Oshri Hakak’s Mental Health Journey - How to Transform Your Deepest Wounds into Sources of Meaning and Connection

A surprising dream following tragedy becomes a guiding light for an artist's life mission. After losing his Boy Scout leader to suicide at 16, Oshri Hakak dreamed of a document meant to cure all human illnesses—only to find its pages blank except for one word: "music." This mystical experience launched Oshri's commitment to creative expression as a healing force, a path that gained even deeper meaning when he later lost his brother to heart failure during a period of severe depression.

Today, Oshri channels these profound experiences into children's books addressing mental health and mindfulness, daily art practices that process his emotions, music, and advocacy work with NAMI's Ending the Silence program. In this deeply moving conversation, he reveals how these practices embody essential recovery principles—from maintaining consistent self-care routines (Building Block #2) to trusting the incremental nature of healing (Building Block #3). 

What emerges is a philosophy both practical and profound: "These experiences don't define us, they refine us." Oshri's story demonstrates how creativity, persistence, and compassion can transform our deepest wounds into sources of meaning and connection. Whether you're navigating your own recovery journey or supporting someone else's, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on finding purpose through life's most challenging moments (Building Block #5). 

You can learn more about Oshri and his children's books at his website below!

https://www.butterflyonbooks.com

*heads up, my mic is a bit loud this time around, but the content is still gold!

*trigger warning we do talk about suicide

*AI was used to help with the episode title and description

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)