#58: Catching up with Emma Hames 🇬🇧

January 28th, 2026

In this episode: I catch up with benzo survivor, artist and filmmaker Emma Hames from the United Kingdom.

Emma is featured on episode 12 where she shared her brief story about being severely harmed by benzodiazepines. She also featured in episode 37 as we talked about working whilst being harmed. As I relistened to episode 12 I felt the importance to go more in depth into her journey concerning her symptoms and recovery and I reached out.

In episode 12 she speaks about the journey, which includes contracting a virus affecting her lung capacity, leading to a benzodiazepine prescription. In this episode, we pick up where Emma had abruptly stopped her benzodiazepine. Additionally we talk about her recovery process from the last recording almost three years ago until now, the effect of COVID on the benzoinjury, her documentary in the making: TOXSICK and more.

Find TOXSICK @: https://www.toxsick.org/

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:07) Cold turkey and symptoms

(00:10:45) Year 3 and 4 after

(00:15:50) Slowly getting better and diagnosis

(00:17:55) Sleep and COVID

(00:24:00) "The Oasis"

(00:31:02) Rebuilding a life, processing trauma and creativity

(00:44:17) Developments since 2023, TOXSICK, other documentaries

(00:51:25) Challenges making the documentary

(00:56:35) Putting passion in your project, saving others, advocacy

(01:02:45) Getting feedback from our bodies & impact

(01:05:40) Truth, western society and new take on life