Greetings. I am Matthew L. Talley from Los Angeles, California. I am a husband, a father to one daughter, and a foster parent to two mild-mannered dogs. I have been a counselor and mental health worker for nearly 25 years. I began my career as a residential counselor working with adolescents experiencing emotional trauma. I currently work with and advocate for adults with mood disorders, including those challenged with substance use disorder and homelessness.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of the population will be diagnosed with a mental health condition within their lifetime. The spectrum of mental illness is vast, ranging from depression and anxiety to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Most families will face mental health challenges yet rarely is it talked about or understood. Apart from the disease, stigma can be a real challenge within various communities in the United States. Fear and misunderstanding can isolate those looking for treatment or help. However, education, empathy, and understanding can help remove those barriers and offer accessibility and hope to those facing a mental health crisis.
I documented the journey of my family’s debilitating mental health conditions, my years as an agnostic, and a nihilist, and my battle with anxiety and depression in the autobiography, The GOD of Hope: From Poverty, Emptiness, and Mental Illness to Experiencing God. With a recent increase in mental health disorders, anyone who has battled with the repercussions of psychological trauma, or those who may know someone experiencing emotional pain, will find value in this autobiography.
Pain, uncertainty, and the problem of evil may lead some to disbelief in God. Within the Christian community, few books wrestle with the idea of God and the disorders of the human mind, let alone attempt to reconcile the two within an autobiography of a lived experience. This book seeks to do so. I am a theist and a follower of Jesus by way of my own experiential and evidential journey - for nearly twenty years I have had a passion for researching classical apologetics. My hope is that this journey will provide solace, a voice, and hope to anyone looking for light at the end of a dark road.
Loves: Being helpful, gaming, gardening, watching films (Akira, Saving Private Ryan, Titanic, Forrest Gump, Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War), and thinking through difficult questions on faith and philosophy.
Dislikes: Spicy food, emotional manipulation, and religious sensationalism.