PEER SUPPORT – As most of you who read here know, I’m working on behalf of individuals who live with mental health challenges. I’m trying to help those who don’t understand what it’s like to live with stigma, to better understand how they could help heal the pain caused by stigma. It must be stated […]
Read More...FOLLOWING A RADICAL JESUS – SPIRITUAL SUPPORT Dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus’ sermons; but this caused complaints from the Jewish religious leaders and the experts on Jewish law because he was associating with such despicable people—even eating with them! Luke 15:1-2 (TLB) Jesus was a radical in the […]
Read More...THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING – PART TWO – Imagine, having something very important to tell someone, but you’re not listened to. There are nine symptoms that determine whether or not a person has BPD (borderline personality disorder). I had only three, but still received the diagnosis. It was official—put in my chart. And I believed […]
Read More...THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING To listen to others is to be shown the respect every human being deserves, even if a person does have bipolar disorder. Not to be heard indicates that you’re not considered to matter. From my blog, on March 9, 2012: I’m delighted. My new medication has helped me stabilize well. No […]
Read More...REJECTION – AN EXAMPLE OF SPIRITUAL FOOD – Some devotional material does not necessarily comfort or encourage, but helps us gain understanding about Jesus—a perspective we might have missed. I wrote the following in 2018. It could very well draw readers closer to him as they see him as a kindred spirit who knows their […]
Read More...MY NEED FOR HIS COMPASSION – MY STORY – Part of my personal journey with stigma: I learned the excruciating the pain of being considered a good and faithful servant of God for many years, and then suddenly to be treated as “evil.” I learned how hopeless it is to report a wrongdoing to authorities, […]
Read More...EXAMPLE OF SPIRITUAL FOOD – Stories like this about individuals to whom Jesus brought healing can do wonders for those who are feeling the effects of stigma. Ask a person you’re supporting to put themselves in the place of the person in this story, and they will most likely be able to relate to her. […]
Read More...STIGMATIZED . . . STILL? MY STORY 2011 was a busy year for me as a mental health advocate, offering quite a few speaking engagements, something I welcomed, even though I was sometimes nervous about it. I’m just so very grateful that God has given me the passion and the desire to speak. So grateful that […]
Read More...WORD ABOUT ME SPREAD – MY STORY Word about me as a person who could speak about mental health and faith issues started to spread. In 2005, shortly after joining the Brentwood Park congregation, the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA, BC Div.) asked me to write about mental illness and the Church. This […]
Read More...COMING OUT – MY STORY In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Psalm 25:1-3 […]
Read More...© 2026 Marja Bergen
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