We recently connected with Cris Gunther and have shared our conversation below.
Cris , we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
For some background history about what I believe led to my mental health struggles, I grew up in an environment where alcoholism, drug & sex addiction, and violence was fairly routine at one time or another. And this was something that had been passed down by previous generations, so it wasn’t surprising when I also started abusing alcohol, drugs, and sex as a 14-year old teenager becoming destructively addicted by my late twenties and peaking in my mid-thirties, which included but wasn’t limited to car accidents, trips to hospitals with life threatening injuries, being the victim and perpetrator of violence, near homelessness- and the invisible, underlying thread that linked everything together has been a lifelong battle with depression and loneliness.
Thankfully as a teenager and adult, I’ve been self-aware enough to pursue therapy multiple times whenever the darkness started to overwhelm me. And, after I got sober 12 years ago from alcohol and drugs, I began to heal some of the more surface addiction symptoms that had been plaguing me since adolescence. But then the Covid epidemic hit and like so many people around the world, my life in Los Angeles became even more isolated than it already had been and a lot of my inner turmoil from childhood started resurfacing, and I realized that those traumas were still being triggered in the present by supposed ‘loved ones’ who treated me in ways that unquestioningly felt mentally-emotionally abusive, which actually had been present in my life ever since I could remember.
The difference this time is that I finally learned that any relationship rooted in the gaslighting of one’s pain within abusive behavioral patterns that firmly rejects any personal accountability were no longer worthy of my commitment or trust. This was the moment when I unequivocally understood that estrangement becomes necessary when your self-love survival demands more, and becomes stronger than the fear of walking alone however scary it may be.
Nowadays, in order to overcome the challenges related to my mental health, I don’t allow anyone close to me who doesn’t treat me with basic kindness or respect healthy boundaries and honesty, or who’s not willing to meet me in the middle and hold themselves accountable (along with myself) whenever our imperfect human weaknesses inevitably appear.
I find walking as much as possible outdoors helps me tremendously, and doing other forms of exercise that bring me joy and don’t feel like chores are also wonderful rebalancers, along with making healthier food choices, committedly sleeping 7-8 hours a night, only investing time and energy in people, places, and things that bring peace and healing to my life- and finally, by practicing gratitude (where the cup is always half full) goes a long way at chipping away at any stubborn hopelessness where it feels like life might not be worth living anymore, which is currently my biggest existential threat that I must acknowledge exists in order to weaken its grip on my mental health and all of the progress I’ve made over these last 12 years.
Another profoundly simple lesson that I’d like to share that a dear friend of mine who’s an 89-year old holocaust survivor recently taught me, which I’m now applying to every aspect of my life and is a complete game changer goes like this: Negative thinking is a waste of time and energy, and robs you of all present joy and the ability to gift yourself and others with empathy, whenever those dead-end thoughts come banging on your door trying to darken all of your faith’s most radiant light.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m originally from West Virginia, grew up in New York City, lived in Brazil for 7 years, and I’ve been in Los Angeles since 2015 pursuing a music-performing career.
I just released my first songs tackling mental health struggles called, “Open Door” and “Breaking Curses #Resista”. The latter is also my first time releasing music with some Portuguese lyrics tucked inside as a sweet little surprise, in tribute to my most treasured years of living in Brazil and learning to speak and sing in the language that I’ve been the most attracted to (and there’s more already in the pipeline for release in December and the New Year).
I’m also beginning to invest a lot more time in my writing passion, and have a few ideas buzzing around that could end up as a book of poems, a light novel, or even a screenplay.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Some of the practices that have been the most impactful on my spiritual and professional trajectories have been my commitment to honesty with myself and others (especially when it’s most difficult), building and sustaining courage, self-belief, discipline, faith, resiliency- and not being afraid of failure or walking alone whenever necessary.
My advice to anyone struggling or passionate about deepening their wells of healing would be to ask yourself and others the hard questions that everyone’s afraid of addressing, and to trust your intuition and pain at all costs because they are our greatest teachers and our most trustworthy friends. Because if you don’t ask the hard questions of yourself and others, and you ignore your intuition and pain- pieces of your highest truth will always be missing leaving you as a cup half empty (and never full) at the mercy of others who may not have your best interests at heart -or- who will have you marching to the beat of their drum, instead of your OWN.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
As a collaborator at heart who believes it takes a village to create collective conscious magic, I’m always interested in working with Educators, Social Justice Advocates, Event Producers, Literary and Music Publishers, Screenplay Writers, Live Music Agents, Music Producers and Supervisors, Songwriters, and any kind hearted person with an inspiring vision that I can contribute something valuable to…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crisgunther.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crisgunther/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crisgunther/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crisgunther/
- Twitter: https://www.threads.net/@crisgunther
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/crisgunther
- Other: New Singles, “OPEN DOOR” : https://tr.ee/L3czhsUMcV and “BREAKING CURSES #RESISTA” : https://tr.ee/jmfpYdsLIs
Image Credits
Virisa Yong, Nelson Simōes, Luã Linhares,
