Mental Margins: Three A.M. in Mexico
Mental Health Rewritten
The call from the sheriff’s office. The Netflix notification from Baja. The 3 a.m. plea for a room. Each detail reads like a breadcrumb trail—fragile, almost surreal—marking the chaos of a loved one’s unraveling. What happens when systems meant to protect instead withhold? When family becomes both the lifeline and the witness to an impending collapse? This Mental Margin segment pulls us into that liminal space between presence and absence, where silence from a loved one becomes unbearable, and news delivered at the doorstep turns final. This preview sets the scene for our upcoming full...
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Mental Margins: Layers of Suicidality in the Hijacked Mind
Mental Health Rewritten
This Mental Margins bonus segment expands on Episode 105: Rewriting the Conversation Around Suicide. In the full episode, we heard Ashley-Lauren Elrod’s powerful story of surviving prolonged suicidal ideation. Here, Tina Aggarwal offers additional commentary that did not make it into the main release—breaking down the complex, overlapping forces that can drive someone toward a suicide attempt. Tina emphasizes a critical truth: suicidality is never the result of a single factor. Instead, it emerges from a combination of influences—mental illness, racial trauma, childhood sexual trauma,...
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Mental Margins: The Anchor in the Dark
Mental Health Rewritten
In this segement of Mental Margins, we share two perspectives on the hidden weight of high-functioning pain. First, trauma therapist Denise D. Moore shares a testimonial and reflects on dismantling the “strong Black woman” stereotype—reminding us that while not every story ends with a cure, every story can still carry meaning. Then, from Episode 105: Rewriting the Conversation Around Suicide, we check in with Nia—the friend who remembers every birthday, keeps the group chat alive, and always shows up for everyone else. From the outside, she’s the glue holding her circle...
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Mental Margins: Major Depressive Disorder
Mental Health Rewritten
In this week's Mental Margin, we step back from the noise and dig deep into Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)—not just as a diagnosis, but as a lived experience. With over 700,000 lives lost to suicide annually, understanding MDD isn't just clinical—it's critical. We explore how Major Depressive Disorder manifests beyond sadness: in executive dysfunction, in physical exhaustion, in a feeling of cognitive suffocation.
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Suicide: Rewriting the Conversation Around Suicide
Mental Health Rewritten
In this episode of Mental Health Rewritten, we tackle the subject of suicidal ideation with care, nuance, and urgency. Through a combination of real survivor stories, fictionalized scenes, clinical insight, and historical framing, host Dominic Lawson guides listeners through what it means to live on the edge of despair — and what it takes to survive it. We hear the stories of: Nia, a high-functioning professional whose emotional unraveling is invisible until it’s too late. Ashley-Lauren, a survivor navigating abuse, chronic illness, and a suicide attempt that ultimately catalyzed her...
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Mental Margins: The Cost of Silence
Mental Health Rewritten
In this segment from episode Starting The Conversation Around Sexual Anorexia, we begin with what looks like a familiar path—trauma responses—but quickly uncover a deeper, more insidious truth: how intimacy, when distorted by early harm, can turn into a war zone. Janet's story isn’t just about survival. It's about expectation, submission, and the silent cultural scripts many women are forced to internalize about marriage, sex, and safety.
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Mental Margins: Janet Bentley Discussing Intimacy and Shame
Mental Health Rewritten
In this deeply personal bonus segment from Episode 104 Starting The Conversation About Sexual Anorexia, we hear more from Janet Bentley, a woman navigating the silent emotional toll of sexual anorexia within her marriage. What begins as a quiet irritation toward her partner, Simon, unravels into a poignant reflection on internalized shame, intimacy avoidance, and the emotional impact on those who love us. She courageously details her struggle to name what she was experiencing, her relief in discovering Patrick Carnes' work on the sexual addiction spectrum, and the painful vulnerability of...
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Mental Margins: Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder
Mental Health Rewritten
In this segment, Janet reflects on her lifelong struggle with intimacy and the emotional walls built from trauma, exploring the complex relationship between Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder (FSIAD) and sexual anorexia—two conditions often conflated but profoundly distinct. Perfectionism as Protection: Janet shares how perfectionism, an unhealthy coping mechanism, became her shield from past trauma, providing control while distancing her from deeper emotional wounds. Terror of Intimacy: Janet vividly describes the escalating fear that intimacy evokes—initially sexual, but eventually...
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Sex: Starting the Conversation Around Sexual Anorexia
Mental Health Rewritten
Kyle sits awake at 2 AM, the glow of his laptop revealing a single word in the search bar: “avoidance.” He scrolls past harsh phrases like fear of intimacy and sexual withdrawal that feel like accusations. Then one term stops him—“sexual anorexia.” For the first time, he wonders: What if I’m not broken, but scared? And what if scared has a name? This episode of Mental Health Rewritten explores the little-discussed realm of sexual anorexia, a term for fear-driven intimacy avoidance often rooted in trauma. Though not officially listed in the DSM-5, sexual anorexia is a...
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Mental Margins: Internal Barriers & OnlyFans Reveal
Mental Health Rewritten
In this special reflection episode of Mental Health Rewritten, host Dominic Lawson celebrates 40 days of the podcast's journey with over 1,000 subscribers and nearly 13,000 downloads. Dominic shares heartfelt gratitude for listeners' impactful messages, highlighting how powerful storytelling can transform conversations about mental health. Listeners discover the deliberate use of the gentle chime within episodes—a signal indicating insights grounded in respected clinical texts, DSM-5 and ICD-11, ensuring a balance of accuracy, clarity, and empathy. Bonus Content Highlights: Dr. Justin Dodson...
info_outline**POST CREDIT CONTENT ALERT**
Welcome to Episode 2 of Mental Health Rewritten — “Pornography: Rewiring Reality”
In this powerful follow-up to our season premiere, we confront one of the most polarizing issues in modern mental health: pornography.
