Creative resistance -
When fiction becomes the path of transformation and social change
At the end, my “How to be a good ally” document
My story, capitalism and dramatherapy
The reason I embody the Joker in my roleplay is deeply personal. When I first watched *Joker* (2019), it felt like I was watching my own life unfold, with all the same traumas, social isolation, and hardships under capitalism.
It wasn't just the story that resonated with me—it was the film’s cinematography, the use of colors, sound, and the way the narrative expressed something raw and visceral. This movie fundamentally changed me. It became a part of my Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), a fragment of my identity, especially as I was already spiraling into severe trauma and burnout at the time.
I began reenacting scenes from *Joker*, hoping to find some kind of relief through this creative outlet. The emotional release was profound—almost too much to handle. My nervous system couldn’t cope, and I fell deeper into a state of burnout. One scene that sticks with me is Joker walking in slow motion in the subway. That moment became symbolic to me—it represented a state of being that I aspired to but hadn’t reached. I became obsessed with the mood and energy of that scene and unknowingly modeled my own path after it.
It was during this overwhelming burnout that I started to realize how similar my emotional state was to that of Joker’s character. This realization led me to express my pain through the Joker persona. The roleplay became a way to confront the intense bullying and abuse I’ve endured. Whether it was standing up to my gaslighting welfare agent or other figures in my life, I found the courage to begin confronting my abusers—real people who mirrored the struggles Joker faced in the movie.
But I started to worry. Was I doing something too dangerous for my own mental health? Was I going too fast without understanding the consequences? The emotional toll was severe, and I knew I needed to find out more about what I was doing before I hurt myself further. I’ve always had an interest in psychology, and my research led me to an interview that hit close to home: Dr. Goku’s YouTube video, “How Fictional Characters Help Us Understand Our Mental Health.” It perfectly described what I had been doing with my Joker roleplay.
Not long after, I discovered Dr. Janina Scarlet’s work. Her background and her creation of Superhero Therapy resonated with me deeply. Like me, she used fictional characters, particularly superheroes, to cope with trauma, anxiety, and depression. Superhero Therapy gave me a new lens to view my own experience through—*Joker* became my superhero narrative, and I started to explore concepts like the Hero’s Journey, dramatherapy, psychodrama, and sociodrama.
Dramatherapy, which integrates roleplay and creative arts into therapy, is exactly what I was doing, except without the guidance of a trained therapist. I knew I had to be cautious to avoid retraumatizing myself, but it felt like I had found the right path. Yet, something was always holding me back.
Shame
Shame was rooted deep in my trauma, and it stopped me from fully embracing the healing potential of the roleplay. I had to pause and understand where this shame came from. My research led me to the neuroscience of trauma and shame. Prolonged stress and trauma had rewired my brain, compromising my ability to cope with adversity. The rational, cognitive approaches of traditional talk therapy never worked for me because trauma isn’t stored in the mind alone—it’s embedded in the body. That’s when I started to understand why roleplay, bodywork, and creative expression were the only things that had ever helped.
Talk therapy is primarily a left-brain function, dealing with language and rational thought, but trauma resides in the right brain and body. I realized that what I was doing with Joker was helping me, but I needed to go deeper. I found articles about the importance of balancing left and right brain approaches in therapy and how roleplay could tap into both hemispheres. I was literally doing the work that allowed me to cope with my life’s circumstances, and those circumstances eerily mirrored Joker’s. In many ways, the Joker character became an alter for me, and through my roleplay, I gave the Joker what he had never received—compassion, empathy, and healing.
But even as I worked through my trauma, shame continued to haunt me. It was only after discovering the importance of somatic therapy that I began to see the path forward. Unlike talk therapies like CBT, which focus on thoughts and behaviors, somatic therapy works with the body’s sensations to heal trauma. This approach was key for me because shame is stored in the body. The neuroscience of shame showed me how trauma, especially from childhood, had left me trapped in a cycle of fear and arousal, unable to fully break free.
Dr. John Bradshaw’s work on shame confirmed that without healing my nervous system, I couldn’t move past the shame that held me back. The first step, I learned, was self-validation—something I had never had. Self-validation means acknowledging my own experiences as real and legitimate, instead of constantly seeking approval from others. Through roleplay, I began to practice setting boundaries and asserting myself, something I had never been able to do in real life.
Roleplay allowed me to confront situations and people who had silenced me, but I needed to address my body’s reaction to trauma and shame. Healing my nervous system became the next step—working with somatic practices, mindfulness, and self-compassion to start rewiring the way I respond to stress and trauma. Healing is not a linear process, and it’s not easy. But through roleplay, somatic work, and continuous self-discovery, I am slowly learning to reclaim my voice and my power, step by step.
