This Is Actually Happening

397: What if you survived a terrorist attack in Paris?

After surviving the 2015 ISIS terrorist attacks at a Paris café, a woman begins the painful work of confronting buried childhood trauma and reclaiming a life she had never fully allowed herself to live.   Today’s episode featured Mandy Palmucci. You can email Mandy at mandypalmucci@gmail.com.  Mandy is on Instagram @palmuccim   Mandy is currently working on a book about her experience.    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits   Content/Trigger Warnings: Childhood sexual abuse, Terrorism / mass shooting, Graphic violence and death, Severe injury, Survivor’s guilt, PTSD / trauma responses, Self-hatred and shame, Emotional abuse in childhood, explicit language   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter/X: @TIAHPodcast Facebook: This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group   Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com   Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com   Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app or visit Audible.com.  Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com   Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez Music Bed: Ambient Themes   Services If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:   National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

396: What if you were held captive by child soldiers?

When a family sailing journey ends in capture by child soldiers during Mozambique’s civil war, a man must protect his children while confronting the unsettling truth that his captors are both perpetrators of violence and children shaped by it.   Today’s episode featured Dave Muller. Dave has written about his experiences in a book entitled, “Not Child’s Play”, available where books are sold or at https://notchildsplay.co.uk/  You can email Dave at dave.muller@notchildsplay.co.za  Dave is on Instagram @davenotchildsplay, on Facebook @Dave Muller and on YouTube @DaveMuller-NotChildsPlay In the 1960s and 1970s, both South Africa and Mozambique were part of the larger decolonization of Africa, with South Africa gaining full independence from Britain in 1961 and Mozambique gaining independence from Portugal in 1975. However, in the decolonization process, both were thrown into proxy battles, between old structures clinging to power and the larger global cold war between communist and capitalist superpowers. South Africa, even after independence, was still ruled by a white minority government, under the National Party. The National Party was populated mostly by the white ethnic group known as Afrikaners who spoke a language called Afrikaans. The National Party instituted apartheid, a brutally oppressive system of institutionalized racial segregation and white supremacy enforced in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. South Africa shares a northeastern border with Mozambique. When Mozambique gained independence in 1975, they were ruled by the Communist party known as FRELIMO. FRELIMO became a major force opposing apartheid in neighboring South Africa. The South African apartheid government, in response to FRELIMO’s opposition, actively destabilized Mozambique from the inside by propping up a rebel group known as RENAMO. This led to a violent 15-year civil war in Mozambique, between the ruling, communist-backed FRELIMO party and the South African-backed RENAMO rebel group.  In the first part of today's episode, you'll hear our storyteller speak about growing up in South Africa during apartheid as a white man, but he was not an Afrikaner, and grew up in a family that was opposed to apartheid. The second part of the story takes place in Mozambique, where he and his family are held by the RENAMO rebel group and caught in the chaos and fighting between FRELIMO and RENAMO, the two warring factions in the civil war there.  Of course there is much more to say about all of this, and Dave will speak to some of these issues as he experienced them. I encourage you all to read more about the brutal and complex history of decolonization and apartheid in Africa.  And one final note, you’ll hear Dave talking about “Arwen” several times. In case it isn’t clear right away, he is referring to his boat that he built.   Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz   Content/Trigger Warnings: War and armed conflict, Child soldiers, Kidnapping / hostage situation, Graphic violence, Murder (including stabbing / bayoneting), Violence against the elderly, Exposure to blood, Threats of execution, Weapons (guns, rockets, mortar fire), Terrorism / militant groups, Civil war, Psychological trauma, PTSD, Panic attacks / emotional breakdown, Spiritual distress, Political violence, Forced recruitment of children, Coercion and intimidation, explicit language   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter/X: @TIAHPodcast Facebook: This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group   Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com   Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com Website for Aviva Lipkowitz: avivalipkowitz.com   Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app or visit Audible.com.  Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com   Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez Music Bed: Sparse_Reflections__a__APM   Services If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:   National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

395: What if your son murdered your daughter?

After overcoming addiction and rebuilding her life around motherhood, a woman's world is shattered when her son kills her daughter, forcing her to grieve one child while fighting to protect the other and learning how to survive an unbearable moral and emotional divide.   Today’s episode featured Charity Lee. If you’d like to email Charity, you can reach her at bawmedia@gmail.com [bawmedia@gmail.com]. You can also find her on Facebook @IAmCharityLee  Charity has authored a book entitled, How Now, Butterfly? A Memoir of Murder, Survival, and Transformation, available where books are sold.    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits   Content/Trigger Warnings: Child abuse and neglect, Domestic violence, Substance abuse and addiction, Suicide and suicide attempts, Self-harm, Child homicide, Graphic violence, Intrafamilial violence, Mental illness, Incarceration and juvenile detention, Grief and traumatic loss, Emotional abuse, Parental abandonment, Trauma and PTSD, Near-death experience / overdose, Religious and spiritual distress, explicit language   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast   Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com [http://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/]   Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com [http://www.andrdewwaits.com/]   Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening [https://www.patreon.com/happening]   Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus [https://wondery.com/plus]   Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop [https://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop] to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com [http://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/]   Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez Music Bed: Salib (SAL) - Tension Underscore 33 A   Services If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:   National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

394: What if you found yourself naked, starving and surrounded by cops?

After the sudden death of his father leaves him drowning in guilt, a man unknowingly spirals into a manic break that strips him of his freedom, his relationships, and his grip on reality, forcing him to confront bipolar disorder and rebuild his life from the ground up.   Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous. However, you can reach out to him at anytom2020.t@gmail.com [anytom2020.t@gmail.com].    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock   Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicide and suicide by cop, Parental death, Alcoholism, Bipolar disorder, Manic episode and psychosis, Self-harm, Arrest and incarceration, Homelessness, Police confrontation involving firearms, Mental health crisis, explicit language   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast   Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com [http://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/]   Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com [http://www.andrdewwaits.com/] Website for Jason Blalock: jasonblalock.com [http://jasonblalock.com/]   Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening [https://www.patreon.com/happening]   Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus [https://wondery.com/plus]   Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop [https://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop] to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com [http://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/]   Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez Music Bed: Pure_Ambience_APM   Services If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:   National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

393: What if your doctors weren’t allowed to help you?

After a lifetime of striving for control, a woman is thrust into unimaginable loss when a potentially catastrophic twin pregnancy collides with restrictive laws, forcing her to rebuild her life from the ground up.   Today’s episode featured Helen. Helen and her husband, Zach, began The Marigold Foundation, whose mission is to lead the way in providing financial aid to families that are facing a complex medical diagnosis or the loss of an infant or neonate. To learn more or to donate, please visit themarigoldfoundation.org [http://themarigoldfoundation.org/].  The Marigold Foundation’s Instagram @marigoldfoundation    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Sara Marinelli   Content/Trigger Warnings: Pregnancy loss, Infant loss / neonatal death, Stillbirth / miscarriage, Complicated / high-risk pregnancy, Prolonged labor and medical distress, Medical trauma, Restrictive abortion laws / lack of medical intervention, Hemorrhage, Eating disorder, Grief and bereavement, Religious / spiritual distress, Mental health treatment and therapy, Traumatic medical procedures, Discussions of death and mortality, explicit language   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast   Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com [http://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/]   Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com [http://www.andrdewwaits.com/] Website for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.com [http://saramarinelli.com/]   Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening [https://www.patreon.com/happening]   Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus [https://wondery.com/plus]   Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop [https://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop] to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com [http://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/]   Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez Music Bed: Uncertain Outcomes   Services If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:   National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].