ABSTRACT
In this chapter, using collaborative autoethnography, the metanarrative of mental illness is disrupted by the personal narrative of an individual living with mental illness. The emergent themes address familiar concerns and are interpreted using a hermeneutic philosophy that highlights the complex and entrenched normative societal discourse that surrounds mental illness. It becomes apparent that the personal narrative of experience has to cut through the metanarrative defined by stigma and shame.
