Poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths On Love, Tragedy & ‘Survivor Mode’

Writer Rachel Eliza Griffiths discusses her new memoir, *The Flower Bearers*, focusing on trauma, mental health, and resilience. Griffiths recounts her wedding day, marked by joy and the sudden death of her close friend, which triggered her dissociative identity disorder. She details her experience with DID, including the emergence of alter egos as a coping mechanism. The conversation shifts to the attack on her husband, Salman Rushdie, and her role as his caregiver during his recovery, and how their bond deepened despite the trauma. Griffiths also shares a past mental health crisis where a call for help led to a traumatic encounter with law enforcement, highlighting systemic issues in mental health responses.