The human psyche is a fragile thing, and yet there is an instinct built within us to persevere through even the most tragic, life-altering events. This Is Actually Happening delves deep into these stories, putting the focus on individuals who have gone through physical, mental, and psychological trauma, and their ongoing efforts to grapple with the impact it has left on their lives. It can get pretty intense at times, so be aware that some episodes of this podcast carry content warnings for some touchy subjects.
Though it is produced by Whit Missildine of the Permatemp Corporation, his presence in This Is Actually Happening is relatively minimal, only appearing to introduce the episode, plug sponsors, and sign off at the end. Aside from these minor intrusions, each episode dedicates its entire run time to letting its subject speak for themselves. While it is clear that there is an interviewer asking questions to prompt the subject along, these are seamlessly edited out so that each account sounds like an uninterrupted monologue.
It is important to remember that as these are true anecdotes, they don’t always come with neat, tied-up conclusions that the entertainment industry has conditioned us to expect. The interviewed subjects are often still in the midst of dealing with unresolved personal issues, and so the catharsis we expect at the end of a tension-fuelled story isn’t necessarily guaranteed. While its bleakness can make for a gruelling listen, this commitment to presenting these stories in their purest form without any attempts to sanitise the truth or make them more appealing is what This Is Actually Happening does so well. The problems we face don’t always have easy solutions, and the experiences we live through don’t always have natural endings.
In its early days the episodes were shorter and hovered around the 10 to 20 minute mark, but now over five years later the episodes are much more fleshed out and can run anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour. Although he is never heard during the interviews it is clear that Missildine has grown more comfortable over time interviewing his subjects, allowing them to open up on personal topics without fear of judgement. These longer run times don’t just make it easier for us to invest in the stories, but they also allow space for the subjects to divulge contextual information, process their emotions, and ease us into the more harrowing parts of their experiences.
Though the episodes often share similar themes such as mental illness, abuse, suicide, and childhood trauma, no two accounts are ever the same. Far too often in the media we hear of these stories either as part of a statistic or from an impassive news source, but This Is Actually Happening reveals the lives of the people at their centre. The podcast’s desire to understand and empathise with its subjects inspires us to do the same as listeners, and it does so in a manner that is respectful, reflective, and captivating.
You can listen to This Is Actually Happening on Soundcloud.
