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She Tried to Make Me Think I Was Crazy… But I Proved the Truth | A Schizophrenia Story
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May 27, 2025
#redditrelationship #aita #redditstories She Tried to Make Me Think I Was Crazy… But I Proved the Truth | A Schizophrenia Story What would you do if your reality started to unravel… and no one believed you? In this deeply personal and chilling true story, Alex shares his terrifying journey through psychological manipulation and gaslighting—while living with schizophrenia. For years, he battled and managed his condition with strength and support. But when a trusted family member moved in, everything began to change. Whispers. Doubts. Isolation. Was it his illness… or something more sinister? This is a story about mental illness, betrayal, and the power of truth. It’s about the courage to trust yourself when no one else will. And it's a message to everyone who’s ever doubted their own reality: you're not alone. 🔔 Subscribe to Wistaloom for more true stories that illuminate the hidden struggles and triumphs of the human experience. 💬 If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health, please seek help. There is hope. There is healing. 👇 Tell us in the comments—have you ever experienced something nobody else believed? Tags: #Schizophrenia #MentalHealthAwareness #TrueStory #Gaslighting #MentalHealthMatters #Wistaloom #SurvivingSchizophrenia #PsychologicalThriller #FamilyBetrayal #trustyourinstincts #wistaloom @wistaloom
View Video Transcript
0:00
what would you do if your reality
0:01
started to unravel and no one believed
0:04
you if the people closest to you thought
0:07
the things you heard and felt were just
0:09
symptoms of your illness what if they
0:12
were wrong what if the very fabric of
0:15
your perception meticulously woven
0:17
through years of therapy and medication
0:19
began to fray not from within but from a
0:22
malicious external force this is not a
0:24
hypothetical question for me it is the
0:27
chilling narrative of the last year of
0:29
my life my name is Alex and I have
0:32
schizophrenia for years this diagnosis
0:35
was a formidable adversary but one I had
0:37
learned to manage my life was a
0:40
carefully constructed edifice of routine
0:42
medication compliance and consistent
0:44
therapy i had a robust support system
0:47
anchored by my incredible wife Emma we
0:50
had weathered storms together built a
0:53
comfortable life and truly believed we
0:55
had found a sustainable
0:57
peace my world once chaotic and
0:59
unpredictable had settled into a rhythm
1:02
of
1:03
stability i was in a good place perhaps
1:05
the best I had been in since my initial
1:08
diagnosis the auditory hallucinations
1:11
once a constant tormenting presence had
1:14
receded to infrequent manageable echoes
1:17
life felt for the first time in a long
1:19
time genuinely normal but then
1:22
everything
1:23
changed it began subtly almost
1:26
imperceptibly with the arrival of Emma's
1:28
sister Lily she moved into our home a
1:32
temporary arrangement that stretched
1:33
into weeks then months at first it felt
1:37
like a minor adjustment a slight shift
1:39
in the domestic
1:40
equilibrium just one more person under
1:43
our roof another personality to navigate
1:46
i'd always had a decent relationship
1:48
with Lily never particularly close but
1:50
amicable enough i had no reason to
1:53
suspect her presence would herald the
1:55
dismantling of my carefully constructed
1:57
piece almost immediately however I
1:59
noticed something
2:01
strange it was a faint unsettling
2:04
sensation like a barely perceptible
2:06
disturbance in the air every time Lily
2:10
was around I'd hear whispers they were
2:12
fleeting barely audible as if spoken
2:15
just on the edge of my hearing they were
2:18
quiet haunting and unnervingly always
2:20
directed at me they felt personal
2:24
accusatory even menacing though I could
2:26
rarely discern actual words when I'd
2:29
turned to ask what she said she'd just
2:31
look at me with an expression of figned
2:33
innocence a blank stare tinged with an
2:36
almost imperceptible hint of
2:38
amusement what i didn't say anything,"
2:42
she'd always reply her voice a picture
2:45
of calm confusion as if I was the one
2:47
making things up at first I tried to
2:50
brush it off my rational mind honed by
2:53
years of managing my condition sought
2:55
logical
2:56
explanations maybe I was
2:58
