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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
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Eleanor de Jong

When the ants start crawling, yes, I take my antipsychotics – but human touch is also a powerful balm

A composite image of a silhouetted woman with a mirrored saturated background
‘Anything that takes you out of your mind, and into the realm of soothing that poor battered body of yours, can help. Because your brain lies snug within your body – they’re not separate in any way,’ writes Eleanor de Jong. Composite: Getty

When a manic episode is brewing, before any thoughts get really strange, my body tells me what’s just around the corner.

Colours become hypersaturated and video-game like, often pulsating with intensity. Sounds are amplified, as if you’ve developed superhuman abilities. I’ll feel a growing pressure in my head and my vision becomes very sharp; I can see a lizard in a bush 15 metres away, no worries.

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