394: What if you found yourself naked, starving and surrounded by cops?
This Is Actually Happening
Audible
4.6 • 10.4K Ratings
🗓️ 17 February 2026
⏱️ 62 minutes
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Summary
After the sudden death of his father leaves him drowning in guilt, a man unknowingly spirals into a manic break that strips him of his freedom, his relationships, and his grip on reality, forcing him to confront bipolar disorder and rebuild his life from the ground up.
Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous. However, you can reach out to him at anytom2020.t@gmail.com.
Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock
Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicide and suicide by cop, Parental death, Alcoholism, Bipolar disorder, Manic episode and psychosis, Self-harm, Arrest and incarceration, Homelessness, Police confrontation involving firearms, Mental health crisis, explicit language
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Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez
Music Bed: Pure_Ambience_APM
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If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Actually Happening features real experiences that often include traumatic events. |
| 0:04.0 | Please consult the show notes for specific content warnings on each episode, and for more information about support services. |
| 0:10.0 | I was just who I am down at my skin without anything. |
| 0:24.9 | Somehow that felt necessary to be totally empty |
| 0:28.6 | and to try and purge that vessel of suffering. |
| 0:43.0 | From Wondery, I'm Whit Misseldine. |
| 0:46.5 | You're listening to This Is Actually Happening. |
| 0:52.9 | Episode 394. |
| 0:58.4 | What if you found yourself naked, starving, and surrounded by cops? I'm not sure. I was born to two parents that absolutely adored me. |
| 1:25.7 | My mom was a teacher and my dad was working as a general manager at Kmart, |
| 1:31.8 | and they met there. They met at Kmart. When I was born, my dad was 32, and my mom was 28 years old. |
| 1:40.0 | They had tried to have children before, and they tried multiple times, and they finally had me. |
| 1:46.4 | And I was like this miracle child, and I felt very loved. |
| 1:50.1 | I remember my mom just being very motherly, and she was always right there. |
| 1:57.1 | My dad, he was always a very free spirit. He loved animals. He loved plants. I mean, he loved |
| 2:03.3 | people too. He kind of loved a lot about life. He did work a lot, so he would get home |
| 2:11.0 | pretty late at night, and I frequently remember him bringing home some kind of surprise, |
| 2:16.9 | whether it was like candy or a toy from |
| 2:19.6 | Kmart, which he managed. He was just always trying to make me happy. I also remember frequently |
| 2:27.6 | the feeling of him being gone, like he had left for the store without letting me know, or he had just disappeared, |
| 2:37.4 | and I would run out into the front yard and the backyard and I'd look for him, and I remember it |
| 2:41.8 | being just really scary. Multiple times I remember not being able to find him. It was that true |
... |
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