tired perhaps the stress of having an
3:01
extra person in the house was triggering
3:02
old
3:03
symptoms maybe I was reading too much
3:06
into innocent background noise
3:08
i reasoned with myself trying to anchor
3:11
myself in the stability I had worked so
3:13
hard to
3:13
achieve but the whispers kept happening
3:17
they were insistent persistent and
3:19
chillingly specific to her presence
3:22
before she moved in I hadn't experienced
3:25
auditory hallucinations in months my
3:28
mind had been a quiet sanctuary a
3:30
testament to the efficacy of my
3:32
treatment plan but now the whispers were
3:36
back and they brought with them a cold
3:38
creeping dread this insidious torment
3:41
continued for weeks then
3:43
months each whispered utterance chipped
3:46
away at my composure eroding the hard
3:49
one piece I had
3:50
cultivated the internal monologue of
3:53
doubt intensified a relentless
3:55
questioning of my own
3:57
sanity it took months of this
3:59
psychological warfare for me to have my
4:01
first breakdown
4:03
i remember lying in bed the darkness a
4:06
suffocating blanket silent tears running
4:08
down my face i whispered to myself a
4:12
desperate incantation against the rising
4:13
tide of fear it's just her i'm not going
4:16
crazy again i wanted so badly to believe
4:20
that it wasn't a relapse that this
4:22
wasn't my illness reasserting its
4:24
dominance that there was something else
4:26
going on something
4:28
external something real the alternative
4:32
was too terrifying to contemplate but a
4:34
few weeks later it happened again
4:37
another breakdown more severe this time
4:40
the weight of the whispers the constant
4:42
gaslighting and the gnawing doubt became
4:45
unbearable i couldn't hold it in any
4:48
longer i told Emma i poured out my heart
4:52
describing the whispers the chilling
4:54
frequency of their occurrence in Lily's
4:56
presence and my growing conviction that
4:58
Lily was deliberately subtly trying to
5:01
mess with my mind emma didn't believe me
5:04
the look on her face was a mixture of
5:06
deep worry and profound sadness but not
5:09
because she thought Lily might actually
5:11
be doing something wrong her concern was
5:14
directed squarely at me she was scared
5:17
for me scared of what this might mean
5:19
about my mental
5:20
state her voice was gentle laced with a
5:24
heartbreaking tenderness as she tried to
5:26
reassure me lily would never do that
5:28
Alex she loves you she cares about
5:32
you her words intended to comfort felt
5:35
like a condemnation they solidified the
5:38
terrible isolation I felt trapped in a
5:40
reality that no one else could see her
5:43
disbelief didn't ease my mind if
5:46
anything it made it worse it amplified
5:49
the sense of being utterly alone in a
5:51
terrifying struggle the whispers far
5:54
from diminishing seemed to intensify
5:56
becoming more pointed more mocking they
5:59
were so consistent so deliberate too
6:02
natural to be dismissed as mere auditory
6:05
illusions i started watching Lily more
6:07
closely observing her every move i
6:11
noticed how she would sometimes mutter
6:12
to herself when she thought no one was
6:14
paying attention a quick almost
6:16
imperceptible movement of her lips i saw
6:19
her stand silently in doorways just
6:23
watching her gaze unreadable like she
6:26
was waiting for something or perhaps
6:29
waiting for me to react the unsettling
6:32
sensation of being under surveillance of
6:34
being an unwilling participant in some
6:36
cruel experiment grew stronger i began
6:39
paying closer attention to every sound
6:41
in the house hoping to catch actual
6:43
words something concrete I could show
6:45
Emma something
6:47
undeniable i strained to listen my
6:50
senses heightened to an unbearable
6:51
degree desperate for any shred of
6:53
evidence but the more I listened the
6:56
less I understood i'd hear fragments
6:59
nonsense syllables little phrases that
7:01
didn't quite connect like snippets of a
7:04
broken radio signal and it started
7:06
consuming me my waking hours were
7:09
dominated by this obsessive search for
7:12
proof emma noticed she saw me pulling
7:15
away getting more withdrawn more
7:18
obsessed my internal world shrinking to
7:21
the confines of this one terrible
7:23
mystery the joy in my eyes once
7:26
rekindled was steadily extinguished even
7:29
though I was diligently taking my
7:30
medication and seeing my psychiatrist
7:32
regularly nothing seemed to stop the
7:35
