If you are healing from trauma, 23-year-old Forrest Nichols has one piece of advice for you: “Get off your medication and work through your trauma.” Where did Forrest learn how to process trauma with such ease? Forrest credits her emotional fortitude to her two parents who are still happily married and love their children dearly. Who needs a therapist when you have a trauma expert with no trauma at all?
“It’s really important to approach mental health care holistically,” Forrest shared. “Holistically means, like, no meds, no talk therapy, maybe some psychedelics, and a really good hug.”
Forrest’s parents ensured their child had access to the best schools and extracurriculars. This super privileged childhood makes Forrest the most informed on your personal trauma.
“I don’t understand why everyone needs to take pills the second they don’t feel good. I feel great and I don’t take any meds,” Forrest continued, making it super obvious that the unconditional love and support from her parents really prevented her from needing any antidepressants.
Forrest’s friends have not responded well to her advice.
One friend, Alyssa Kline, shared her discomfort with Forrest’s outlook on mental health, saying, “I was going through one of the worst times in my life and Forrest told me that I should ‘just breathe.’ To that, I told Forrest, ‘Maybe you should experience the wonders of modern medicine and then report back.’”
When questioned about how Forrest’s advice has been landing with her friends, she was hesitant to comment, but eventually said, “Honestly, I give the same advice to everyone, which is that it’s better to just approach your problems head on, without the intervention of the pharmaceutical industry. Whenever I hit a low point, I just muscle through it!”
Wow, if only everyone had the of mental fortitude of someone whose parents have been happily married for 30 years!
Forrest added, “Mental health is so important, which is why I encourage people to talk openly about what they’re going through. If more people talked about their problems there would be no more trauma.” A world without collective or personal trauma sounds like a dream – a dream that only a person with a perfect childhood can dream up.
