Nurse shines light on challenges of working in the mental health system in new book

From the outside, author Cassandra Whitfield’s life seemed exciting and adventurous. She had an interesting career, traveled frequently and was having fun searching for “Him.” But on the inside, something was wrong. Whitfield could no longer silence her internal alarms. She knew she was tempting fate every time she went to work. When her employer told her she was the problem, Whitfield had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. In “I Remember,” Whitfield discusses major mental illnesses from the point of view of a nurse to educate the public of the difficulties and the risks of dealing with such diseases. “My stories represent the extremes of the mental health spectrum and show how an environment of unpredictability can affect the professionals who work within it,” Whitfield said. “I Remember” also examines the troubling past of Whitfield’s personal life. In her novel, Whitfield identifies her own fears and limiting beliefs and takes responsibility for everything that has happened in her life. “I was emoting from my nightmares, instead of from my dreams,” Whitfield said. “I thought I was a victim of my circumstances when really I was a victim of my own storytelling. My own thinking was causing my physical symptoms.” In her novel, the dark chapters that describe Whitfield’s traumatic childhood, abusive relationships and violent workplace are contrasted by the lighter chapters which detail her search for love, erotic escapades, online dating and emancipation. “My intention in writing “I Remember” is to help others come to the same realization as I did,” Whitfield said. “My novel is about realizing we are not our past and at any mom