Interviewer: Today we are here with Dr. Renee Parisi, the founder and lead literary agent for Willow Alchemy Publishing and Media. Willow Alchemy is a media imprint that says it focuses on stories' of transformation and triumph. Where did the idea for Willow Alchemy come from?
Dr. Parisi: Well, it was partly inspired by my work as a mental health therapist and psychiatric nurse practitioner. Over the past 15 years my client's have share their stories of pain and trauma with me and we have worked together to use their experiences to motivate change and recovery in their lives. But, it was also inspired by Dr. Irvin Yalom.
Dr. Yalom is well known in the mental health community for being a pioneer of various forms of psychotherapy. He's also has published multiples novels inspired by the patients and clients he has worked with over his impressive career. In mental health we know that shared experience is a wonderful theraputic tool for those who are struggling. This is why you see support groups being so successful. When we learn that other people have gone through what we have gone through it helps to make us feel more normal and less alone. Additionally, journaling, timelines, and memoir writing- all ways of documenting your personal lived experience- are a widely regarded theraputic tools.
Interviewer: That is really interesting!
Dr. Parisi: And, [laughs] guess the final influence actually came from a joke one of my clients told me years ago. I do a lot of work with those who have experienced sexual trauma and I am a safe space for those in the BDSM community. And she said that I, and all other therapists, are really just "dominatrixes in cardigans". I was initially taken aback because I do not gain any pleasure out of their stories of pain - lets make that clear right now - [laughs]. But she explained, it's because we "cause pain to willing victims for money". She meant it as a compliment.
Interviewer: Oh my! [laughs]
Dr. Parisi: See therapy is painful, especially when you are working with trauma. I usually use the analogy that mental health therapy is like physical therapy. You go to the physical therapist and they push, pull, move and manipulate your poor sore and healing physical body. When you leave a physical therapy session you are tired and sore. But the therapist "causes" that increased short term discomfort so that in the long run you wont hurt anymore. Mental health therapy is no different, we just push, pull, move and manipulate thoughts and emotions. It's very common to leave a mental health therapy session feeling temporarily "worse" before you get better.
Interviewer: That makes a lot of sense.
Dr. Parisi: What I wanted to do with Willow Alchemy is to combine all these influences and allow my clients and those with similar stories to number 1. be empowered by their lives, number 2. inspire others to promote a universal healing, and number 3. if possible, also make a financial profit off their pain and struggle. As a "dominatrix in a cardigan", if I get paid for their pain, why shouldn't they?
Interviewer: ha! That's great, I like that. Thank you so much for your time today and the best of luck with Willow Alchemy.
Dr. Parisi: Thank you!