Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Mary T. Shannon

  • Reconstructing a self: early trauma and the healing power of narrative

    Mary ShannonPortland, Oregon, United States We carry with us every story we have ever heard, and every story we have ever lived.— Rachel Naomi Remen  As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and the only child of a single mother on welfare who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, a healthy development of self has not come…

  • Crossing boundaries: Visual representations of death and dying

    Mary ShannonPortland, Oregon, United States Introduction How do we as clinicians, caregivers, and fellow human beings talk about death and dying in our culture, or perhaps more precisely, how do we not talk about it? Many avoid the topic out of fear, denial, or discomfort, creating silent narratives that torment, isolate, and separate at a…