Add that I am still SEVERELY struggling, sadly (my severe poverty, my declining mental health, food banks closing down, and the overall sense of hopelessness that’s creeping in).
Help needed URGENTLY for me and my grassroot project
The current situation in Montreal is increasingly critical. The city is grappling with severe food insecurity and a widespread social crisis, forcing many individuals and families to struggle daily just to survive. I'm Marjolaine, a Montrealer struggling to survive in the midst of a severe food insecurity crisis. In 2019, I launched a grassroots initiative called PUNK-O-FRIGO to address this critical issue, but my personal circumstances are now a desperate struggle for survival.
🚨Living with autism, brain injuries, and a dissociative disorder, I'm fighting a battle on multiple fronts. The constant stress of managing this project alone, coupled with the absence of healthcare, therapy, family support, and basic necessities like food, has taken a devastating toll. Recently, I've experienced dissociative seizures, a terrifying consequence of being pushed beyond my limits. These seizures result from severe dissociation not being enough to help me coping anymore, causing my brain to completely shut down, and can be life-threatening, especially when combined with poverty, stress, and unmet basic needs (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, 2018). The constant fear of not receiving help is suffocating me.
I'm reaching out to my community in a last-ditch effort to survive this ordeal. If I don't receive support soon, I risk being unable to survive. I urge anyone who can, to please extend a helping hand. Your support can mean the difference between life and death for me.
(For direct assistance: at the end of this document)
GReetings to my wonderful community
My name is Marjolaine, and I would like to share my personal journey and the vision I have for a deeply meaningful grassroot project called LE PUNK-O-FRIGO. As an advocate, I encounter various challenges that impact not only my advocacy efforts but also my daily life. I often experience difficulties with social interactions, cope with the frustrations of autistic burnout, and navigate the debilitating symptoms of severe post-concussion syndrom, and DID. Compounding these struggles is the significant food insecurity I currently face, often managing to eat only one meal a day. This situation not only affects my physical health but also severely diminishes my energy levels and concentration, hindering the progress of PUNK-O-FRIGO.
A Personal Story of Resilience
Throughout my journey with PUNK-O-FRIGO, I have consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to this project, driven by an unrelenting passion to catalyze meaningful change within our community and beyond. Despite facing personal hardships, I have remained steadfast in my dedication to this initiative, which has evolved over the years to become a testament to the power of resilience and determination.
My journey in social advocacy began in 2011, when I started distributing food to homeless individuals in my downtown neighborhood. This endeavor was sparked by a deep-seated desire to support those in need, despite struggling with my own financial challenges at the time. As I navigated the complexities of poverty and inequality, I became increasingly aware of the profound impact that food insecurity can have on individuals and communities. This experience not only deepened my understanding of the issue but also instilled in me a sense of purpose and responsibility to create positive change.
By 2019, I felt compelled to formalize my efforts and transform a corner of my bedroom into a donation hub. This humble space became a beacon of hope for those in need, as I accepted in-kind contributions and distributed them to anyone who knocked on my door, no questions asked. This initiative was more than just a distribution effort; it brought me immense joy, a sense of fulfillment, and a profound connection to my community. As I reflected on this experience, I realized that PUNK-O-FRIGO was not only about providing food and resources but also about fostering a sense of dignity, respect, and compassion among those we served.
However, as I encountered increasing poverty, trauma, and health challenges, I was forced to place the project on hold. This period of inactivity was incredibly difficult for me, as I felt a sense of loss and disconnection from the community I had grown to care about. Nevertheless, this hiatus also provided me with an opportunity for introspection and growth, allowing me to reassess my goals and aspirations for PUNK-O-FRIGO. I emerged from this period with a renewed sense of determination and readiness to relaunch the project in a more comprehensive and sustainable manner.
In 2019, I officially launched LE PUNK-O-FRIGO, driven by a mission to develop a sustainable framework for addressing food insecurity in our community. This initiative offered me the opportunity to collaborate with Chantiers Jeunesse, a well-respected non-profit organization committed to nurturing civic engagement and community involvement. By aligning my project with their community-based programs, we were able to effectively mobilize volunteers and resources to maximize our impact. This partnership not only enhanced our capacity to provide food and resources but also enabled us to tackle the root causes of food insecurity, including poverty, lack of access to education, and social isolation.