whispers we tried different dosages new
7:38
medications a bewildering array of
7:40
pharmaceutical
7:41
interventions each adjustment brought a
7:44
flicker of hope a desperate prayer that
7:46
this would be the one that this pill or
7:49
that combination would finally silence
7:51
the
7:52
torment but the hope always faded
7:55
brutally and quickly when the whispers
7:57
returned as relentless and chilling as
8:00
ever my psychiatrist a kind and
8:02
dedicated man was equally perplexed he
8:06
attributed it to a particularly
8:07
tenacious relapse a stubborn resurgence
8:10
of symptoms and suggested further
8:12
adjustments each one a step further into
8:14
the unknown i became convinced that Lily
8:16
was whispering just loud enough for me
8:18
to hear but never quite loud enough for
8:20
me to call her out on it
8:22
definitively it felt like a meticulously
8:24
orchestrated game she was playing a
8:27
twisted psychological one designed to
8:29
push me to the brink and every time she
8:32
glanced at me with that subtle knowing
8:34
look or mumbled something under her
8:35
breath it felt like confirmation of my
8:38
deepest fears it was a constant barrage
8:41
of subtle cues each one a sharp jab to
8:44
my already fragile mental state emma
8:46
watched me
8:47
deteriorate at first her unwavering
8:49
belief was that it was all just part of
8:52
my illness a particularly difficult
8:54
phase she saw my struggles through the
8:57
lens of my diagnosis interpreting every
8:59
anxious twitch and every whispered
9:02
complaint as a
9:03
symptom but the more obsessed I became
9:06
the more visible my anguish the more
9:08
strain it put on our
9:10
relationship the tension in our home
9:12
grew unbearable a palpable weight in the
9:15
air
9:16
emma was caught in an agonizing bind
9:19
torn between her loyalty and love for me
9:22
and her instinct to defend her sister
9:24
who in her eyes was an innocent victim
9:27
of my escalating symptoms the chasm
9:30
between our perceptions of reality
9:32
widened threatening to swallow us both
9:35
then one evening it all came to a head i
9:38
was walking down the hallway on my way
9:40
to the living room when I heard it clear
9:43
undeniable a whisper not a faint murmur
9:47
this time but a distinct sound a
9:49
fleeting exhalation of breath that
9:51
carried with it an unmistakable sense of
9:54
malevolence it was Lily's
9:56
voice my heart leaped into my throat a
9:59
frantic drum against my ribs i rushed
10:02
into the kitchen the sound still echoing
10:04
in my ears and there she was drinking
10:07
water her back to me pretending like
10:09
nothing had happened she turned her eyes
10:12
wide and innocent as if just noticing my
10:15
presence i snapped the years of quiet
10:18
torment the gaslighting the desperate
10:20
pleas for belief the constant
10:22
questioning of my own sanity it all
10:24
erupted i told her to stop pretending my
10:28
voice was raw laced with a mixture of
10:30
fear frustration and righteous anger i
10:34
yelled asking her why she was doing this
10:36
what she wanted from me what twisted
10:38
game she was
10:39
playing the words tumbled out
10:42
uncontrolled fueled by a terrifying
10:44
cocktail of
10:45
emotion she flinched her eyes widening
10:49
further and then as if on quue she
10:51
started crying a theatrical performance
10:53
of innocence she insisted she didn't
10:56
know what I was talking about figning
10:58
shock and hurt then with a dramatic sob
11:01
she ran out of the house a modern-day
11:03
damsel in distress i knew exactly where
11:06
she was going i knew she was going to
11:08
call
11:09
Emma a wave of panic washed over me cold
11:12
and
11:13
suffocating emma hates being called at
11:16
work especially with drama my mind raced
11:21
conjuring vivid images of what Lily
11:22
would tell her that I was acting crazy
11:26
that I was yelling again that her poor
11:28
innocent sister was being terrorized by
11:30
her schizophrenic brother-in-law when
11:32
Emma came home that night the look on
11:35
her face told me everything her usual
11:38
warmth was replaced by a rigid mask of
11:40
uncertainty and fear she didn't know
11:43
what to think anymore the delicate
11:45
balance she had maintained between her
11:46
loyalty to me and her defense of Lily
11:48
had shattered she asked me what had
11:50
happened her voice strained barely above
11:53
a whisper i tried to explain to
11:56
articulate the unbearable burden of the
11:59
whispers the certainty of Lily's
12:01
