In this book, first-person accounts are brought centre stage and examined alongside current research to suggest how service user experience can contribute to professional understanding and therefore the treatment of psychosis.
"This is one of the most exciting, novel and important books I have read in a long time. It is ground-breaking and unique through the way it combines first-person accounts of, and reflections on psychosis with professional accounts, theory and research." - Anne Cooke, Department of Applied Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK
"Congratulations to Jim Geekie and all the contributors to this very important and powerful document about understanding and treating people with serious mental illness. This book reminds us that we must recognize the personhood of every patient and try to understand the personal meaning of experiences such as hallucinations and delusions." -Dr Paul Fink, Past President, American Psychiatric Association
"Experiencing Psychosis is a real eye opener when it comes to understanding psychosis from the personal perspectives of those who experience it. The book combines personal narratives, professional accounts, theory and research in a clear and coherent way. It takes the reader on a journey through the extraordinary human experience of what the medical model calls psychosis, and helps us to appreciate that in order to understand the symptoms of mental illness, it is not enough to just describe them but it is crucial to consider the personal, social, cultural and spiritual contexts in which the psychotic experiences take place." - Maria Tiina Lindholm-Ventola, Private Practice, Winter 2011
"This was an enlightening and inspiring read. I finished the book thinking that not enough emphasis is placed on the lived experience within our understanding of psychosis. This would be a useful introduction text for those wanting to develop an understanding of the psychotic experience regardless of professional modality. The perspectives of this would be of particular relevance to mental health professionals in training as well as those who have lost sight of the individual's voice in their practice." - Ciaran O'Driscoll, Journal of Mental Health (Vol. 22, No. 3)
"Experiencing Psychosis challenges... attitudes by citing a wealth of overlooked by compelling evidence. It allows patients who have experienced psychosis to speak for themselves, educating us about the subjective realities of their symptoms and their beliefs about the causes of these, and spelling out what has been helpful in their recovery and what has not been. These patients constitute roughly half the book's authors; the other half are professionals who write companion research chapters." - Richard Waugaman, Psychoanalytic Quarterly (2013)