During the challenging period of COVID-19 lockdowns, we demonstrated remarkable adaptability and resilience. We swiftly adapted to the evolving crisis, uniting to collect, transform, and distribute food donations to those enduring profound hardships and facing restricted access to essential services. Each day, we executed our food distribution efforts while prioritizing health and safety measures, ensuring that the dignity of our beneficiaries was upheld at all times. This experience underscored the critical importance of flexibility, collaboration, and community-led initiatives in moments of crisis.
As we navigated these unprecedented challenges, our collective actions illuminated the pressing need for food assistance in our community. They also strengthened my resolve to establish a supportive and res2ilient network for those in need, one that provides education, resources, and mutual support to foster a sense of empowerment and self-sufficiency. By drawing on my previous experiences and combining them with my innovative vision for PUNK-O-FRIGO, I aspire to foster an inclusive environment that champions the principles of mutual aid, solidarity, and social justice. My goal is to transform our community into one that genuinely supports and uplifts every individual, creating a more equitable and compassionate society for all.
Ultimately, I believe that when we come together with a shared purpose, we can cultivate lasting change and empower every member of our community to thrive. PUNK-O-FRIGO has become a testament to the power of collective action, demonstrating that even in the face of adversity, we can create a brighter, more just future for all. As I look to the future, I am filled with a sense of hope and anticipation, knowing that together, we can overcome even the most daunting challenges and build a community that is truly supportive, inclusive, and resilient.
Reimagining LE PUNK-O-FRIGO:
A Community Hub
My vision for LE PUNK-O-FRIGO is both ambitious and feasible—aiming to create a community hub rooted in the principles of mutual aid and solidarity. I envision incorporating several interconnected key components into this initiative:
1. **Knowledge Sharing**: Establishing a resource library that provides access to a wide range of literature and materials on critical topics, including:
- Social inequality and wealth distribution
- Historical struggles against class oppression
- Anti-capitalism, anarchism, communism, and socialism
- Racial inequality and the foundations of white supremacy
- Social justice initiatives and the promotion of class consciousness
- Personal narratives that highlight resilience and struggles
- Self-care practices and mental health resources
2. **Mutual Aid Networks**: Creating collaborative networks focused on sharing resources, skills, and emotional support, recognizing that collective efforts can enhance resilience and foster independence.
3. **Community Gardens**: Empowering community members to initiate and maintain gardens that provide fresh produce, improve nutrition, and strengthen relationships among neighbors.
4. **Peer Support Groups**: Offering safe, welcoming spaces for individuals grappling with challenges such as addiction, mental health issues, or housing instability, facilitating communal healing and support.
5. **Online Resource Hub**: Developing an online platform for peer support, skills-sharing, and advocacy, extending our reach beyond geographical boundaries.
6. **Creative Expression (initially online)**: Creating a space dedicated to artistic and emotional expression, providing individuals with tools and activities to explore their creativity as a means of healing and coping.
7. **Accessibility**: Designing all aspects of the project with inclusivity in mind, ensuring that everyone in the community can participate fully and benefit from the resources available.
8. **Inclusivity**: Cultivating an environment where all individuals feel valued, welcomed, and heard, embracing diversity as a vital strength.
Request for Support
I am writing to you with a deep sense of urgency and sincerity, as I earnestly seek your assistance in bringing my vision for PUNK-O-FRIGO to fruition. I am confident that with your support, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those facing food insecurity and social crises in Montreal.
As we navigate this challenging journey, there are several immediate areas where your support would be invaluable:
- **Task Breakdown**: I would greatly appreciate help in organizing and breaking down broad objectives into smaller, manageable tasks. This structured approach will enable us to tackle them step-by-step, fostering a sense of accomplishment and momentum as we progress. By identifying and prioritizing key tasks, we can ensure that our efforts are focused, efficient, and directed towards achieving our goals.
- **Community Communication**: I need guidance on effectively communicating with community members and potential partners, ensuring our initiatives reach those who need them most. This involves developing targeted outreach strategies, crafting clear and compelling messaging, and navigating complex communication channels. With your expertise, I aim to establish strong relationships with key stakeholders, build trust, and foster a sense of collaboration.
- **Implementation Guidance**: Support in planning and executing various components of the project is essential, especially regarding the critical peer support aspects. This may involve developing program structures. Your input will help me create a comprehensive and sustainable framework for delivering effective support to those who need it most.
- **Emotional Support**: I would benefit from encouragement, reminders, and understanding as I navigate this journey, helping me stay focused and motivated. Your support will provide a vital safety net, allowing me to maintain my emotional well-being and continue to push forward with confidence and passion.
