Post by irljolyne on May 21, 2021 16:24:54 GMT -8
Now that it's May, that means it's mental health awareness month. Lots of really good voice actors that I look up to are posting their struggles, and it's really nice to see, because it's less lonely. It's nice to know that despite the anxiety, depression, agoraphobia, even autism, that voice actors can still thrive and succeed at their jobs. It's getting rid of a lot of the stigma associated with mental health, and that's great to see.
But one thing has always stuck with me. I suffer from DID and Psychosis as well as other mental illnesses. This isn't a psychology thread, so in short, it's multiple personalities and hearing voices. There is A LOT of stigma around these mental illnesses, and not without reason, as they're a lot less common than depression and anxiety.
These conditions make my voice acting AMAZING! I know that sounds surprising, but I'll explain. An example is if I get assigned a character, DID will make me genuinely believe that I am this character, they are me, and the lines come naturally. Even with some redirection, it comes so naturally, because I AM that character for the time being. And I can usually snap myself out of it, so that it stays in the studio.
Psychosis helps too, because a part of my mind will morph into the character, and create false memories of them. So my reactions aren't acting, they're really me projecting how I feel. Again, this can usually be shut down after a while, and I move on without a full mental breakdown in the studio.
This is not method acting, as I truly, with every fiber of my being, believe I AM those characters.
This is not without it's downsides though, as it's not limited to the characters I'm cast as, it also effects certain characters that I'm NOT cast as, and that leads to stressful identity issues.
I already see a therapist, and she told me that it's interesting, and to look into other psychotic/delusional voice actors, and see what they do. But unfortunately, it's such a stigmatized community, that hours of research leads me to very little. I'm not sure if I just am looking in the wrong places, or there truly aren't any, but does anyone know of psychotic/delusional voice actors who talk about their issue.
I'm reluctant to post this, since it very much sounds like a mental health thread, but the voice acting world is so big, it seems foolish not to ask if there are any actors who've struggled with the same issues I have.
There has to be some, who show that even despite the delusions, disassociation, and psychosis, that they can still do their jobs in a healthy and fun way. It'd also be insightful to know what other psychotic/DID voice actors do and don't do to act in the most effective and believable way possible.
There's so little representation of this uncommon mental illness, but I'm hoping that someone can point to actors who are open with their psychosis (I don't want to pry if they're not open), because I might just be looking in the wrong place.
But one thing has always stuck with me. I suffer from DID and Psychosis as well as other mental illnesses. This isn't a psychology thread, so in short, it's multiple personalities and hearing voices. There is A LOT of stigma around these mental illnesses, and not without reason, as they're a lot less common than depression and anxiety.
These conditions make my voice acting AMAZING! I know that sounds surprising, but I'll explain. An example is if I get assigned a character, DID will make me genuinely believe that I am this character, they are me, and the lines come naturally. Even with some redirection, it comes so naturally, because I AM that character for the time being. And I can usually snap myself out of it, so that it stays in the studio.
Psychosis helps too, because a part of my mind will morph into the character, and create false memories of them. So my reactions aren't acting, they're really me projecting how I feel. Again, this can usually be shut down after a while, and I move on without a full mental breakdown in the studio.
This is not method acting, as I truly, with every fiber of my being, believe I AM those characters.
This is not without it's downsides though, as it's not limited to the characters I'm cast as, it also effects certain characters that I'm NOT cast as, and that leads to stressful identity issues.
I already see a therapist, and she told me that it's interesting, and to look into other psychotic/delusional voice actors, and see what they do. But unfortunately, it's such a stigmatized community, that hours of research leads me to very little. I'm not sure if I just am looking in the wrong places, or there truly aren't any, but does anyone know of psychotic/delusional voice actors who talk about their issue.
I'm reluctant to post this, since it very much sounds like a mental health thread, but the voice acting world is so big, it seems foolish not to ask if there are any actors who've struggled with the same issues I have.
There has to be some, who show that even despite the delusions, disassociation, and psychosis, that they can still do their jobs in a healthy and fun way. It'd also be insightful to know what other psychotic/DID voice actors do and don't do to act in the most effective and believable way possible.
There's so little representation of this uncommon mental illness, but I'm hoping that someone can point to actors who are open with their psychosis (I don't want to pry if they're not open), because I might just be looking in the wrong place.