Step into you & reclaim your authentic self | Sasha Noe | TEDxUniversityofSouthAfrica Women
Dr. Sasha, a former physician who experienced a mental health crisis, argues that embracing one's authentic self requires recognizing innate strength, finding a supportive "tribe," and having the courage to go against prevailing societal norms, illustrated by her choice to advocate for medical cannabis despite the opioid stigma.
## Speakers & Context
- Dr. Sasha, a scientist and physician, who describes her experience of "dying" in a mental health crisis and subsequently "resurrected."
- Discussing the mental health crisis, which she calls an "epidemic that affects over 300 million people globally."
## Theses & Positions
- The definition of scientific death is the "permanent sensation of all vital functions," which she believes she experienced.
- The root cause of the crisis is the societal pressure to mold individuals into "versions of ourselves fragments of ourselves."
- Authenticity is paramount, and the ability to step into one's true self is the goal of personal recovery.
- Recovery involves three lessons: 1) Trauma activates the human spirit; 2) Finding a "tribe"; 3) Having the courage to "go against the grain."
- The choice to advocate for medical cannabis, despite stigma, is an example of choosing authenticity over conformity.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Self-rejection:** The subtle process of criticizing or changing oneself to achieve acceptance from others.
- **Human Spirit:** The inherent, dormant power within a person that fights to emerge during periods of struggle.
- **Tribe:** A supportive community necessary for personal growth and the reaffirmation of one's worth.
- **Going against the grain:** Making a choice or speaking an opinion that is not popular, accepted, or widespread.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Adoption of false identities:** Learning to suppress true identity by watching others and mimicking speech patterns to fit in ("I would follow their lips word for word and made sure every single word was pronounced correctly").
- **Community pressure:** Feeling compelled to attain unattainable standards (e.g., motherhood standards) leading to emotional distress.
- **Medical cannabis advocacy:** Choosing this treatment method over opioids during recovery because it better supports her brain function as a "global leader in medical cannabis."
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Teenage years:** Immigrating from Trinidad to the US; experiencing rejection in school where she looked different and spoke with an accent.
- **Early life progression:** Shoving parts of identity away to fit in, leading to self-hatred and self-rejection.
- **Marriage period:** Being groomed with self-hatred, obsessed with pleasing everyone, and eventually pushing herself to the brink.
- **Crisis point:** Suffering debilitating pain and having her life crash in the ICU; her physical body failing her after years of overexertion.
- **Post-recovery:** Gaining the opportunity to speak on medical cannabis, leading her to assert her expertise.
## Named Entities
- **Trinidad** — small island country where the speaker immigrated from.
- **Ralph Waldo Emerson** — person quoted who said that "to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to change you is the greatest accomplishment."
## Numbers & Data
- Affected people by mental health crisis: **over 300 million people globally**.
- The speaker’s body failure is described as "a thousand deaths daily."
- The speaker's marriage involved a man who was **6' n** and her being **all of five W**.
- Opioids' effect: significantly affects ability to function and is highly addictive, permanently changing the brain.
## Examples & Cases
- **The Playground Analogy:** The realization that "the cruelest place on Earth is a playground."
- **Language Accommodation:** Spending hours watching TV after school to perfectly imitate pronunciation to gain acceptance.
- **The Motherhood Struggle:** Feeling crushed because she could not attain the standard of her community and missed children's events, leading to self-blame.
- **The Marriage Deterioration:** Being forced to become the "red winner" whose protection and provision failed.
- **Medical Cannabinoid Advocacy:** Being forced to present on medical cannabis use on Stage 5 days after surgery, choosing the option against the grain.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Medical Cannabis:** Natural healing plant used as a preferred treatment over opioids in recovery.
- **Opioids:** Medication whose use is dangerous due to addiction and brain alteration.
## References Cited
- **Ralph Waldo Emerson:** Quoted regarding self-acceptance.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Self-Acceptance vs. Fitting In:** Trading inherent identity for perceived belonging and acceptance.
- **Cannabis vs. Opioids:** Choosing a less addictive, functional treatment option despite societal stigma.
- **Authenticity vs. Societal Expectation:** The constant conflict between who one is and who society expects them to be.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker addresses the anticipated question of *how* she died, clarifying it was not instantaneous.
- The belief that the pain and striving for acceptance were necessary components of her development ("Every fear every tear every scream and every whale").
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- **Reclaim your authentic self.**
- **Embrace trauma:** View trauma as the activating force for the human spirit.
- **Find your tribe:** Surround yourself with people who support your growth.
- **Go against the grain:** When faced with options, choose the authentic path, even if it is unpopular or scientifically controversial.
## Implications & Consequences
- The failure to validate one's internal experience (emotional, mental) results in a state of being "dead inside."
- Silence from medical professionals regarding overlooked issues (like mental health/chronic pain) actively perpetuates harm.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"the cruelest place on Earth is a playground"*
- *"I don't need their help iuse myself"*
- *"suck it up everyone wants to see you smile but no one really cares about you"*
- *"If I couldn't get them to like me I could at least get them to accept me"*
- *"I would stand in their room at night looking at them while they slept and I would have tears streaming down my face torturing myself with one single Vault"*
- *"I was fighting for my life in the ICU"*
- *"your power your human spirit is dormant inside of you and it's fighting to come out so fight to reclaim your authentic self"*
- *"there are more people who heal than hurt"*
- *"if you being you means you need to go against the grain then you do you"*
- *"The Silence of Physicians or their lack of knowledge is perpetuating issues in mental health and chronic pain"*
- *"to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to change you is the greatest accomplishment"*