- **Practical Support**: Assistance with outreach, coordination, and administrative tasks will be vital for the success of PUNK-O-FRIGO.
I am deeply grateful for any support you can offer and look forward to working together to bring this vision to life.
Get in Touch
If my vision for PUNK-O-FRIGO resonates with you and you're inspired to contribute to this critical initiative, I warmly invite you to get in touch with me directly. I would be delighted to explore collaboration opportunities, share insights, and collectively explore ways to drive meaningful change in our community.
I believe that by combining our passions, expertise, and networks, we can amplify the impact of PUNK-O-FRIGO and make a lasting difference in the lives of those affected by food insecurity and social crises in Montreal. Together, we can build a more compassionate and resilient community, where everyone has access to the resources and support they need to thrive.
Thank you for considering my request and for being part of this journey. Your support and involvement mean the world to me, and I look forward to the possibility of connecting with many of you in the near future to forge a brighter, more equitable future for our community.
Warmest regards,
Marjo
marjolainerobichaud@outlook.com
We Won't Survive Without Each Other: A Mutual Aid Guide for Those Who Think They Have Nothing to Offer
🌑 The System Wants You to Believe You Are Useless. But That’s a Lie.
In a world built on capitalism and ableism, we are told that "helping" means being productive, physically active, or financially giving.
But mutual aid is not charity. It’s community survival.
And everyone, no matter their mental state, disability, or situation, has something to offer.
🔥 What is Mutual Aid?
Mutual aid is people supporting each other directly, outside of the system that abandons us.
It’s about redistributing resources, emotional support, and knowledge—without hierarchy, without shame.
🌱 What If I Can’t Work, Move Much, or Give Money?
Mutual aid isn’t about “doing more.”
It’s about collective survival—and survival itself is resistance.
🎯 Here’s How You Can Contribute (Without Burning Out):
🖤 1. Emotional Labor IS Labor.
Holding space for people in distress.
Validating others who are being gaslit or blamed for their suffering.
Being present for those who are isolated.
📢 2. Sharing Knowledge & Resources
Spreading donation links, food bank closures, and housing support info.
Sharing mental health resources and crisis lines.
Helping others understand capitalism, ableism, and poverty as systemic violence.
🎨 3. Creative Resistance
Writing posts like this one.
Creating art, poetry, or zines about mental health and survival.
Offering your creative skills for mutual aid campaigns.
🌐 4. Building Digital Safe Spaces
Hosting Discord servers or Telegram groups for community support.
Creating peer support spaces for disabled, poor, and neurodivergent people.
Moderating online spaces to prevent ableism and gaslighting.
🛑 5. Rest as Resistance
Rest is not selfish.
Healing your nervous system is a radical act against capitalism.
Taking breaks prevents community burnout.
✅ Examples of Mutual Aid for Those Who Think They "Can't Help"
🔻 Why Mutual Aid is the Only Way Forward
Food banks are closing.
Welfare systems are collapsing.
Disabled, poor, and neurodivergent people are being left to starve.
We won’t survive without each other.
🛑 What I’m Building: PUNK-O-FRIGO
A community hub for food access, mental health support, and creative expression for those abandoned by the system.
✊ How You Can Support Me Right Now:
✅ Emotional support to keep me alive and grounded.
✅ Help with organizing the project (even online support).
✅ Sharing this message with others who feel invisible.
This is How We Take Care of Each Other.
You don't need to be “productive” to help.
You don’t need money to contribute.
You don’t need to be “healed” to show up.
📌 SAVE THIS. SHARE THIS.
For disabled people. For poor people. For neurodivergent people. For those who feel broken.
"I Don't Blame You for Not Understanding. The System Was Built to Keep Us Blind."
If you're struggling to understand why so many of us are falling into extreme poverty, hunger, and mental health crises right now — it's not your fault.
We were never taught how capitalism, ableism, racism, and class oppression are interconnected. The system was designed to keep us disconnected from each other, and to blame individuals for suffering caused by systemic violence.
But the truth is:
💥 Poverty is political.
💥 Mental illness is a systemic issue, not an individual failure.
💥 Food insecurity is the result of capitalist hoarding, not lack of effort.
💥 Disabled, poor, neurodivergent, and racialized communities are being erased.
