S4E11: Blood Is Not Thicker: Boundaries, Trauma, and Narcolepsy

Leave a review!⚠️ Content note: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and mental health crisis. Please take care of yourself first.🎙️ EPISODE GUEST: Alejandro Bruner Solas — Program Manager, PWN for PWN | Narcolepsy Type 1 Warrior | Psychedelic Health Advocate | ColoradoIn one of our most powerful episodes to date, Kerly and Liz sit down with Alejandro Bruner Solas — a half Puerto Rican, Colorado-based program manager, Freemason, martial artist, and passionate narcolepsy advocate — who lived with undiagnosed narcolepsy type 1 from the age of five until he was 38.Alejandro's story is raw, honest, and deeply human. He walks us through childhood sleep paralysis he couldn't name, a silent burden shaped by trauma and abuse that taught him to keep quiet, misdiagnosis as a learning disability throughout school, a high-pressure corporate career that pushed him to breaking point, a mental health crisis that led to a life-changing ER visit, and an unconventional treatment path including microdosing LSD that he says gave him his life back.This episode also carries an important message for men in the narcolepsy community: your story matters, your voice is needed, and macho culture is not serving anyone.WHAT YOU'LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━• How sleep paralysis started at age 5 and went unnamed for over 30 years• The role childhood trauma played in Alejandro's silence around his symptoms• Being placed in special education despite no learning disability• The toxic workplace that drove him to sleep deprivation and crisis• The medication journey: Adderall, Modafinil, Xyrem, and Xywav• DMT, neuroplasticity, and the new frontier of psychedelic medicine• The power of mentors, small wins, and setting core values as anchors• His message to men in the narcolepsy and sleep disorder communityCONNECT WITH ALEJANDRO & PWN FOR PWN📧 [email protected]🌐 pwnforpwn.org💬 Join the PWN for PWN digital community via the websiteRESOURCES MENTIONEDIf Alejandro's story resonated with you and you're navigating your own chronic illness journey, CareTrack was built for moments exactly like this — when you need to track what's happening in your body, document your path to diagnosis, and advocate for yourself in a system that doesn't always listen.Built by a spoonie, for spoonies.Free to use at steadycaretrack.comIf you or someone you know has a sleep disorder and would like to share your story, please reach out — we'd love to have you on the show.<Support the showSubscribe for more inspiring episodes, share to raise awareness, and join the conversation by sharing your experiences.Follow and support Narcolepsy Navigators:www.napsforlife.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/narcolepsynavigatorspodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Narcolepsy-Navigators/61558638497300/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/narcolepsy-navigators-podcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@narcolepsynavigatorsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@NarcolepsyNavigatorsPodcast ***If you find these symptoms relatable, please seek medical advice.***