Fixsen 2015, "I'm Not Waving, I'm Drowning": An Autoethnographical Exploration of Biographical Disruption and Reconstruction During Recovery From Prescribed Benzodiazepine Use.

[Caspur]

This is written with a great deal of insight and personal experience. Great paper.

 

Qual Health Res. 2016 Mar;26(4):466-81. doi: 10.1177/1049732315576496. Epub 2015 Mar 23.
 

"I'm Not Waving, I'm Drowning": An Autoethnographical Exploration of Biographical Disruption and Reconstruction During Recovery From Prescribed Benzodiazepine Use.

 

Fixsen AM¹.

Abstract

Benzodiazepines are group of drugs used mainly as sedatives, hypnotics, muscle relaxants, and anti-epileptics. Tapering off benzodiazepines is, for some users, a painful, traumatic, and protracted process. In this article, I use an autoethnographic approach, adopting the metaphor of water, to examine heuristically my experience of iatrogenic illness and recovery. I draw on personal journals and blog entries and former users' narratives to consider the particular form of biographical disruption associated with benzodiazepines and the processes involved in identity reconstruction. I emphasize the role of the online community in providing benzodiazepine users such as myself with a co-cultural community through which to share a voice and make sense of our experiences. I explain how the success stories of former users provided me with the hope that I, the "medical victim," could become the "victor" and in the process construct a new life and fresh identity.

© The Author(s) 2015.

KEYWORDS:

Autoethnography; diaries / journals; healing; recovery; self-help; social identity; stories / storytelling

PMID: 25800715

DOI:10.1177/1049732315576496

Edited May 12, 2020 by Altostrata
merged related topics

[Altostrata]

On 5/10/2020 at 12:03 AM, Caspur said:

Hi All,

These two papers were written by a lady named Alison Fixsen. The first one describes her own personal experience of benzo withdrawal lasting 18 months and the second one describes the metaphorical descriptions people use to describe their own experiences on support forums and web sites. They are both written in a really compassionate and understanding way, with a great deal of insight. A lot of the experiences, thoughts and feelings expressed are reminiscent of withdrawal from most psychiatric drugs. Well worth a read.

Cheers

Caspur

 

https://sci-hub.tw/10.1177/1049732315576496

Fixsen, A. M. (2015). “I’m Not Waving, I’m Drowning” : An Autoethnographical Exploration of Biographical Disruption and Reconstruction During Recovery From Prescribed Benzodiazepine Use.Qualitative Health Research, 26(4), 466–481. doi:10.1177/1049732315576496 

 

https://sci-hub.tw/10.1177/1049732317728053

Fixsen, A. M., & Ridge, D. (2017). Stories of Hell and Healing: Internet Users’ Construction of Benzodiazepine Distress and Withdrawal. Qualitative Health Research, 27(13), 2030–2041. doi:10.1177/1049732317728053 

 

I don't know if the author found this song and used the title in her paper, but if you listen to the lyrics, I'd say there's a good chance she did. There is also a poem with the same title on Youtube.