"Inspire Hope Ignite Change" Interview for Mental Health & Addiction Awareness

[@martinbetts8527]

What a very special and touching interview. Thank you for sharing!

[@independentmind1977]

Hey brother, been following you for years and witnessed your journey. I work in Mental Health and Addiction services, first I’m happy to see you in recovery knowing what you’ve been through, second I suffer from depression and addiction (in recovery) myself and know how hard it is to pick up an instrument and practice in the midst of illness, and lastly I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so outspoken about your journey. I have often used you as an example of overcoming, perseverance and recovery. In health, recovery and peace always brother!

[@jasonricci]

God Bless You and Thank You!

[@peteaustin5327]

Thank you thank you thank you !! for bringing awareness to these issues !! Our county really needs it ! Hell I really need it. God Bless you guys !!

[@maureenmaxwell8303]

So raw, it brings tears to my eyes...so love you both and KNOW Abundance is in your future so be NOT like me, and accept it because you absolutely deserve it !

[@patfouquart]

You touch me so much! Thank you for this moment! 🦊❤️‍🩹❤️

[@maureenmaxwell8303]

Raw and from your heart !

[@ShawnWilliams1987]

Jason, I have been and going through mental health issues and problems for a while. I must admit that I am experiencing this throughout my musical life. And I admit that I am going through something about PTSD, anxiety, stress, depression since the Co-Vid 19 pandemic. That I was beaten down, torn down, mistreated, frustrated, feeling misused, disrespected and all that. My solution in truth is meditation and reconciliation will be an recovery process. Thank you for your time and effort for your continuous love and support!

[@roberttemple2521]

Thank you for making this important clip. It helps me to hear all this, knowing that we are not alone in our struggle to be well and do good. The beat goes on. Love and peace to you. ❤✌

[@freebreathers1111]

amen brother....right on the money

[@littledre]

Unfortunately, a lot in common. Great video!

[@FernandoEmílioMorales]

Hey! 🎉❤ Good morning , Jason !!

[@JuanHuertas-w6l]

#1 fan thank you for being you.

[@JeremyParksHarmonica]

We have a lot in common...I look forward to meeting you in OKC!

[@pamalacrabtree1727]

Thank you for your experience and video. Health and prosperity to you and your family.🌙🐈‍⬛93/93

[@veli-anttiliukko7108]

🎶❤️‍🔥🎶🙏🏻

[@bighardbooks770]

W y'all in PDX, Moon Cat 😺 ;

[@sonamebel-fm9kl]

Big N O

[@bighardbooks770]

@@sonamebel-fm9kl ?!?

[@michaelpfeifer4156]

Hey Y'all - I feel mostly stable, mentally and emotionally, but my harmonica playing stinks. I feel fortunate, to say the least. My life is not without pain, but I try to approach difficulty like a surfer. I've lost my fear of the waves. I sometimes get dunked and tumbled in the turbulence, but I've learned that I am buoyant, by nature, and I can hold my breath pretty well after 66 years. I would like to ask a question that I hope will not be taken in the wrong way. If someone's bipolar tendencies are causing me distress, how do I let them know without pissing them off? Or do I just let them get pissed and hope that they work it out? I'm thinking, specifically of someone whom I have rescued, financially, on several occasions. BTW, I've been on antidepressants for almost 30 years, and I wish resources like this video had been around sooner. It's a good thing you all are doing.

[@ronnieblanchet4072]

YEAHHHH!!! Praise God sensei❤️☝️💀

[@jasonricci]

Amen!

[@chrishammonds72]

Rainy and cold afternoon here in Australia so you’ve given me something to watch as a long term mental health sufferer from multiple disorders I can relate to to a lot of this and also former drug abuser. Been struggling a lot for the past few months trying to find another rental in the middle of a rental crisis so the stress and depression has been bad lately. I’ve lost interest in playing music a lot in the past few months but thankfully I’ve found a place now so hopefully I can start enjoying music again. Thanks for posting this Jason and being so honest about it.

[@jasonricci]

@@chrishammonds72 Admire you perceiverance!

[@harmonicamanrandy]

I'm struggling with my mental battles. It would appear that my life is short anyway. At least I have music to get me through. 🙂

[@harmonicamanrandy]

Sorry, I meant my health is bad and my time runs short. That's all. 😊

[@jasonricci]

If you need help GET it. There's some amazing people out there! 💜

[@pamalacrabtree1727]

Like , share and subscribe. Thank you.

[@maureenmaxwell8303]

YES Music heals, but you need a willingness , and a suitcase of Allopathic trial and error and YES to the Meditation that is Integrative Medicine!

[@drums_clark]

One name: William Clarke.

[@jasonricci]

Unfortunately there's many names...

[@drums_clark]

@@jasonricci Break a leg in OKC, wish I could come up from Comanche County to see you, but we have the Comanche Fair also this weekend near Medicine Park.

