Overview

The psychotic break occurred when I was in the vulnerable twenties, for me, a naive time of adventure and risks; and I was devastated. Only later was I to learn that psychotic episodes and hallucinations may have real-world significance. My own experience told me this but the view of scientific psychiatry that was drummed into me by family, counselors, doctors, etc., made me doubt. Yet, I knew something momentous had happened, and I wanted to know what and what it meant for my life. The search took me to the library--the public library, the university library, the health sciences library--and there I found books that, some of them, told a different story. There, I was to learn that the mind is more than the workings of the material brain. I was to find that mental illness, including psychotic episodes, can be a means of personal transformation and may have spiritual significance.

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9781725261969

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Reviews

"""In her writings, the author describes the painful existential crisis--loss of meaning and purpose--resulting from serious mental illness, her own. But she tells us what was lost may be found; the dying may be reborn into God's kingdom. Her experience and reflections inspire and point the way for those so afflicted."" --Russell Noyes, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa ""Marcia's gift for writing allows her to share her experiences and wisdom in a way that brings better understanding of the struggles, joys, and needs of those living with mental illness. This book has the power to open the hearts and minds of readers, enabling communities to more effectively welcome and include this vulnerable group."" --Cecilia Norris, Medical Director, Iowa City Free Medical & Dental Clinic"

In her writings, the author describes the painful existential crisis--loss of meaning and purpose--resulting from serious mental illness, her own. But she tells us what was lost may be found; the dying may be reborn into God's kingdom. Her experience and reflections inspire and point the way for those so afflicted. --Russell Noyes, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Marcia's gift for writing allows her to share her experiences and wisdom in a way that brings better understanding of the struggles, joys, and needs of those living with mental illness. This book has the power to open the hearts and minds of readers, enabling communities to more effectively welcome and include this vulnerable group. --Cecilia Norris, Medical Director, Iowa City Free Medical & Dental Clinic

In her writings, the author describes the painful existential crisis--loss of meaning and purpose--resulting from serious mental illness, her own. But she tells us what was lost may be found; the dying may be reborn into God's kingdom. Her experience and reflections inspire and point the way for those so afflicted. --Russell Noyes, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Marcia's gift for writing allows her to share her experiences and wisdom in a way that brings better understanding of the struggles, joys, and needs of those living with mental illness. This book has the power to open the hearts and minds of readers, enabling communities to more effectively welcome and include this vulnerable group. --Cecilia Norris, Medical Director, Iowa City Free Medical & Dental Clinic

Author Information

Marcia A. Murphy has published articles, essays, and works of creative nonfiction in professional psychiatric journals, anthologies, and newspapers. She is the author of Voices in the Rain: Meaning in Psychosis, a memoir (2010), and To Loose the Bonds of Injustice: The Plight of the Mentally Ill and What the Church Can Do (2018). Her website: www.hopeforrecovery.com.

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