divorced when she was 14 years old. Jane shares her experience of how the divorce activated her abandonment issues and impacted her...
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“I have a hard time believing in love, that love just really exists, that you can love somebody. Then I feel like I have a hard time loving men and stuff, so I wouldn't want them to get hurt if they ever felt like I didn't love them.” - Tammy Murphy Episode Summary: In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of speaking with Tammy Murphy, a Black, same-race, domestic adoptee living in Indiana. Tammy shared her struggles with social anxiety and dissociation, stemming from her adoption experience. She recounted how her adoptive mother's inconsistent responses to her...
info_outlineWhile I'm away this Thanksgiving week, I wanted to make the recording of our recent Adoptee Remembrance Day vigil available to you all. The live Zoom event was on October 30, 2023. Hear powerful personal stories, emotional poetry, and calls for greater awareness of adoptee suicide, murder, and deportation.
TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE EVENT, click here: https://youtu.be/uun76F2JQpE
TO ACCESS THE WRITTEN PROGRAM FOR THE EVENT, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vAkPZW1duk8UlOFhWIfS0ki5xJldn88CtRVJiq9jYwg/edit?usp=sharing
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📆 Community Calendar: UnravelingAdoption.com/Calendar
✨Healing the Adoption Constellation database: UnravelingAdoption.com/Healing
💌Sign up for our Unraveling Adoption email list: http://eepurl.com/hVIAVX
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SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES:
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988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - Call 988 or go to https://988lifeline.org/
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"Adoptees are Dying, But Adoption Agencies Continue to Neglect Our Cries" - Essay by ARD creator Pamela Karanova: https://therealadopteamoxie.substack.com/p/adoptees-are-dying-but-adoption-agencies
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Adoption and Suicide Prevention: Adult Adoptees Speak Out - Video from AFFCNY: https://www.affcny.network/posts/rebroadcast-adoption-and-suicide-prevention-adult-adoptees-speak-out-agape-monthly-educational-trainings-33532586
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Ask Us Anything About Suicidality - Video from Beth Syverson and Frank King, with Joey Nakao: https://youtu.be/5SrnyyT9Jh4
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Chronic Suicidality with Frank King - Unraveling Adoption podcast episode: https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/25558560
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Psych Hospitals & Suicidal Ideation - Unraveling Adoption podcast episode with Joey Nakao: https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/25558716
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Toward Preventing Adoption-Related Suicide- essay by Mirah Riben: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/toward-preventing-adoptio_b_8127882?fbclid=IwAR37CB0IuVD8rRy-ACkUiHhvH9o-Qo2-RotQ1UfkXLN0LDt8LSCU5OHy6X4
OTHER RESOURCES FROM OUR PRESENTERS:
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Rent Rebecca Autumn Sansom's documentary Reckoning with the Primal Wound: https://reckoningwiththeprimalwound.vhx.tv/buy/reckoning-with-the-primal-wound-2
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Unraveling Adoption is organizing a panel discussion called "Sacred Plant Medicine for Healing the Adoption Constellation: How psychedelic journeys can heal trauma" on December 3. Free tickets and more information here: https://healingadoptiontrauma.eventbrite.com
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Healing the Adoption Constellation Database - find all kinds of practitioners who work with adoptees, birth parents, and/or adoptive parents: UnravelingAdoption.com/Healing
I'm so grateful to be in community with you all as we delve deeply into these difficult topics around adoption trauma, suicidality, murder, deportation, and the deep pain that most adoptees feel.
Please reach out to me or someone you trust if you are feeling dysregulated after hearing or watching this recording. It's important but heavy material to process!
Other resources:
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APtitude Support Group for Adoptive Parents Facing Adoption’s Challenges: UnravelingAdoption.com/APtitude
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Other Parents Like Me - oplm.com
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Heather Ross - Life Coaching for Parents who have a child struggling with addiction: https://heatherrosscoaching.com/
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Adoptee-Therapist Directory: https://growbeyondwords.com/adoptee-therapist-directory/
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Unraveling Adoption is produced and hosted by Beth Syverson
Music written and performed by Joseph Nakao
Email questions or comments to [email protected]
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Support Unraveling Adoption on Patreon: Patreon.com/UnravelingAdoption
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Timestamped summary of this episode:
00:00:02 - Introduction
Beth introduces the episode and explains that it will be a recording of the Adoptee Remembrance Day service from October 30, 2023. She encourages listeners to watch the video for a more immersive experience.
