Introducing "None of Us Are Whole"
An upcoming novel that provides a deep look at a young man's journey as he becomes deeply acquainted with OCD and depression.
Why I’m Writing
Hi, I’m Wesley Braden and I’m writing to bless other people out of my own experience. My Junior year of college I began to lose control of my own thoughts. In fact, I began to lose touch with the very reality that I was accustomed to experiencing- and that my fellow students and friends continued to experience so naturally. I was slipping further and further from the normal world that people around me floated through so nonchalantly.
This change manifested itself rather abruptly: instead of the same paradigm everyone else lived in, my mind began to fixate on bizarre, highly irrational scenarios that strayed far from what I could reasonably expect to experience.
These scenarios mercilessly overthrew my normal thought processes, sucking up the mental energy that I needed to function in my daily life. It was as if these intrusive thoughts were in vivid Technicolor and the normal thoughts I needed in order to function were stuck in black and white. Due to the mental exertion and emotional distress from these repetitive invasive thoughts, I quickly advanced toward being unable to function in my daily life.
Thankfully, after about 9 months of increasingly acute suffering I was correctly diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and I was able to begin therapy that drastically improved my quality of life. However, as my mental health improved enough for me to re-enter society, I realized how misunderstood OCD is in popular culture. This fascinated me given the fact that millions of Americans suffer with OCD.
1-2% of the US population has OCD. Thus, the stark (and statistical) reality is that you likely have a friend, family member, colleague, or classmate who suffers with OCD.
The chasm between the number of people who have OCD and the popular understanding of OCD compelled me to create a work of art (inspired by my experience) that could bridge the chasm. Chiefly, I set out to write this work of fiction to do three things:
Give people with OCD (diagnosed or undiagnosed) the immensely comforting truth that there are people who understand them and their mental struggles intimately.
Give people with OCD (diagnosed or undiagnosed) hope that they can live a beautiful life- perhaps even more beautiful than if they did not have OCD.
Give people who are curious about OCD a much deeper understanding of OCD so that they might greatly expand their empathetic capacity for folks with OCD.
What I’m Writing
None of Us Are Whole is a novel that follows Walter, an early 20s college student from the Chicago suburbs, as he confronts the fact that he is either capable of unspeakable evil to the people around him or he is slowly beginning to lose his grasp on what is real and what is purely his imagination.
After several harrowing episodes that push him to a nervous breakdown, Walter is diagnosed with OCD, which dramatically alters his perception of himself and his understanding of mental health. Walter processes this diagnosis with the help of his journal, his therapist, his psychologist, and his elderly neighbor, Ethel. Along the way, he espouses his thoughts, insights, fears, and internal dialogues.
How to Follow Along
I’m currently putting the finishing touches on my manuscript, and I will be looking for publishers in the next few months. I’m planning to share excerpts from the book in coming weeks via this page, so please subscribe to this newsletter if you would like to receive updates. I’ll also be sure to let you know when the book is finished!
Oh, and if you think any of them would be interested in this book, please tell your friends! I would really appreciate it ◡̈