A challenge to conventional psychiatry with a powerful, case-based vision of mental health rooted in spirituality, ritual, and authentic human connection
Based on field notes from his own experience as a mental health support worker, David Stokes reveals his unique approach to working with those with mental illness that involves seeking opportunities that connect the spirit to the wider world, whether that be through magic, ritual, or religious spirituality.
Written in a personal and poignant prose, Stokes' writing highlights the grim realities of everyday life, especially for those suffering with mental illness and trapped within the confines of mental health services. Stokes argues that the mental health of those suffering comes not from a chemical imbalance in their brain, as pertained by traditional psychiatry, but rather from a lack of spiritual connection to the wider world.
Stokes' approach, and the treatments outlined in A Masquerade at the Crossroads of Good and Evil, focuses on encouraging patients to seek opportunities for genuine engagement with a wider sense of reality, whether that be through esotericism, magical ritual, spirituality, and more.
While a gestalt approach is central to the arguments presented in A Masquerade at the Crossroads of Good and Evil, the book also draws from a wide range of other disciplines, such as Jungian theory, esoteric Christianity, consciousness studies, and pagan/folk tradition, ultimately proving that the emphasis of the holistic, spiritual approach in psychotherapy, should be one that finds the authentic voice of the individual suffering.
Rich with evidence and experience from real-life case studies, A Masquerade at the Crossroads of Good and Evil will be an intriguing, stimulating, and thought-provoking read for anyone involved in or interested in working with mental illness.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-80152-215-1 (9781801522151)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
David Stokes has worked in a variety of roles in London's mental health and addiction services for two decades, focusing on the creative and personal development of his clients. Over the past several years he's worked in a residential scenario specialising in the care and support of adults with a primary diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.
He is an experienced counsellor (Gestalt/addictions) and a playwright and director active on the London Fringe theatre scene. Often his plays include mental health and existentialist themes.This year he'll be stepping back from frontline mental health work to concentrate more on facilitating drama groups for those with long-term and acute psychiatric diagnoses.
