A Soft Place to Land with Frances Southwick, DO

What if falling in love meant literally falling down?

In this week’s episode of The Nocturnists, physician and writer Francis Southwick shares a story that begins in rural Colorado with unexplained episodes of paralysis. First performed live in Nevada City, this episode is about what it’s like to live inside a body that responds to emotion in unexpected ways, and how a late diagnosis can reframe an entire life.

Frances originally told this story at “Medicine Story,” a Nocturnists Satellites event hosted by Dr. Rebecca George of Sierra Valley Family Health in Nevada City in 2025, made possible by a generous grant from the California Health Care Foundation.

Enjoy,

Emily and The Nocturnists Team

Favorite moments from this week’s episode

Love and Collapse“I was holding my notebooks to my chest, about to tell her how I felt, when suddenly I felt weak—not a little weak, but colossally weak. My notebooks tumbled to the floor, and then I did too. I couldn’t move my fingers, my legs, not even my eyes. Annie was holding my hand, asking if I was okay, and I couldn’t answer.”

The Beautiful Things“For most people with cataplexy, the strongest triggers are strong emotions. But for me, the strongest triggers are the beautiful things in life—children laughing, earnest love, and maybe telling a bunch of strangers the most tender moments of my life.”

Diagnosis as Narrative Rupture“Learning about narcolepsy forced me to reexamine my whole life retroactively. Being queer, processing trauma, understanding my gender, and then finally understanding this diagnosis—each stage reshaped the story I’d been telling myself. I love doing it, but it’s also tragic, because I see how much suffering might have been avoided.”

Writing a Rule Book for Survival“Cataplexy isn’t in BLS or ACLS training, so I wrote my own rule book. We travel with a transport chair. I wear a Medic Alert necklace. I’ve taught my coworkers what to do when it happens. Living with this means planning constantly—but it also means staying alive.”

Medicine After Falling“I’ve helped diagnose patients with narcolepsy now, and I have deep empathy for people with neurological conditions—locked-in syndrome, brain injury, autism. There’s a kind of physical empathy that comes from having lived inside a nervous system that doesn’t behave the way it’s supposed to. In that way, it’s been a gift.”

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