malicious intent i described the scene
12:05
the confrontation my desperate need for
12:07
her to understand she listened her gaze
12:10
fixed on me but her eyes were clouded
12:12
with doubt "alex," she said her voice
12:16
laced with an almost heartbreaking plea
12:19
"i want to believe you but what if this
12:22
is just your illness again
12:25
and there standing just behind her her
12:27
face blotchy from feigned tears was Lily
12:30
nodding in solemn agreement a picture of
12:32
wounded innocence it was like watching
12:35
someone gaslight me in real time a
12:38
sickening confirmation of my fears
12:40
played out in the harsh light of our
12:42
living room the injustice of it all was
12:44
a physical blow i didn't argue i knew
12:47
with a chilling certainty that if I kept
12:50
pushing in that moment Emma wouldn't
12:52
hear me
12:53
she was too far gone too deeply
12:55
entrenched in her protective stance for
12:57
her sister my words would only confirm
13:00
her fears about my mental state so I
13:02
stayed quiet swallowing the bitter taste
13:05
of misunderstanding and
13:07
betrayal i needed a better way i needed
13:10
irrefutable evidence over the next few
13:12
days I watched Lily even more closely
13:15
but with a different
13:17
strategy i didn't confront her i just
13:20
observed
13:22
she seemed normal superficially
13:24
effortlessly maintaining her facade of
13:26
benign
13:27
cohabitation until she didn't there were
13:31
subtle shifts fleeting moments that
13:33
betrayed her true nature sometimes she'd
13:36
whisper to herself a quick almost
13:38
unconscious movement of her lips
13:40
sometimes she'd stop midstep her body
13:43
freezing and look around like she was
13:45
hearing something or perhaps waiting for
13:48
me to react to something only she could
13:49
perceive
13:51
these weren't overt acts but rather
13:53
fleeting glimpses behind the mask i
13:55
started pointing these moments out to
13:57
Emma subtly without much commentary i
14:00
just hoped she'd begin to notice them
14:01
herself to see the cracks in Lily's
14:03
perfect veneer it wasn't about spying or
14:06
setting Lily up for a fall it was about
14:09
helping Emma see what I was seeing to
14:11
bridge the terrifying gap between our
14:14
realities i'd casually remark "Did you
14:17
see Lily just now?"
14:19
She looked like she was talking to
14:21
herself or "Isn't it strange how Lily
14:25
sometimes just stares into
14:27
space?" Emma though still hesitant began
14:30
to register these
14:31
observations slowly imperceptibly at
14:34
first Emma began to notice she watched
14:38
Lily pause during conversations mutter
14:40
under her breath and display strange
14:42
behaviors that couldn't easily be
14:44
explained away by normaly
14:47
the more Emma saw the more her doubt
14:49
began to shift a subtle reccalibration
14:52
of her
14:53
perceptions the seeds of suspicion I had
14:55
carefully planted began to sprout in her
14:57
mind fed by Lily's own unwitting actions
15:00
that's when I decided to start
15:02
recording my phone became an extension
15:05
of my hand a silent unblinking
15:08
witness every time Lily did something
15:10
strange anything that hinted at her true
15:12
intentions I'd record it whispering to
15:16
herself while cooking stopping mid task
15:18
to stare into nothing moving her lips
15:21
with no discernable sound her eyes
15:24
darting
15:25
fertively i compiled a growing library
15:27
of these unsettling snippets each one a
15:30
testament to the strange ballet of her
15:32
unsettling behavior then one night
15:34
something truly significant happened
15:36
almost by
15:37
accident i was in the bathroom
15:39
overwhelmed by another long day of
15:41
whispers and tension the sheer weight of
15:43
it all pressing down on me
15:45
i had left my phone on the counter
15:47
recording not intentionally but simply
15:50
because it was already set to record and
15:52
I had forgotten to turn it off it was
15:54
just there a silent sentinel in the
15:57
quiet space as I sat there trying to
16:00
breathe trying to regain some semblance
16:03
of composure I heard it again whispering
16:07
from just outside the door my heart was
16:10
racing a frantic hammer against my ribs
16:13
it felt like Lily was right there just
16:15
inches away whispering at me taunting me
16:18
her voice a chilling caress against my
16:21
ear i tried to make out the words
16:23
straining desperate for clarity but it
16:26
was so faint just a ghostly murmur then
16:30
