Sinister Wisdom 36: Surviving Psychiatric Assault & Creating Emotional Well-Being in Our Communities

Sinister Wisdom #36

by Elana Dykewomon (Editor), Sinister Wisdom

Genres: Feminism, Lesbian

139 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Elana Dykewomon is an activist, an author, and a teacher and has a fiercely dedicated readership who have been eagerly awaiting her next novel for a dozen years. One of the finest thinkers—and writers—the women’s movement has produced, she has worked for the last fifteen years as an editor and teacher of composition and creative writing, both independently and for San Francisco State University. (from the publisher's website)

Red Room - Elana Dykewomon's Biography

Reviews

[Amberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to keep in mind that a lot of these accounts are from the 50s-80s but holy shit it still applies today. I’m a lesbian in school to become a therapist. Ive worked in inpatient psych for a bit. I’ve never truly taken into account how the psychiatric field is rooted in woman’s physical and mental destruction. Can the mental health field ever truly be feminist? I don’t know.

[dieulinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Almost every woman I have ever met has a secret belief that she is just on the edge of madness, that there is some deep, crazy part within her, that she must be on guard constantly against ‘losing control’ — of her temper, of her appetite, of her sexuality, of her feelings, of her ambition, of her secret fantasies, of her mind.”

Absolutely beautiful read.

In many ways made me reflect on my current state of being and identities and traits all wrapped in one: what does it mean to be a woman and where is my place as someone who is observant and introspective? As someone who journals a lot, this book almost calls to the profound internal struggles and the unspoken complexities that come with being myself: the fear of losing control over aspects of themselves that society, and sometimes their own minds, tell them must be tamed. It’s a powerful reflection on the burden of self-regulation and the invisible pressures that shape a woman's experience.

Echoing this introspection, Dykewomon does so with a touch of nostalgia: “Like so many of the bits of conversation I recall, the meanings hidden in childhood only become clear now that I write them down. Most were just small lessons, people trying to prove their virtue to each other, but because I wasn't supposed to be listening, I made things out to be more important than they were. Maybe that's why our childhoods seem so big, so resonant, while our adult years slip by like fish in the river Byk.”

It captures the way childhood memories can take on exaggerated importance when revisited in adulthood. The idea that our younger years seem more significant because we weren’t fully aware of their context is poignant. It suggests that the act of remembering and writing down these fragments of the past is what gives them weight and meaning. As adults, we often find ourselves trying to grasp at those fleeting moments of significance that seem to slip away as we grow older, much like "fish in the river Byk."

This book is not just a narrative; it’s a mirror, reflecting the complexities of identity, memory, and the subtle, often unspoken, struggles of womanhood. It’s a text that invites you to pause and consider your own journey, to reflect on the roles, expectations, and inner conflicts that shape your sense of self. The writing is not just evocative; it’s an invitation to introspection, urging the reader to confront the hidden parts of themselves that they, like the women in the story, might fear to lose control over.

If you're looking to be challenged to both, reflect deeply on your existence and experience, while also seeking solace in the shared understanding that these experiences are universal, I hope you pick this up.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

it just feels like everything is so far gone and there's no hope at all

http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/sites/d... Wisdom 36.pdf

[Avery L. Woods Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and still relevant.