Lotus Blooms from Darkness: Finding Hope in Mental Health Challenges

What does it really take to improve mental health? In this powerful episode, visual artist and psychiatry professor Meghan Caughey shares her incredible journey from surviving schizophrenia to thriving as an educator and advocate. Show Notes | Transcript "Sometimes you just go through the fire, and then there you are, in the middle of the fire, and you deal with that. That might be your path." Meghan Caughey Meghan discusses the science behind art therapy, the concept of "making art from the edge of the bridge," and how creative expression can transform trauma into healing. She offers a unique perspective on recovery that combines lived experience with scientific understanding. In this episode, you'll discover: How creative expression can serve as a powerful coping mechanism during times of emotional turmoil The surprising scientific evidence supporting art's ability to rewire the brain and promote healing Why embracing your unique artistic voice is more important than technical perfection The potential of art as a complementary approach to traditional mental health treatments Key insights include: The measurable impacts of various art forms on brain chemistry and stress reduction How Meghan's Buddhist practice intertwined with her artistic journey to foster resilience The importance of challenging limiting beliefs about recovery and personal potential Why being present and supportive can be more powerful than having all the answers when helping someone in crisis Meghan also introduces us to the concept of "free drawings" - a technique that allows the unconscious mind to express itself through art without judgment or planning. This approach offers a gateway to self-discovery and emotional processing, even for those who don't consider themselves traditionally artistic. Whether you're navigating your own mental health journey, supporting a loved one through challenges, or simply curious about the healing power of creativity, this conversation offers valuable insights and practical strategies. Tune in to learn how tapping into your creative side might just be the key to unlocking greater mental wellness and personal growth. As German artist Gerhard Richter said, "Art is the highest form of hope." So why not pick up that paintbrush, pen, or instrument today? Your brain - and your spirit - might thank you for it. Connect with Meghan Art website: https://meghancaughey.com/ Memoir website: https://mudflowerbook.com/ Resources: Join the Soulful Women's Network: https://www.facebook.com/groups/soulfulwomensnetwork Receive daily inspirational email messages: bit.ly/LoveLightNotes Need support? Go to engagewithgloria.com to schedule a call. Connect with Live Love Engage: Send Gloria Grace a message ☕ Support the podcast ❤ Love this episode? Leave us a review and rating LinkedIn: Gloria Grace Rand Facebook: Gloria Grace Rand YouTube: Gloria Grace Rand TRANSCRIPT Live Love Engage Podcast: Lotus Blooms from Darkness: Finding Hope in Mental Health Challenges Guest: Meghan Caughey - Visual Artist, Cellist, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University Host: Gloria Grace, Founder of Align to Shine Academy Episode Topic: Art as a Pathway to Mental Health Recovery and Brain Healing Introduction Gloria Grace: Namaste. Are you ready to discover how creativity can literally rewire your brain and become your secret weapon for mental wellness? Well, stick with us because we're going to be exploring how making art from the edge of the bridge isn't just a metaphor. It's a powerful pathway to healing that can actually help entrepreneurs like you move from surviving to thriving. But first, I do want to welcome you to Live Love Engage, especially if this is your first time joining us. I am Gloria Grace, founder of Align to Shine Academy, and I empower women over 50 to step into their highest potential with clarity and confidence. And my guest today is an amazing woman. Her name is Meghan Caughey, and she was an artist and cellist from an early age. But then Meghan developed schizophrenia when she was a freshman in college. But she has recovered and now is a visual artist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University. And I really looking forward to having her join us and talk to us a little bit about her journey and about art and the brain. So welcome, Meghan, to Live Love Engage. Meghan Caughey: Thank you so much, Gloria. I'm really happy to be with you today. Early Discovery of Art as Healing Gloria: I thought we'd actually start if you can maybe kind of take us back to when you first discovered this healing power of art, especially during your journey with schizophrenia. Meghan: Okay, well, can I go back even before that? This will date me, but I just want to say I have made art all my life, and I come from a family of musicians, and I had a great uncle that was a painter. But when President Kennedy was shot, I was in elementary school, and I think I was like 9 or 10 years old, and it was awful. And everyone was crying and it was tragic. And my response was to get a piece of paper and some pencils and draw a picture about it. So even then I knew that if there was something terrible and awful in our environment, something awful that happened to us that we didn't know how to handle emotionally or psychologically, that by making a picture about it, that that was the way to deal with it. And by the same token, when I was about the same age I had my Uncle Gene who worked in construction, and he had a terrible accident and had to be in the hospital and he died. And my response was to write a poem about it for him and that way helped me emotionally connect with him and it was healing for both me and my mother read it to him. That's just an example of before I even developed this hard to deal with psychiatric illness known as schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia. I was making art from early, early on because it works, because it's powerful. The Onset of Schizophrenia Gloria: What happened when you were diagnosed then? Were you able to start kind of again going back to using art to be able to help? Meghan: Well, I was 19. I was a freshman in college at a school in Colorado. I went to Colorado not because I thought the school was any good, but because I wanted to be able to go backpacking in the Rockies. So that was my priority. And I got to school, new freshman and immediately took off backpacking. And this was the 70s. And then I was going to study art. I had gone back and forth between would my major be cello or visual art, and I decided on visual art. So I was taking an art history class. And one day early on I was in this big cathedral, big auditorium like classroom, and I had seats all the way back to the ceiling in the back. I was up by myself on the top row. And during the lecture when the professor was lecturing about famous artists, I started hearing something very small in the back of my brain. I didn't pay attention to it, but it got louder gradually during the course of the class. And I remember the teacher was showing work by Francesco Goya, if you all are familiar with his paintings. But I started listening more and more because I just couldn't tune it out. And then suddenly I realized that it was telling me I was bad. It was talking to me and telling me I was bad. And I didn't know what it was. It was awful. And so soon the class was over and the lights came on and I went running out of the classroom. I went going across the main campus, and there was this woman, this other student, walking towards me. It was a woman with blonde hair, blonde ponytail and a red sweater. And when she got up close to me, I looked at her face, and her face looked like a giant insect. Gloria: Oh, my goodness. Meghan: I was terrified. So I went running to get to my dormitory, running up to my room. And then when I was in my room, I went to the mirror and I looked at the mirror at myself. And I wasn't myself, was no longer a young woman. I was a beast with holes for nose and blood dripping down my mouth and awful eyes. It was the scariest. I can't really say how awful it was. And I saw that, and I thought my life would never be the same. I knew on some level that I had changed in a way that I just couldn't explain, couldn't understand. It was terrible. The Long Journey of Recovery Meghan: So I went through that year. When the snows came, this was Colorado, when the early first snows came, I'd been having these hallucinations. That's what they were, hallucinations. And I went out when the first snow came, and I was looking up at the snow, and it was such a relief to have the beautiful snow coming down. And some students came and said, you don't have your coat on, you don't have your shoes on. We're taking you to the student health center. They knew I was not doing well. And that was the beginning of being hospitalized many times through my life for the symptoms of schizophrenia and later schizoaffective disorder. I've been hospitalized over 100 times. Gloria: Wow. Meghan: But I'm over that now. But it's not like everything is totally simple, but my life has—no one ever thought that I would be able to have a career and a life that has meaning and I'm respected in my work and I love my life. And yet sometimes things are just better than we could ever imagine. The Lotus Revelation Gloria: What helped you to finally start being able to be where you are today? Meghan: Well, it's not a simple path. But when I was in high school, before I was even ever diagnosed with schizophrenia, I started studying Buddhism and started meditating. And then later, after I became symptomatic of schizophrenia, I had this kind of real strange life because on one hand I was having these terrible hallucinations and mind states....