We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Wayne Dees a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Wayne, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I have been a clinical psychologist/neuropsychologist for more than 25 years. I have learned compassion and empathy from my patients who are often faced with adversity and critical life challenges. I have been moved and influenced by these survivors I have treated throughout the years. Their words and actions have spoken to me in ways that I cannot adequately express. Their journeys have influenced my own journey in countless ways. Their life challenges have influenced me and provided inspiration, validation and comfort as I have tackled my own issues. Thto ey have empowered me as I hope I have empowered them to be strong, hopeful and courageous.
From those who I have had the pleasure to treat, I have come to believe I can do anything. I believe in my strength, my persistence, and my self-determination.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
In 2021, I decided to retire from my work as a neuropsychologist. As I tried to conform to the idea of retirement, I began to feel bored and useless. One morning, about 4 am, I woke up and decided to put my thoughts on paper in the form of a screenplay. Since I’m a neuropsychologist, my strength in writing was based on my knowledge of the brain. Prior to my retirement, I had begun to see changes in the cognitive processes of some of my patients. For the first time in my 25 years of working as a neuropsychologist, I began to see atypical influences in how my patients were reacting to social and political changes in the United States and abroad. For the first time in my practice, a new patient inquired in our initial intake appointment as to who I had voted for in the 2016 presidential election. When I asked her why that was important for her to know, she replied that she only wanted to work with someone who had the same political leanings that she had. This surprised me, and greatly influenced my writing of the screenplay, Altered Perceptions. In my screenplay, I began to explore the changes and challenges I felt were influencing those around me – including the social and political divides. As I continued to write, I became more and more intrigued by the fact that seemingly “normal” people were now processing information and ideas in ways that I thought were previously unthinkable. The divide within us had increased exponentially during and after the pandemic. With these influences in mind, I set about to write a screenplay that focused on “ripped from the headlines” events that were mind boggling. I found it difficult to understand and fathom how far apart we, as a country, had actually become. The screenplay, Altered Perceptions, practically wrote itself. Each morning, I work up early, reflected on the social and political events of the previous day, and began writing. The words and ideas flowed rapidly. In 40 days, I had finished the first draft.
My next step was to reach out to others to see if the screenplay was a viable movie. I contacted an old friend or 25 years ago Jorge Ameer, to see if he wanted to read the screenplay. I pitched the idea and sent him the completed script. Jorge and I had worked together prior to my becoming a neuropsychologist – he was working on a movie and I was in PR at the time. He loved the screenplay I sent him, and our journey together began.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I’ve worked with writers as part of my neuropsychology practice and had heard the old adage “write what you know” many times. Three qualities that I learned from working with other writers are commitment, persistence, and determination. The story in Altered Perceptions was one that I felt needed to be pursued. Although I knew socially and politically that this screenplay would piss off a lot of people, I was not deterred. I was strongly motivated to get the script completed, and excited to learn that others loved the script as well. I mentally prepared myself for whatever the future of my project would be, and along the way I learned a lot about myself. My hope was that others would find the movie thought-provoking, transformative, and entertaining. I recall that a patient of mine who is a writer once commented that every cab driver in New York City had written a screenplay – and I chuckled at that notion. When I was writing Altered Perceptions, I thought about that remark, but I was also determined to stay focused, believe in myself and my story, and overcome whatever obstacles I might encounter along the way. I believed in my strength and my will to endure as I faced the unknown. The journey has been challenging and life-altering.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
I have been asked by several people who have seen my movie, Altered Perceptions, if I had a sequel in mind. Making a movie has been transformative, but also very expensive. Instead of writing a sequel, I have decided to try and write a book based on my screenplay. This will be my next challenge, but I am determined to give it a try. Where will this path lead me? I don’t know, but I am ready to take on this task and embrace it. Stare it down, make the most of the journey, and follow my light. Some may shy away and are afraid to take risks, but I am not that man.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alteredperceptionsmovie.com
