Life stories

Hear directly from individuals about their highly personal journeys into meaning and self-understanding

Turning points

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A person handling several 1000 Kenyan shilling banknotes at a desk, with motion blur on one note being moved.
MONEY AND ECONOMICS

Accidental millionaire

When a big deposit appeared from nowhere in my account, it changed my life – but not how you’d think

by Kelvin Njeri

A rustic log sauna by a lake. Warm orange glow from inside contrasts with the serene lakeside view.
RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

The sauna life

Each cycle of steam and cold brought me closer to the land, my mother, and the version of myself I’d left behind

by Katja Pettinen

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Illustration of a couple holding hands walking past a giant cheque that unravels to reveal a scenic view of a bridge over a river and the Eiffel tower.
LOVE

My swindler sweetheart

I was a pushover with a habit of picking cheating men as boyfriends; then one of them pushed me too far

by Patricia Olsen

Illustration of two people standing in a forest, at the top of a waterfall, with a dog below; money is washing away down the waterfall into a pond, as well as a car and house pictured in the pond below.
MONEY AND ECONOMICS

Money

When an investment tanked and buried us in debt, we had to face the truth of how we’d gotten there

by Carol Berkower

Black and white close-up photo of a person’s arm showing skin texture and pigment and shadows; protruding ribs are visible behind the arm.
EATING DISORDERS

A ghost in limbo

Two decades of anorexia obscured who I was beneath my sickness. Then a stranger saw me

by Miranda Gold

Illustration of a night scene with musicians performing, a person on a chair, a bird flying and mountains in the background.
MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA

Synchronicity

Long ago, I gave a boy a greenfinch. That moment followed me in ways I’m still puzzling over

by Katia Ariel

Illustration of a woman floating in space surrounded by large hands and small stars on a dark background.
ALTERED STATES

The psychic who healed me

It was just like her – my bold, dead mother – to show up in my life again. Or was grief playing tricks on me?

by Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein

Shadows on a wall, showing silhouettes of people and plants. A chair and a plug socket are partially visible.
VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION

Sticks and stones and words

A smart, educated woman, there’s no way I could have ended up in an abusive relationship, could I?

by Zoe Michaels

A dog with a leash standing on a carved wooden bench in front of a field and bare trees under a cloudy sky.
ANIMALS

Dog day blues

We were a new stepfamily, and only the puppy was missing. With Elsa, we lobbed a grenade into the mix

by Lily Dunn

Three people laughing and holding drinks at a party, showing hands and faces partially, with a joyful atmosphere.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

Mind the accent

When I spoke like someone I wasn’t, people listened more closely. What did that say about them – and me?

by Erica Mayor

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Illustration of a couple holding hands walking past a giant cheque that unravels to reveal a scenic view of a bridge over a river and the Eiffel tower.
LOVE

My swindler sweetheart

I was a pushover with a habit of picking cheating men as boyfriends; then one of them pushed me too far

by Patricia Olsen

Illustration of two people standing in a forest, at the top of a waterfall, with a dog below; money is washing away down the waterfall into a pond, as well as a car and house pictured in the pond below.
MONEY AND ECONOMICS

Money

When an investment tanked and buried us in debt, we had to face the truth of how we’d gotten there

by Carol Berkower

Black and white close-up photo of a person’s arm showing skin texture and pigment and shadows; protruding ribs are visible behind the arm.
EATING DISORDERS

A ghost in limbo

Two decades of anorexia obscured who I was beneath my sickness. Then a stranger saw me

by Miranda Gold

Drawing of six people in a living room having tea and cake around a table, with a window and plant in the background.
NEURODIVERSITY

Hand-drawn animation brings a meeting of ‘voice-hearers’ to life

Directed by Tristan Thil

Two people smiling in front of colourful fish graffiti, the man is sitting in a wheelchair the woman is standing beside him.
CAREGIVING

The circle held

A bike crash left my husband paralysed. What happened next taught me something profound about community

by Sadie Witkowski

Two women sitting on a log outdoors, each holding a child, with greenery in the background.
LIFE STAGES

An activist weaves motherhood into her world in this gentle short

Directed by Flavien Kressmann and Sarah Des Rosiers

Three people laughing and holding drinks at a party, showing hands and faces partially, with a joyful atmosphere.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

Mind the accent

When I spoke like someone I wasn’t, people listened more closely. What did that say about them – and me?

by Erica Mayor

A person standing on a freight train car during sunset with a dog sitting nearby and graffiti on the train.
HOME

Freedom, joy and struggle – stories of Los Angeles street life

Directed by Chung Nguyen

A colourful plush owl toy with polka-dot wings hanging indoors against a polka-dotted wall background.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

Again, again, again

I’m not infertile, but I experience recurrent miscarriages. I worry about how many more I can take

by Jami Nakamura Lin

Photo of a man holding a hand-drawn sketch of himself on a city street, wearing a blazer with a colourful patch.
Psyche Exclusive
PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

Bad art, good laughs – a street portraitist’s lacklustre work animates a city

Directed by Rosie Baldwin

Shadows on a wall, showing silhouettes of people and plants. A chair and a plug socket are partially visible.
VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION

Sticks and stones and words

A smart, educated woman, there’s no way I could have ended up in an abusive relationship, could I?

by Zoe Michaels

Photo of a woman with braided hair on a sailboat in open sea, wearing a patterned jumper and colourful scarf, enjoying the sun.
TRAVEL

Emma navigates the vast Atlantic and her own mind in this captivating travelogue

Directed by Mattias Olsson

Photo of a cross in the sky with a blurred rainbow-coloured flag in the foreground.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Severe joy

I wanted conviction to tell me if I could be gay and Catholic. My convictions told me something bigger

by Will Martino

Abstract painting with bold orange, yellow, blue and black curves and shapes overlapping dynamically.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

A kaleidoscope? A milestone? Beyond description? Women put orgasms into words

Directed by Bronwen Parker-Rhodes

Black and white photo of two men by a waterfront fence, with boats and a hillside town in the background.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

Stealing my father

I’d long had a rocky relationship with my dad. Then, a predatory caregiver took over his life

by Mark Teich

Two clay faces with minimal features lying on a dark surface in a close-up photograph.
THE SELF

A woman must break apart to make herself whole in this surreal, stunning animation

Directed by Chu-Chieh Lee

People dancing closely in dim lighting. The focus is on movement and atmosphere at a night event.
SHAME AND GUILT

Footloose in Havana

In China, I was used to treating my body like a problem. In Cuba, everyone seemed at home in theirs

Syren Chan, as told to Lavender Au

Oil painting diptych of a man rowing a boat and a woman in blue with a green background.
LOVE

Two lives drift apart and come together in a love story told one brush stroke at a time

Directed by Ian Bruce

A Polaroid photo of two people standing together smiling in front of a painted mural depicting the sea and clouds.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUSTICE

More than a mugshot

As a crime reporter, I wrote about people behind bars. I learned much more when I began writing to them

by Amelia Arvesen