Halloween has ancient roots, going back to the Celtic festival of Samhain, a time when people celebrated the end of harvest and believed the boundary between the physical world and the spirit world thinned. People wore masks to protect themselves from any wandering spirits, creating a symbolic ‘cover’ between themselves and the unknown. 

Today, masks have taken on a different meaning. Many of us wear figurative masks to protect ourselves, hiding our true feelings, insecurities, or struggles. While these masks might shield us, they can also keep us from connecting fully with ourselves and those around us.

 

Unmasking for Mental Health

In the spirit of Halloween, why not explore what it would feel like to take off one of these masks? Start small. It could be as simple as letting someone know how you’re really feeling. The process of unmasking is a powerful act of self-compassion and a way to connect more authentically.

 

My Healing Story of Madness, Masks, and Miracles

Halloween and mental health have a surprising common thread: the masks we wear, whether to celebrate or to shield our innermost selves. This theme is deeply explored in my play, Madness, Masks, and Miracles. Like the masks we put on at Halloween, many of us wear emotional and psychological masks every day, hoping to protect ourselves, fearing judgment, and hiding truths even from those closest to us.

 

The Courage to Unmask

Madness, Masks, and Miracles was born from a need to tell these hidden stories, exploring the relentless struggle of hiding behind a “I am fine” face while experiencing profound challenges within. Featuring real people with their own journeys through mental health challenges—whether personally or through loved ones—the play unpacks themes of suffering, resilience, and, ultimately, the miracles that come from allowing ourselves to be courageous, vulnerable, and real.

This Halloween, if you’re ready to take a deeper journey, consider watching Madness, Masks, and Miracles as a way to connect with the universal experience of unmasking. Available for rent on my app or to own on DVD, the play may inspire reflection, empathy, and hope—whether you’re familiar with these struggles or supporting someone who is.

Click here to learn more about my play, as well as listen to an interview about authenticity and the price we pay for wearing masks!

My personal journey to take off the biggest mask I was wearing for decades

I could have won several Academy Awards for the times I was able to pull that off. Until, one day, I stopped. I had to. It was non-negotiable. The amount of energy that it took to push down the truth of how I was feeling and pretend all was well when it wasn’t, in order to please others, had to stop.

It was from that impetus I wrote my play and came out in public with my bouts of bipolar illness. Make no mistake – it was not easy – it was petrifying to tell you the truth. To expose myself like that. After all, I am a therapist, and my clients had no idea I might have been in a hospital for clinical depression when they thought I was on leave for professional reasons.

The bountiful success that came from Telling my Truth

I had no idea that stepping out like that would become my saving grace. Instead of being filled with pain, shame, and embarrassment, my life turned around dramatically. I stepped into my role of being a fierce, outspoken mental health advocate. Instead of losing clients (my belief was that once they knew that I had bipolar illness, my career would suffer), my business grew in leaps and bounds. Out came more workshops, more books, and more projects to help people heal their fear and shame and stand tall in their own skin.

As well as it serves me as it is my dharma to help in this way – it has allowed countless others to feel safe enough to tell their own true stories of heartbreak, confusion, and loss when faced with a mental illness. It put them on their own healing journey where they could finally drop their masks of shame and step into their own empowerment.

Although the play was staged several years ago, its effects are still transforming lives today!

Not long ago, my friend Maggie, her auntie, and her father sat down with Maggie’s mom to watch the play. Her mom was 80 years old at the time and suffered throughout her whole life with bipolar illness, but it was never spoken about. Ever. It was a risk showing her the play as they didn’t know how she would react. The next day, Maggie’s mom said, “Maggie, it’s the first time in my life I realize it wasn’t my fault!” It still makes me tear up to remember that.

Reflection

This Halloween, in the privacy of your home, be as authentic with yourself as possible.

Ask yourself where you are stuck in hiding. Are there things you don’t say because you are afraid of hurting someone or upsetting the status quo, or for other reasons? Do you wear a “happy face” when you are feeling lost, afraid, sad, or lonely?

Ask yourself what you would need to do in order to remove the masks you wear so you can seen, heard, acknowledged, valued, and loved, just as you are?

Writing Prompt

If I could drop one mask today, what would it be? One step I am willing to courageously take today to remove my debilitating masks is…

 

A Writing Tip: Free-Flow Writing

When exploring deeper topics, like letting go of a mask, try writing in free-flow form. Set a timer for five minutes, write without stopping, and let whatever thoughts arise fall onto the page. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or making sense—just let it flow. This can help bypass any internal “masks” we might wear, allowing for a more authentic expression to emerge.

P.S. Oh, have you listened to my song, It’s a Brand New Day yet? I was motivated to write it for the same reasons I shared above: to reduce the stigma associated with mental health challenges. I co-wrote it with my now friend (former husband), David Halliwell. I wrote the lyrics and handed them over to David to produce the music. We then handed it over to the studio musicians and singers and then to Lisa Hope, who did a remarkable job at the Video Production. It’s all here for your enjoyment -fun and danceable, too!

Please share it far and wide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnLcjG4B4Tk
Please share my website with your friends!