suddenly it
16:32
stopped the silence that followed was
16:34
even more unnerving than the whispers
16:36
themselves later that night with
16:38
trembling hands I played the recording
16:41
what I heard made my blood run cold the
16:44
faint creek of the bathroom door as if
16:47
someone had just approached it then the
16:49
whispering started clearer this time
16:52
amplified by the phone's microphone it
16:55
was Lily there was absolutely no doubt
16:59
the insidious almost imperceptible
17:01
whispers that had haunted my waking
17:03
hours were undeniably objectively real
17:07
it wasn't just in my head she was really
17:09
doing it the sheer terrifying reality of
17:12
it washed over me a tidal wave of
17:15
vindication and profound
17:17
sorrow for the first time I had
17:20
irrefutable proof and I wasn't just
17:22
relieved i was heartbroken
17:25
someone I had considered family someone
17:27
Emma loved was deliberately maliciously
17:31
trying to mess with my mind to shatter
17:33
my reality to push me into the
17:36
terrifying abyss of a deeper mental
17:38
breakdown this wasn't part of my illness
17:42
this was real this was a cruel
17:44
calculated act of psychological torment
17:47
i waited a couple more days gathering a
17:50
few more recordings strengthening my
17:52
case stealing myself for the inevitable
17:56
confrontation and then when the time
17:59
felt right when I knew Emma was open
18:01
enough to truly see I sat down with her
18:04
i showed her the videos one by one Lily
18:07
muttering to herself while cooking her
18:09
lips moving silently as she stirred a
18:11
pot
18:13
lily stopping mid task to stare into
18:15
nothing her eyes unfocused a strange
18:18
detached expression on her face lily
18:21
whispering softly to no one in
18:23
particular her voice just a breathy
18:25
murmur sometimes in the kitchen
18:28
sometimes in the living room sometimes
18:31
as she walked past my bedroom door emma
18:34
watched each one her face gradually
18:37
turning pale her expression shifting
18:39
from doubt to horror and finally to a
18:42
profound sickening
18:44
realization the mask of denial
18:47
painstakingly maintained for months
18:49
finally crumbled she believed me the
18:53
truth in its raw undeniable form had
18:56
finally penetrated the layers of
18:57
misconception and fear that night after
19:00
a long silent discussion we called Lily
19:03
into the living room the air was thick
19:06
with unspoken
19:07
tension emma her voice gentle but firm
19:11
started the
19:12
conversation she explained that she was
19:14
worried about Lily that she had noticed
19:17
some unsettling behaviors she mentioned
19:20
the recordings and the strange patterns
19:22
we had both observed laying out the
19:24
evidence carefully
19:26
deliberately lily looked nervous her
19:29
eyes darted around the room avoiding our
19:32
gaze a flicker of fear in their depths
19:35
she was clearly on edge her usual
19:37
composure fracturing when I showed her
19:39
the videos playing them back one by one
19:42
her mask began to slip entirely her
19:45
hands fidgeted her breath quickened a
19:47
telltale sign of her internal turmoil
19:50
the smug innocence she had worn for
19:52
months dissolved and
19:54
finally she broke down she admitted it
19:58
with a torrent of tears and choked sobs
20:01
she confessed to whispering outside the
20:04
bathroom in the kitchen even during
20:06
dinner she confessed to muttering to
20:09
acting strangely to the deliberate acts
20:12
of psychological
20:13
manipulation her motives when they
20:15
tumbled out were chillingly
20:18
pragmatic she said she was scared of me
20:21
she had read online about schizophrenia
20:23
she claimed and had convinced herself
20:25
that I might be dangerous that I posed a
20:28
threat to Emma so she tried to push me
20:31
to get committed or to leave to remove
20:33
what she perceived as a danger from
20:35
Emma's life emma was stunned the hurt
20:39
was palpable in her posture in the
20:41
tremor of her voice
20:43
she asked why Lily didn't come to her
20:45
directly why she chose fear and
20:48
manipulation instead of honesty instead
20:50
of seeking solutions with them as a
20:53
family why she chose to pray on my
20:55
vulnerability to weaponize my illness
20:58
against me lily didn't have good answers
21:01
her apologies felt hollow
21:04
self-serving she mumbled about thinking
21:06
it was the only way about not realizing
21:09
how much damage she was causing she
21:12
