Numb is a journey into my own very personal attempt to break free from my physical and psychological dependence on the popular antidepressant Paxil.

When I realized that I was approaching my 10th anniversary of taking the drug, I knew it was time for me to reassess what it meant to be me.  I was struggling to accept the way my emotions had become so blunted over the years.  I wasn’t sure if it was me, or if it was me on the drug – but I needed to find out.

In the beginning my plan was simple – stop taking it and see what happens.  Turned out that was a really bad idea!  After a quick search on the Internet, I realized it wasn’t going to be that easy – and that, in some cases, withdrawal from these drugs can be very difficult and even dangerous.  My first reaction was anger – I felt betrayed - no one told me ten years ago that I would have a problem stopping the drug or that there were risks involved.  I felt trapped.

I went into pre-production right away, calling experts and doctors, setting up interviews and scheduling travel.  Within a month, I was standing in my bathroom, cutting my first pill in half.  I had no idea where I was headed but I knew I needed to go there.