🎯 If you want to understand more, here’s where to start:
🌿 Food Insecurity & Mutual Aid
🖤 Capitalism as a Trauma System
[Why Capitalism is a Trauma Response - Dr. Gabor Maté (video)](add link)
[Capitalism keeps disabled and neurodivergent people in survival mode (article)](add link)
[Understanding poverty as systemic violence](add link)
🧠 Mental Health & The Nervous System
[Why therapy can't fix trauma under capitalism](add link)
[The connection between poverty and nervous system dysregulation](add link)
[Somatic healing and community care as resistance (PDF)](add link)
⚡ Disability, Class Struggle & Anti-Capitalism
[Disability Justice & Anti-Capitalism (zine)](add link)
[Why poor and disabled people can't "just work more" (article)](add link)
[The criminalization of poverty in Canada (video)](add link)
This is not about guilt. It's about waking up.
If you want to understand why people like me are starving, why food banks are closing, and why mental health is declining — it's all connected.
We need mutual aid. We need community care. We need to fight back against systemic violence.
But first, we need to unlearn what this system taught us.
📌 Save this post. Share it.
For those who are ready to stand with us, not judge us.
We won't survive without each other.
I also know that I want to be a voice for the voiceless as a goal. I want to provide these tools for free, as I know way too many people struggle with their mental health and/or have no access to therapy. And it doesn’t have to be by doing Joker; the possibilities are infinite.
With the research and modalities I’ve found, I believe there are paths forward for others too. We need to integrate social justice into therapy. Both psychological and political interventions are required to truly address the suffering that people face today. Understanding how our economic, social, and societal structures impact mental health is crucial.
I am still severely struggling, and my situation feels like it's closing in on all sides. The extreme poverty I'm enduring, the food banks shutting down, more and more unable to eat and my declining mental health have left me with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Despite this, I try to continue to fight because I know my voice and experience could someday speak for the voiceless. I want to offer tools for FREE. Especially to those who, like me, have no access to therapy or mental health support. And it doesn’t have to be by doing Joker – the possibilities for expression are infinite.
In my research, I found resources like *"Integrating Social Justice into Therapy Practice: Seeds and for Reflection"*. It highlights that neither psychological nor political interventions alone can truly address human suffering or welfare. As Prilleltensky (2008) says, “It is only when we achieve an integrated political and psychological understanding of power, wellness, and oppression that we can effectively change the world around us.”
By understanding how our social and economic structures affect individual problems, including mental health, we can offer more effective holistic mental healthcare. This includes the importance of services for immigrants, refugees, and those who lack access to affordable therapy. Private practices can increase accessibility by offering sliding scales, pro bono services, and hiring therapists who understand cultural needs. The tools I aim to develop are for equity-deserving groups, offering a bridge between
mental health and social justice.
In my work, the integration of dramatherapy and theatre techniques has been invaluable. The developmental model of dramatherapy explores how our life stages and experiences shape us. By symbolically engaging with these stages through dramatic fiction, we explore our fractured and dislocated selves and begin to heal. This dramatic reality allows us to detach from the constraints of real circumstances, so we can reimagine our stories and uncover new meanings for our lives. As Sue Jennings (1992) states, it is through the transition from everyday reality to dramatic or theatrical reality that transformation becomes possible.
Theatre, and more broadly the arts, have become essential tools in my personal struggle and have the potential to offer the same to others. Applied theatre techniques help build community and foster introspection, both of which are crucial for marginalized communities like the trans community, who face intense violence and structural oppression.
In sum, I believe that by creating these tools and offering them for free, I can contribute to the fight for social justice and mental health, empowering others to find their own voices and build stronger communities.
Building slowly this server and sharing the tools ♡
Will put them in Discord and as a pdf file
Video How fictional characters help our mental health
_______
As a white woman, I will always take the time to learn, listen and I recognize my white privilege.
I would like to create spaces where are included bringing a multicultural, social justice. But is it my place? (My constant severe shame feelings and fear) Where we decide to read a text including Black Panthers, history, we discuss implication today from these important movements. Offer a space of discussing, creating about inequalities. I dont have specific ideas in mind,trying to navigate through my chronic illnesses and, DID, autism and brain injuries (hard for me to explain things) to explore how social and political struggles, such as rising global conservatism, nationalism, climate crisis, increasing displacement and the coronavirus pandemic, racism, poverty are experienced in art, dramatherapy. Offer a space.
References for this:
https://youtu.be/Dv2pLt_GNtk?si=5oTxqZB25dV31Xwx
DRAMATHERAPY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
https://youtu.be/x3MsXkqrv5I?si=anpU0HNhPNRlCGo8
https://youtu.be/qAhGKZ0T4ZE?si=WOLzwIZYxSa_owKt
Document “How to be a good ally”
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WLEprSoXAjDTWuRbqgOAVBSMrjxd352_pyesX-syne8/edit?usp=drivesdk
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