Are psychotic experiences something that should simply be suppressed?  These experiences cause so many problems, it may seem that the answer should always be yes! But there’s a paradox when we try hard to get rid of psychotic experiences.  Our efforts to do so can quickly make the problem worse!  At its simplest level, we […] The post Why Suppressing Psychosis Often Backfires – And What Works Better! appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

When people report the extreme beliefs that are often labeled “delusions,” it can be difficult to know how to make sense of what is going on and what might be helpful. That’s why I took the time to review a new book on the subject, “Decoding Delusions: A Clinician’s Guide to Working with Delusions and […] The post Decoding “Delusions” – A Review of a New Book on Working with Extreme Beliefs appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

I often hear from family & friends of people with psychosis that they want to be helpful but don’t know how. So I put together a list of resources that might be helpful. One simple overview of how family and friends can help was put together by Mind in the UK. There are some free […] The post Roles for Family and Friends in Recovery from Psychosis appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

While it’s still common for people to be told that psychosis is a brain disorder that was not caused by anything anyone did to them, there is now an extensive body of research that indicates that traumatic experience can be a cause of psychosis, and the link between having multiple types of trauma and later […] The post Understanding the Role of Trauma in Psychosis appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

Traditionally, psychiatry has taken the position that “getting out of your mind” is a bad thing: they have made “normality” in thinking the standard for health, with experiences going outside of that being viewed as pathology. But more recently, there has been an interest in using psychedelic drugs within psychiatric practice.  That’s because traditional approaches […] The post Experiences That Blow Your Mind:  Are They Good, Bad, or Something Else? appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

I recently wrote a book review for “Relating to voices using compassion focused therapy: a self help companion” by Charlie Heriot-Maitland and Eleanor Longden. Here’s what I said: “A friend of mine who eventually recovered after spending many years in hospitals being treated for “schizophrenia” complained to me that all the professionals who treated him […] The post Maybe Some Compassion Would Help appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

If you’ve ever been tempted to think of hearing voices and of “psychosis” as just something medically going wrong with one’s brain, I can think of nothing better than a recently released video to convince you otherwise! In an awesome performance linked to below, Ren dramatizes a battle between himself and an apparently evil voice […] The post Beyond the Battle Between Good and Evil appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

We sometimes like to think that our minds work all as one whole – but parts of us may not agree with that! Even in everyday experience, we may notice conflicts within ourselves. Part of us wants to keep working, while another part thinks we have done enough for today. Part of us wants to […] The post When Not All of Us Agrees: What Role Do “Parts” Play in Psychosis? appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

Support in returning to school or employment after any kind of mental health challenge can be a key piece in helping people regain control of their life and avoiding a lifetime of disability, inactivity, and stigma.  And such support can be very effective: over 2 dozen studies show that most people even with diagnoses like […] The post Supporting Employment & Education Goals Even When People Have “Psychotic” Experiences appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more

When deciding how to organize treatment for “psychosis” we face a crucial question.  Should we defer to mainstream views and assume that “psychotic” experiences must be part of an illness?  Or should we stay open to the possibility that the confusion and distress we witness may be resulting, not from something wrong with the brain, […] The post An Illness, or Risky Experimentation? appeared first on Recovery from "Schizophrenia" and other "Psychotic Disorders ..read more