RACHEL MORGAN has traveled and lived in many places here in the U.S. and abroad, and has lived a lot of life despite it only being about halfway through. She has been an educator, a professional ballroom dancer, and a paralegal by trade, but her passion is writing. She is the author of Waltzing with Elephants, as well as the Substack newsletter, Mental Wellness. Rachel’s 19 years of therapy have lent her a unique perspective and a deep well of personal experience, which shines through her collection of mental health articles and her memoir, too. She's currently working on a poetry collection and a fantasy novel. Rachel’s superpower is figuring out how to fix whatever joint has dislocated that day, while her downfall is probably owning too many books. She currently lives in North Augusta, South Carolina, with her life partner. Most days, Rachel can be found hugging trees and playing with her service dog and crazy cat.
RACHEL MORGAN has traveled and lived in many places here in the U.S. and abroad, and has lived a lot of life despite it only being about halfway through. She has been an educator, a professional ballroom dancer, and a paralegal by trade, but her passion is writing. She is the author of Waltzing with Elephants, as well as the Substack newsletter, Mental Wellness. Rachel’s 19 years of therapy have lent her a unique perspective and a deep well of...
Waltzing with Elephants is a deeply personal, unflinching memoir on Rachel Morgan’s tumultuous journey through mental illness. She transforms from a sheltered child into a world traveler, finding solace in foreign lands yet battling personal demons and heartbreak. Her stories resonate with courage and resilience, from childhood antics in Russia...
The Author's Club of Augusta is hosting the Literary Lounge at the annual Arts in the Heart of Augusta, Georgia on the weekend of September 18-20, 2026. This is a must-do...
My therapists at the first PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program - if you want to read about that story…) practiced this technique with us. The following is taken directly from TherapistAid.com’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation Script:
Mental Wellness is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
“Progressive muscle relaxation is an exercise that reduces stress and anxiety in your body by having you slowly tense and then...
A lot of this post is influenced by Arlin Cuncic’s excellent article about radical acceptance on verywellmind and SimplePractice’s article on practical steps of radical acceptance.
This is my last post in our ACT series, and what better way to wrap this up than talk about Radical Acceptance. This is also timely because I have really really had to work hard these past couple of weeks to radically accept a few things in my life. And I’m still working on it!
It’s a rainy day outside and I’m having a bad body day (what I call days that I’m hurting which could be from any number of things associated with my Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome). I love the rain (perfect for reading or writing!) and a painful day is not unusual. And yet, I just watched a TED talk that made me want to bawl my eyes out (which IS unusual).
Why am I so emotional at the moment? Honestly, I have no idea. But in the past I would have berated myself harshly, mentally blocked and locked...