Through the dual narratives of Gio and Maddie, we navigate secrecy, shame, and compulsion — we dive into the psychological impact of porn consumption on young minds, relationships, and emotional development. We illustrate how digital intimacy can morph into emotional avoidance.
Featuring reflections inspired by Susan Sontag’s The Pornographic Imagination, data trends around economic stress and porn usage, and voices from clinical research, we explore:
How pornography functions as both escape and expression
Why compulsive consumption often begins in adolescence
The blurred boundaries between fantasy, shame, and mental distress
Economic stressors and their link to increased digital escapism
The humanity behind the industry — including the performers and producers
Societal silence around youth exposure and emotional education
From the Reagan-era Meese Commission to modern neuroscience, we examine the narratives, research, and myths shaping how we see pornography today — not to shame or glorify, but to understand it.
We share an unflinching yet compassionate exploration that reframes addiction, adolescence, and the hidden effects of unspoken behaviors. This is not just about screens — it's about the stories behind them.
Listen now and subscribe for upcoming episodes on suicide, race, and intergenerational trauma.
Reminder: Mental health struggles are real — and often silent. If you or someone you know needs support, reach out to a mental health professional.
Mental Health Rewritten, created by the OWLS Education Company, in collaboration with The Ummah Collective Group, is hosted, written, and produced by Dominic Lawson.
Executive Producers: Kenda Lawson and Dr. Whitney Howzell
Cover Art: Alexandria Eddings of Art Life Connections
Some music was provided by DJ Krate Digga of The Mighty Sound Champz Crew
This week's disclaimer provided by Al Pete, Founder of The MPN Network
Supporting Sources:
Sontag, Susan (1967). “The Pornographic Imagination.” – Analysis of pornography as reflective of cultural fears and desires johnshaplin.blogspot.comjohnshaplin.blogspot.com.
Dworkin, Andrea (1981). Pornography: Men Possessing Women. – Argues pornography is a form of violence/oppression against women researchgate.net.
Meese Commission Report on Pornography (1986) – Conclusions of harm; later criticism by academics for lack of rigorous evidence politico.compolitico.com.
Politico Magazine – Tim Alberta (2018), on Meese Commission’s flawed use of research and findings being unsupported politico.com.
CDC-Kaiser ACE Study – Findings on how ≥4 childhood adversities correlates with higher risk of substance use, mental illness, and sexual risk behaviors in adulthood mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.orgmydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org.
CDC – Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (2023) on ACEs: associations with early sexual initiation, teen pregnancy, etc. cdc.gov.
VA National Center for PTSD – DSM-5 PTSD Criterion A definition of trauma (death, serious injury, sexual violence exposure)ptsd.va.gov.
ICD-11 – WHO’s diagnostic criteria: trauma defined as extremely threatening or horrific events cambridge.org.
Pornhub Traffic Data (2020) – Documented 11–24% global increase in usage during COVID-19 lockdowns pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Financial Stress & Porn Study (2020) – Found porn site visits decreased when economic stress rose, suggesting not all downturns boost porn use pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Reuters – “Pornhub owner MindGeek sold to Canada’s ECP” (Mar 16, 2023) – Announcement of Ethical Capital Partners (Solomon Friedman) acquiring MindGeek reuters.comreuters.com.
New York Times – “The Children of Pornhub” (N. Kristof, Dec 2020) – Investigative piece exposing underage/non-consensual content monetized on Pornhub papers.ssrn.com.
Rolling Stone – “Racism in Porn Industry Under Scrutiny” (June 2020) – Report that Black performers are paid and hired less, citing Ana Foxxx, Lotus Lain, etc. instagram.comibtimes.com.
International Business Times – “Black Performers Reveal They’re Paid and Hired Less in Porn” (June 12, 2020) ibtimes.comibtimes.com.
Blavity News – “Adult Film Has Been No Exception (to Racism)” (June 24, 2020) – Overview of racist tropes and pay disparities in porn, with input from Black actresses blavity.comblavity.com.
Dazed Digital – “Porn actresses are dying – why?” (Feb 2018) – Discusses rash of young female performer deaths, highlighting lack of support, stigma, and financial insecurity in the industry dazeddigital.comdazeddigital.com.
Referenced Articles & Resources
The Tragic Story of Olivia Nova
The Guardian reported on the untimely death of adult film star Olivia Nova, shedding light on the mental health struggles, financial instability, and lack of healthcare access within the industry.
Read the article here.
The Children of Pornhub – New York Times
This 2020 exposé uncovered the presence of underage and non-consensual content on Pornhub, revealing systemic exploitation and regulatory failures in the adult industry.
Read the full report.
Racial Pay Disparities in Porn – Rolling Stone Feature
Black performers like Ana Foxxx and Lotus Lain have shared their experiences fighting for equal pay and dignity in an industry riddled with racial inequities.
Read the Rolling Stone article via Blavity.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
To learn more about trauma recovery techniques like EMDR, visit the EMDR International Association.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Quiz
Curious about how your early life may have shaped your mental health? Take a confidential ACE quiz through the Center for Youth Wellness at numberstory.org.
Your Brain on Porn
Explore the neuroscience behind compulsive porn consumption and its impact on mental well-being at yourbrainonporn.com.