00:01:26 - Purpose of Adoptee Remembrance Day
Beth explains that Adoptee Remembrance Day was created to raise awareness of crimes against adoptees, honor the lives of those lost, and bring attention to adoptee suicide and the issue of international adoptees living without citizenship.
00:04:31 - Self-care and Support
Beth emphasizes the importance of self-care during the emotional event and encourages listeners to reach out for support if needed. She also provides the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number.
00:05:01 - Grounding Exercise
Beth guides listeners through a grounding exercise to connect with their hearts, the present participants, and the adoption community.
00:05:25 - Adoptee Remembrance Day 2020
Adoptee Moses Farrow shares a touching video he made 3 years ago, the first Adoptee Remembrance Day.
00:09:35 - "Out of the Adoption Fog"
Emily Alber shares her poem and artwork
00:10:42 - "A Very Important Day"
Christine Warmus Murphy reads a poem about her adopted brother who died by suicide.
00:13:42 - Excerpt from Side by Side: Out of a Korean Orphanage and Into the World
Glenn Morey's film project provides many stories of Korean adoptees. This one is a young woman who attempted suicide.
00:17:13 - "Landon"
Janell Strube reads a poem she wrote about Landon Maloberti, a young boy who was murdered by his adoptive parents.
00:19:23 - "My Other Loss"
Liz DeBetta reads her poem and shares her artwork
00:23:08 - Honoring her daughter Jane
Birth mother Lorraine Dusky reflects about her relinquished daughter's difficult life that ended in suicide.
00:27:37 - "Ungrateful"
Ande Scott reads her poem
00:29:30 - Reckoning with the Primal Wound
Filmmaker Rebecca Autumn Sansom introduces the trailer to her adoption documentary
00:31:58 - "Why I Write Poetry"
Poet Michael Grenfell shares his work
00:33:32 - "What Will Become of My Mother
Birth mother Mimi Janes reads a poem by Beth Brown
00:38:08 - "Dying to Know" from For the Records
Chance Ibáñez, Joel Ibáñez, and Beth Syverson perform a song from Rich Uhrlaub's new adoption musical
00:43:55 - "Be Grateful You Weren't Adopted"
Peter Capomolla Moore shares his poem
00:47:26 - Honoring her son Ray
Birth mother Laura Engel shares the story of her reunion with her son who later died by suicide
00:53:35 - Opportunity to donate to Adoptees Connect; with "Worth It"
Attendees are urged to donate to Pamela Karanova's nonprofit organization at AdopteesConnect.org while Joseph Nakao's music video is played
00:56:42 - Excerpt from "Being Adopted"
Collective art project by Nicole Rademacher, with background music by Joseph Nakao
00:59:54 - "Integration"
Liz DeBetta reads a second poem she wrote
01:03:57 - Silence and Lighting Our Path Forward
After a moment of silence, the attendees observed a moment of silence, then lifted our candles up to the camera. Emily Alber's artwork was displayed during this section
01:04:59 - Gratitude and Dismissal
A reminder to be gentle with ourselves and to care for the adoptees in our lives. If anyone is struggling with suicidal thoughts, reach out to the suicidal crisis lifeline (988) or the adoption community. Every individual is valuable, and we need you all here.
Gratitude is expressed for the adoptees and birth parents who participated in the event. Attendees are encouraged to pour themselves into supporting adoptees with compassion and effective advocacy. Mental health support is available through the Adoption Constellation database. (UnravelingAdoption.com/Healing)
In honor of Beth's son's intention, participants are invited to unmute themselves and say "stay safe." Emphasizing the importance of mental health, they encourage everyone to take care of themselves and seek support when needed.