[@jasonricci]

@@drums_clark I heard and congratulations on your induction! 💜

[@littledre]

Is it only for Patreon?

[@jasonricci]

Nope this is for everyone

[@littledre]

@@jasonricci but it says Not for everyone near the video name/title

[@jasonricci]

@@littledre shucks I can't see that? That must be something KZbin put on it as the result of it's content.

[@jasonricci]

@@littledre YOU WERE RIGHT! It was mistakenly categorized as unlisted" fixed it thanks to YOU! Thanks Dre!

[@littledre]

@@jasonricci 🤗🤗🤗

[@OmniphonProductions]

FIRST: I apologize...ish...for the lengthy response. It's a long video with many important points. If I'm overstepping, please say so, and I'll try to do better in the future. Thanks! 11:15 - I thought exactly what you said! LOL! 19:14 - Author, television personality, _and chef!_ Imagine if people primarily called _you_ a KZbin creator, rather than musician. 19:47 - I just watched a documentary about Robin Williams' death. He...and those around him...knew something was wrong, and it was getting worse. However, nobody...not even his team of doctors...recognized _Lewy Body Dementia,_ a progressive, fatal condition that basically combines symptoms of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, _and_ Schizophrenia. So tragic! 23:19 - I'd like to thank you, too! As much as I have benefited from your lessons, some of my favorite videos have been those that _talk about_ mental health and addiction. 46:45 - HAHAHAHAHA!!! As you mentioned in other remarks, finding the _levity_ throughout the process is vital. Laughter is a great way to bring light to dark places. 50:00 - Working in _Law Enforcement,_ many I know are horrified by the notion of _giving_ needles to addicts...because they don't recognize the _Public Safety_ goal it accomplishes! 53:25 - I love the way, in a single sentence, you demonstrated your own humility, plugged a fellow artist, and...again...brought levity to the conversation. BRAVO, MY FRIEND! 55:39 - I often refer to my rehearsal time as _therapy._ Whatever else is going on in my life ceases to occupy my thoughts for that time. (I find _cigars_ similarly meditative.) 56:22 - I'll never forget the first time my body was moved by the music _as _ I made it. I realized I had become an _audience member,_ totally separate from _myself._ FLOW STATE! 58:35 - Send Me A Friend is such a brilliant idea. The concept is so simple, but I can understand the _logistical_ hurdles. MAJOR KUDOS TO ANDERS...AND BILL!!! 1:01:27 - Your reply was hilarious and...unfortunately for more people than they'd probably like to admit...100% TRUE! I have to take a complete break once in awhile to reset. 1:04:55 - I used to fantasize about bringing a baseball bat to my high school reunion. Now, while I don't _thank_ my childhood bullies, I realize they "helped" to make me who I am. 1:08:00 - A brilliant insight, wrapped in a brilliant insight! Most people have _no idea_ what others are going through, or that the _reason_ is the same source of _our own_ pain. 1:09:43 - For any given topic, so many _peacemakers_ are vilified on social media for trying to do this...or for not knowing how...often by people who refuse to even try. 1:12:53 - If more colleges included a _required_ Mental Health Awareness & Identification "crash course" for teacher certification, perhaps it could _help_ them to more effectively navigate these issues, especially in families whose _parents_ are resistant and/or in _states_ whose efforts to _intertwine_ religious ideology with curriculum may be a hindrance. 1:15:50 - Imagine if we spent _half_ as much on _recognition and prevention_ as we do on _incarceration._ It's not that there's no money in it; it's just _who_ makes the money. 1:20:33 - Excellent analysis! A local economy crumbles, resulting in increased poverty...the _top_ predictor of crime...and they "fix" both problems with a prison _system._ 1:24:59 - YES!!! Regarding _meeting people where they are,_ few things serve that better than saying, "You're right," even...or especially...amid disagreement. COMMON GROUND! 1:29:35 - Excellent point! It's probably hard for kids...especially teens...to open up to people whose relationship with them, even when truly loving, is inherently _authoritarian._ I love that Kate and Anita recognized how music can help people to feel more connected and understood, particularly with Kate referencing _Broken Toy!_ When I first started writing songs, it was to process _my own_ experiences as a young, fat, nerdy, non-Mormon, mama's boy in the rural-adjacent suburbs of Salt Lake City, UT. _Then,_ eventually I realized, if I intentionally omit proper nouns, places, pop culture references, etc., _others_ can understand _me_ through my lyrics and _also_ maybe recognize _themselves_ in those lyrics...and thus feel that _I_ also understand _them!_ Connection, particularly through expression of universal experiences, is a _medicine_ that music can provide...and a sacred responsibility I cherish! Thank you now, more than ever, for sharing so many details about your family history, the stigma, the denial, and...on a lighter note...how you and Kate got together. Love y'all!