Lucie Rachel

TW: SEXUAL ABUSE, RAPE

Dundee based artists Lucie Rachel and Joanna Helfer are currently in the process of producing a short documentary on the subject of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

9 years after initial events, a young artist with PTSD receives a wake up call from her partner, catalysing the search for a way to treat and manage the condition. Influenced by this sudden realisation, her practice mirrors the change, propelling her into a new body of work exploring the visual nature of the disorder.

The project was selected by Glasgow Film, See Me Scotland and Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival to be awarded part of the See Me Film Fund. The initiative was set up to give filmmakers the opportunity to share stories from people with experiences of mental health issues to inspire others to speak out and help end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health. The film will premiere this October at the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival 2016.

What is PTSD?

PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Symptoms may start within a few months of a traumatic event, but sometimes symptoms may not appear until years after the event. These symptoms can cause significant problems in everyday life, social or work situations and in relationships. PTSD symptoms are generally grouped into four types:

* Intrusive memories – these may take the form of recurrent unwanted memories of the traumatic events, nightmares, flashbacks, or severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the event

* Avoidance - Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, avoiding places, activities or people that remind you of the event

* Negative changes in thinking and mood - Negative feelings about yourself or other people, feeling emotionally numb, hopelessness about the future, not remembering important aspects of the traumatic event, difficulty maintaining close relationships

* Changes in emotional reactions - Irritability, angry outbursts or aggressive behaviour, always being on guard, overwhelming guilt or shame, self-destructive behaviour, trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping, being easily startled or frightened

PTSD symptoms can vary in intensity over time. Some people may have more PTSD symptoms when they're stressed in general, or when they come into contact with triggers or reminders of what they went through.

What's your story?

Lucie: For many years now I have been living with symptoms of PTSD as a result of sexual abuse during my early teens. When I was 19 I attempted to seek help but unfortunately had a bad experience with a professional, making me reluctant to speak to anyone about it since. Consequently I went back to coping with it alone, which proved to be manageable up until 2014 when I met my partner, Josh. With rising stress levels towards the end of my degree, symptoms began affecting my everyday life and especially our relationship. When it was only affecting myself, I didn't feel I had a real reason to find treatment, but when I saw how it was affecting Josh I agreed that it was time to find help. Currently we're just starting counselling and I'm planning on making an appointment with my GP. However, we both have a lot of anxieties about moving forward; what sort of impact treatment may have on our relationship, worries about not being strong enough for each other, and concerns about telling others and their reactions to our story. Despite this, we know that facing our issues head on is the only way to move forward, and by documenting our experience we can have a positive creative output that could potentially inspire others to speak out.

Tell me about the film...

Jo: Every person who is living with PTSD has their own individual experience. This film will explore several aspects of Lucie and Josh's experience.

Lucie: Through performance, experimental visuals and sound design we seek to communicate a physical and sensory experience of the condition. For many people, including myself, complex emotions can be difficult to express through spoken word. Due to this, I believe that beginning to process these emotions through a creative output is essential for my recovery. The story will flow between internal and external realities; following us in real time tracking the first steps of our journey, exposing our feelings throughout the process of finding treatment and discussing the individual obstacles we seek to overcome.

Jo: A huge part of our drive is to demonstrate how mental health problems effect not only the individual, but the people who surround them and their relationships, and the importance of the role that others can play in people's lives.

Lucie: On a basic level this film is for both Josh and I, and has been essential in initiating the move towards recovery. However we also hope that it may somehow help others to speak out about emotional and physical abuse, to speak about rape, and to speak about mental health.

How can people help?

Jo: There are many steps you can take to reduce stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health issues. The most powerful tool you have is your voice - talk about mental health, ask people if they're okay, and be sure to look after your own mental health too. The more we do to reduce stigma around mental health, the easier it will be for others to know that it's okay not to be okay and there are people out there who can help.

If you would like to help us with our film, please hit us up on our social media sites so we can keep you updated on our journey! We also have a crowdfunding campaign we've just launched so if you can contribute that would be greatly appreciated. However, whether you're able to contribute or not, we hope you'll share our story and help others share theirs too.

Indie GoGo Campaign: www.igg.me/at/letusletgo

Twitter: www.twitter.com/letusletgo_doc

Facebook: www.facebook.com/letusletgo