cried she apologized profusely she
21:14
promised to get help to change but the
21:17
weight of her betrayal the calculated
21:19
cruelty of her actions overshadowed any
21:22
genuine remorse she might have felt but
21:25
it was too late the damage was done too
21:28
deep too
21:29
pervasive emma and I talked privately
21:31
for hours that night the conversation
21:34
punctuated by silences heavier than
21:36
words
21:37
we knew we had to make a decision a
21:39
difficult one but an unavoidable
21:42
one lily had caused real profound harm
21:46
not just to me not just to my mental
21:48
state but to our relationship to the
21:51
sanctity of our home to the very
21:54
foundation of trust that binds a family
21:57
as much as we cared about her as much as
22:00
Emma loved her sister the trust had been
22:02
broken too deeply too irrevocably the
22:05
next morning with a heavy heart we sat
22:08
down with her again emma her voice calm
22:11
and resolute told her she couldn't stay
22:13
with us
22:14
anymore lily protested
22:17
predictably she immediately resorted to
22:19
emotional manipulation claiming we were
22:21
abandoning her just like her ex had done
22:24
she became angry her voice rising in a
22:26
crescendo of indignation she got loud
22:29
defensive attempting to shift the blame
22:32
to paint herself as the victim but Emma
22:35
stood her ground her gaze was steady
22:38
unwavering she told Lily that what she
22:40
did was cruel that it was a deliberate
22:42
act of psychological torture that it
22:45
endangered someone she loved someone who
22:47
was already vulnerable that this
22:49
decision was about safety for all of us
22:52
but especially for me emma had finally
22:56
drawn a clear boundary protecting our
22:58
home and our future together lily
23:00
stormed off to pack her anger a tangible
23:03
presence in the house i stayed out of
23:05
the way feeling a strange unsettling mix
23:08
of relief profound sadness for what had
23:10
been lost and utter
23:12
exhaustion when it was time for her to
23:15
leave Emma walked her to the door a
23:17
final sorrowful
23:19
farewell lily turned to me her eyes
23:22
filled with a raw unadulterated rage she
23:24
mouthed something a silent curse a final
23:27
act of venom but I couldn't make out the
23:30
words and then she was
23:33
gone the slamming of the front door
23:35
echoed in the sudden overwhelming
23:38
silence the silence she left behind was
23:40
heavy still carrying the lingering ghost
23:42
of her presence but for the first time
23:44
in a long time it felt peaceful it was
23:48
the silence of a battle won a siege
23:50
lifted a terror finally vanquished emma
23:52
and I are still healing the wounds are
23:55
deep the scars invisible but real we're
23:59
rebuilding trust slowly carefully brick
24:02
by brick emma has cut all contact with
24:05
Lily a necessary step in protecting our
24:08
peace and our relationship and we
24:11
focused on creating a safe space for
24:13
both of us again a sanctuary where truth
24:16
can thrive and where I can continue my
24:19
journey of recovery without the
24:20
insidious threat of external malice to
24:24
those watching to those who might be
24:26
struggling with similar doubts please
24:28
know this mental illness is real it is a
24:32
formidable challenge a daily battle for
24:34
many but so is manipulation and the
24:38
truth in all its uncomfortable messy
24:40
complexity matters even when it's hard
24:43
to
24:43
face it matters to your sanity to your
24:47
relationships to your very understanding
24:49
of
24:50
reality this is Wistaloom and thank you
24:53
for listening to my story it is a story
24:56
of vulnerability betrayal and ultimately
24:59
of the unwavering power of truth if you
25:01
or someone you know is struggling with
25:03
schizophrenia or any mental health
25:05
challenges please know this
25:07
you're not alone there is help there is
25:11
hope and sometimes when all seems lost
25:15
when your own mind feels like a betrayer
25:17
the truth will find a way to be heard to
25:20
set you free trust your
25:22
instincts seek
25:24
help and never ever stop fighting for
25:27
your
25:27
reality subscribe to Wistloom for more
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true stories that illuminate the human
25:32
experience and share this one if it
25:34
helped you understand someone better or
25:37
if it gave you the courage to seek your
25:38
own truth
#Family & Relationships
#Mental Health
#Troubled Relationships