Podcasts and the pandemic have become almost synonymous with many people feeling the need to share all their thoughts and experiences while in confinement. But for Montrealer Lorraine Elizabeth Campbell, starting a podcast was how she started her healing journey.
“You know, people weren’t even making eye contact with each other. It was just a terrible time,” she says to the CONTACT.
“Being the person that I am, I’ve always been in service to others, I’ve always cared for others. So that didn’t stop even during COVID-19, I was still considering other people’s feelings before my own. And I think that’s almost like a trauma response. And it’s also something that you find a lot with mostly black women. We put everybody else before us. But I was in a terrible relationship, so I decided to start a podcast to share many of my thoughts and experiences.”
As she spoke on her podcast, the Star Parent: Parenting Ourselves and Parenting Others, she discovered she has a way of packaging her pain through humour. While not making light of abuse she managed to balance humor and discomfort and encourage scores who have also suffered at the hands of a narcissist or any abuser.
“I escaped the relationship in my mind, and I put all my heart into this podcast. It literally evoked a flame inside of me and it just got hotter and hotter and when I saw how much this was Irritating my ex. That I was creating and not focusing my time on him. It made me realize that this is the right thing for me to do. And so when he finally discarded me, I still poured into my podcast. But then I also felt that I was freer to do other things, and that’s when I got into improv and stand-up comedy. And I realized that I have a voice. I have a very impactful voice.”
Her way of translating her experiences into humour became the animating force behind her standup routine. She got training from Sandy Armstrong to hone her craft. And she then got ushered into the world of improv. Studies show that laughter leads to positive changes in heart rate, blood pressure and muscular tension.
Now that she has honed her skills in stand-up comedy, mastering the art of audience engagement, she will soon be joining a group of fellow comedians for the Narcissism A Comedy Night’ show on the 31st of August. She wants to share her experience and show survivors and even those in abusive environments that there is hope after abuse.
Unfortunately, Campbell continues to face mental torture from her abuser.
“I have to find housing urgently because my ex knows my landlord and had me kicked out,” she says.
She is currently going through litigation trying to fight to see her child who was forcefully taken away in 2022 due to false accusations levied against her by her ex-partner. The court process has been long and tedious and she has faced a lot of racism and frustration.
As Campbell tells it, sometimes legal aid doesn’t give comprehensive coverage and help especially when it comes to women of colour and issues around abuse. That’s why she is adamant that a portion of the proceeds from the show will go to Women Aware, an organisation that assists and empowers survivors who have experienced or are experiencing Intimate partner violence (IPV) in order to improve their quality of life and affect social change.
Campbell will be coming alive on stage on the 31st of August at 3716 Notre-Dame St. W from 8 pm for ‘Narcissism A Comedy Night’, the event will both be a night of comedy and a fundraiser for narcissistic abuse survivors like herself. Ticket prices are $40 and the night promises to be one of healing, laughter and enlightenment.
Tickets and more information can be found on: www.montrealimprov.com and to support her gofund me: https://gofund.me/5bd8a430
