If you are having suicidal thoughts or feelings, contact 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or a qualified physician / mental health professional immediately.
Salma Vir-Banks
Tattoo Artist and Healer
Abhijith Ravinutala
CEO
Buddy Tangellamudi
VP Research
WARNING: This episode contains sensitive material. If you have dealt with or are currently dealing with an eating disorder, mood disorder, or addiction, please be aware that these issues are discussed here.
In this episode, we talk to Salma Vir-Banks who, after completing her degree at the University of California, Berkeley, is currently traveling and pursuing a career as a tattoo artist and healer while exploring various issues, including mental disorders/conditions. To learn more about Salma and her work, check out her website at tattoosandtarot.com!
We’ll learn from Salma about her own personal experiences with mental illness and what she feels others can learn from them. As always, we’ll also hear about her thoughts on stigma in the South Asian community but in addition, we will get her unique perspective as a person of mixed race.
With our MannMukti podcast series, we aim to connect our listeners with mental health professionals as well as those with lived experiences of mental illness. Our podcasts are often conducted in an interview format, with one or more members of the MannMukti team asking questions of a guest. Each episode features a different guest who can speak to us about a unique topic in South Asian mental health, but the constant theme throughout each podcast is a conversation about stigma.
If you’re interested in learning more about any of the episodes or guests or taking part in a future interview, please feel free to reach out to us at info@mannmukti.org.
We hope you listen, enjoy, share, and… #SpeakUp!
Get the latest MannMukti news and volunteer opportunities straight to your inbox!
In this episode, Saajan Bhakta shares his story of recovery from a place of doubt and isolation to one of philanthropy, empathy...
In this episode, we talk to Rana Khan, a former teacher and leader of Friends of the Collaborative, a group of individuals...
In this episode, we talk to Salma Vir-Banks who, after completing her degree at the University of California, Berkeley...
What does it feel like to approach a counselor? How do South Asian students uniquely talk about mental health?
MannMukti pledges to serve all South Asians, recognizing the power hierarchies in our communities, created and maintained by different identities of caste, language, geography, gender, sexuality, and religion that shape individuals’ obstacles while seeking mental liberation.
