A wellbeing and fitness instructor completing a year-long vow of silence has revealed his father’s paedophilia sent him into a lifetime spiral of shame and addiction.
Sean Houlihan, known artistically as Bear Intentions, made the announcement to his social media followers as part of a drive to help others like him reflect on the causes behind their struggles with mental health.
His father’s history as a sexual offender was, he claims, the catalyst behind personal battles with body dysmorphia, his sexuality and addiction to drugs and pornography.
The 31-year old, said: “I hated my dad for who he was and what he did. I was ashamed to be his son. I hated myself. I would feed into this self-loathing by punishing myself in the gym and attached my self-worth to my appearance.
“It wasn’t until I turned 29 that I saw the effect my mental health was having on my behaviour, repeatedly burning myself out and reinforcing this belief that I wasn’t man enough – not knowing what ‘enough’ meant or felt like.”
The fitness instructor claims his vow of silence highlights the need for society to listen more in managing mental health, and in the time spent supporting and listening to others.
He added: “I want to share so that people don’t have to suffer or punish themselves as I did, and hopefully empower others to begin listening to themselves.”
Houlihan’s vow of silence began in October 2021, and he aims to raise £100,000 for the Cambridgeshire-based creative mental health charity, PoetsIN.
Paul Chambers, COO and Co-Founder of PoetsIN, said: “We’re delighted that Bear has chosen our charity to receive the funds raised from his year-long challenge. If he reaches his target, we plan to use the donations to support approximately 1,000 individuals who might currently be struggling in silence to better understand and manage their mental health.”
Houlihan will follow his vow of silence with a further three years dedicated to raising funds for other charitable sectors.
