If you love someone who is suffering from mental illness, you are not alone. In fact, more than one in five Americans suffers from some form of mental illness. So, if you know more than four people, the chances are, at least one of you is dealing with these issues, though they might be hiding it.
You probably have questions that no one seems to know the answers to.
- What are they feeling?
- Why can’t they just snap out of it?
- Am I helping, or enabling?
There are several ways people learn about mental illness, though not all of them are helpful. You could:
- Experiencing it: confusing, overwhelming, chaotic, and sometimes dangerous.
- Watching a loved one: painful, helpless, draining.
- Searching through Social Media posts: can offer hope, but it can also be overwhelming or misleading.
- Professional study: important, valuable, but inaccessible to most people.
- Fiction: accessible, safe, insightful, and meaningful (if it is the right book).
Only one of these methods is safe, voluntary, and accessible to everyone, whether through reading or listening. The right fiction book can sometimes teach us more about mental illness than even the most detailed clinical studies. Through fiction, we can experience someone else’s pain without needing 4 am phone calls from a brother or sister in crisis. When we need a break, we can put the book on the shelf or press pause on the audiobook and return when we are ready or have time.
Fiction allows people to explore new worlds and new situations without the heartache of knowing that in real life, happy endings can be difficult to reach. We can feel what the character is experiencing, read their thoughts, and see how they connect to actions. In an immersive epic fantasy series like Dragon Island Chronicles, mental illness is transformative, offering readers new insights and perspectives while providing a brief escape from reality.
The characters don’t argue back or avoid the real issues. They don’t ask to borrow money, and they don’t need to be bailed out when their mental illness gets the better of them. In real life, relationships are difficult and messy, with mistakes on both sides. We worry that if we say the wrong thing or don’t say the right thing, we could offend our friends or loved ones. Fiction removes that pressure, allowing us to focus on understanding instead of reacting, and to see clearly what is often hard to recognize in real life. But we can still learn from these fictional characters what might be driving someone suffering from mental illness in real life.
In the Dragon Island Chronicles, mental illness isn’t just a side note. It’s not a novel series where one or two side characters are living with mental illness. It is a deep exploration of the lives of people who endure and overcome serious challenges. The series takes the reader through a complete journey from acknowledgment to understanding and on to redemption.
Here are just a few of the emotional journeys explored in the series, and what they can teach us.
Family and Upbringing:
In Escape From Dragon Island, a mother with abandonment issues from her own childhood reacts in an extreme manner when her only daughter runs away from home. Yet she learns she isn’t alone on her journey and finds peace in the end. Through her journey, we learn how the past often changes how we perceive and react to the present.
The mother’s journey leads a young dragon to realize she is in an abusive relationship, having been tricked into transforming into a dragon so that the man she thought loved her can use her as a stepping stone in his ambitious rise to power. Through her journey, we can learn that change takes time. Love can hide a thousand faults, making it harder to expose the lies when love is used to manipulate.
The journey continues in Conquest of Puji, where a Mage who has never known a true family learns to build one of his own, overcoming his fears of fatherhood and forgiving his mother for abandoning him. He can teach us that everyone can learn to be a healthy and present father or mother if they start by being a good partner to their spouse.
Loss and Emotional Control:
Because of who his father is, the son of the Mage in Conquest of Puji grows up an outcast, even amid royalty, rejected by the cousin who could have been like a brother. Their sibling rivalry determines the fate of the kingdom. Yet as the young man remains true to what his parents taught him. He has no desire to fight, but does not back down when challenged. His courage, honesty, and kindness give him the type of happy ending that so many lack in this world.
In Battle of the Breach, a young prince loses his parents and siblings in a horrible event, leaving him with great power that responds to his emotions. He must learn to master his emotions or risk hurting those around him. His story teaches that those who suffer great loss, especially at a young age, need compassion, guidance, and fellowship to come to terms with what happened.
As he becomes a man and embraces his full power, he must come to terms with his past to save the world from an invasion by demons of emotion. Without his emotional control, the world would be overrun. We can learn from his journey that emotional resilience can be a great source of power.
Identity and Transformation:
In Children of the Forest, a man who experiences two great tragedies in his life is transformed into a fox through the wound in his soul. He meets a young woman whose rage and self-hatred have transformed her into a hellcat. Through their journey, they learn that helping others is often easier than helping yourself, especially when it comes to dealing with tragedy and grief. Their two wounded souls can only be whole together. From them, we learn that the worst way to endure grief is with loneliness. We all need help, and even a broken individual can help.
In Child of Foresight, a young orphan girl is rejected by society and betrayed by the only family willing to help. She turns to a dragon, the only being who has shown her compassion without abuse, and sets out on a journey to become a dragon like him. The trials teach her more about herself and help her become a woman. Then she must confront her past and decide once and for all who and what she wants to be. We can learn from her journey that everyone must decide who they will be and what they will become, sometimes in spite of what others tell us we are.
What this Means for You:
If you or someone you love is struggling with mental illness, these stories point to a few important truths:
- People can be haunted by experiences you may never fully see.
- Healing rarely happens quickly or cleanly, and is hardest when we face it alone.
- Emotions often drive behavior more than logic.
- Sometimes patience is the best form of support.
Understanding doesn’t make the problems go away. But it can change how you respond. And that can change everything.
Conclusion:
By exploring these lives through fiction, readers can gain a deeper understanding of what drives those who are haunted by their pasts. Greater compassion and empathy are possible, as well as a better understanding of what really helps.
You may not be able to take away the pain of a loved one. You may not see the road to letting go of your own pain. But you can begin to understand. And understanding is the first step on the road to healing.
I have been walking that road my whole life. The struggles in these stories aren’t pure fiction. They contain what I have learned through a lifetime of pain, suffering, learning, and healing. Some comes from the struggles I have seen in others, but a large measure comes from personal experience. I have put the pieces of my life into my writing. These stories echo real attempts to understand and heal.
That’s why I wrote the Dragon Island Chronicles, to offer a way to explore these struggles safely and to begin to understand them. To make that easier, I’m currently offering free digital copies of Escape From Dragon Island. If you need help understanding yourself or a loved one, if you need hope, or need to know how to offer it, a great place to start or continue your journey is by reading Escape From Dragon Island.