Ticked off! | Surviving the Chaos of Tourettes Disorder with Kristof Morrow
Tourettes Disorder is one of the most challenging and debilitating mental health anyone can experience. It’s technically a Tic Disorder. Tics are sudden, rapid, unexpected and recurrent motor movements (i.e. hands, feet, legs, eye-blinking) and / or vocal utterings, either of random words and even vulgarities. People experience Tics and Tourettes in different ways, and few presentations are the same from person to person. Sounds like chaos, right?
Today, our guest is Kristof Morrow, a man who developed Tourettes Disorder at age 18 while serving in the U.S. Navy. And though he was eventually be discharged from Naval service because of the debilitating effects of Tourettes Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Kristof was able to discover his talents as a writer. Today, Kristof is an award-winning Author, journalist and his videos have gone viral on TikTok. Join us as Kristof tells his story and tells us how he was able to find success despite having a disability, and to give hope that anyone can overcome even the most challenging and chaotic situations in life.
Key points:
Kristof learned at an early age “When you are wrong, it gets violent”
When you grow up abused, you become an expert in changing and modifying yourself. It’s a perverted metamorphosis because modifying yourself doesn’t work because then you have no identity.
When you have an identity crisis, OCD and other means of coping are used, but these also cause problems.
Military service is a solemn, noble thing. Being a Corman Medic in the navy “was a beautiful thing” and “I wanted to know that I was capable of doing that kind of good.”
The letter Kristof wrote to service members in middle school. “What’s important to me is to provide care to everyone, and do no harm.”
Tics are a brief loss of agency. “The underlying cause is unknown, but I know what exacerbates it.”
Tips and Tools:
Tip #1: One of the main keys to healing is to understand that the notions you have about yourself arrived from abuse and not from the truth.
Tip #2: Know what exacerbates your tic(s), and wear gloves or protective clothing to prevent harm to yourself
Tip #3: Tics can manifest when you are under pressure, so learning to manage anxiety is crucial
Tip #4: When any meaningful relationships or any other life domains are compromised, it’s a sign that you need to accept that you have a mental health issue and can receive help for it
Tip #5: Mental health is not your fault but it is your responsibility
Tip #6: Being more forgiving toward yourself for having a mental health condition is helpful
Going Forward – And Doing Great Things (Kristof’s Top 10 Tips):
1. Making inspiring and profound connections with others who fulfill and support you
2. If you feel like you have a talent, cultivate it and don’t give up trying
3. “A lot of my success was privilege” (Being a white male) – Acknowledge your privilege
4. Learn to turn rejection into resilience
5. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
6. Work with your dopamine receptors by removing stimulants and sensory input and take medications if prescribed
7. Meditation and meditative breathing “Emptying a pool with a garden hose”
8. Emotional Freedom Technique or “Tapping”
9. Loop Earplugs – invisible noise reducing devices for sleep and during waking hours to reduce sensory input
10. “Even if the world falls down around us, we can all get through it hugging each other.”
“Justice and Redemption are folly…but to seek them is not.”
Link to Kristof’s Book:
https://www.amazon.com/The-Second-Sun-1-book-series/dp/B0C6FWQCYS
Social Media Links:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristofmorrow
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KristofMorrow/posts
Instagram: @kristofmorrow
Resources:
Emotional Freedom Technique – Learn how Tapping can help your emotional struggles! https://www.thetappingsolution.com/tapping-101/
Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for tics (CBIT) Good video on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tQVTVvAqGs&t=11s
Southpark’s Depiction of Tourette’s Disorder in Cartman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBtyGAbyQpc
The Loop Earplugs for Noise and Sensory Reduction: https://us.loopearplugs.com/collections/all
More of Tracy’s costumes in “Light and Dark 2023” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtTL1uPjVSI&t=148s
#tourettes #mentalhealth #ticdisorders
