Isabel Clarke
Psychosis and Spirituality: Consolidating the New Paradigm, 2nd Edition
The Second Edition of Psychosis and Spirituality — now 'Consolidating the New Paradigm' — is essentially a new book
With 5 chapters by new authors (including David Lukoff and Les Lancaster) and 6 of the chapters by continuing authors completely rewritten, this new edition brings the area right up to date and covers the explosion of new research, qualitative as well as quantitative, and exciting clinical developments. Now available for pre-ordering on Wiley's lists — publication hopefully late September 2010.
‘Spirituality is the key strand that unites the great variety of cultural
understandings of psychosis with recovery. This text contains contributions from
leading authorities in the field; it points towards a more complete human approach
to psychosis, and challenges long-held assumptions about the nature of human experience.
It should be read by all mental health practitioners and students, and will be
of interest to academics in theology, anthropology and philosophy, as well as
service users and carers.’
—Professor Philip Thomas, University of Bradford, UK
The new edition of this successful text builds on the very latest research to present a unique exploration of the psychology of both spirituality and psychosis. The editor brings together fascinating perspectives from a broad range of distinguished contributors, including Peter Fenwick and Gordon Claridge, to develop and support the link between these two areas of human experience. This text offers a fundamental rethinking of the interface between psychosis and spirituality, proposing new and original insights.
Since the publication of the first edition, there has been an increased momentum to this field, which in turn has enabled a more hopeful and less stigmatizing perspective on psychosis. The second edition reflects the most recent body of qualitative and quantitative research, and the latest clinical initiatives. This has led to the addition of ten new chapters, and an expanded clinical section, which will be highly relevant to clinicians working with psychosis.
This new perspective will be important for those with a professional interest in both psychosis and spirituality, such as therapists and priests, in addition to those seeking a well-grounded framework for their own personal explorations in this area.
Madness, Mystery and the Survival of God
- Why do people still believe in God and the supernatural in a scientific age?
- How come madness and mysticism are so similar?
- What can we learn from this?
- Psychological science offers an intriguing new perspective on these questions: one that relates the great challenges that face us, whether of ecology or fanaticism, to our basic limits as human beings.
- It is a perspective that places human beings in the context of relationship with a larger and ever mysterious whole.
Do read it!
You can order it from the library or from your local bookshop; get a copy through the GreenSpirit book service or from Housmans radical book service).
Let me know what you think!
If you have a local group interested in spiritual, therapy, mental health or
related topics that would like a talk on it – do get in touch with
me.
Ongoing workshops
Workshop:
CBT for inpatient and crisis settings; a newly developed CBT approach to enable the individual to make sense of crisis, and enhance the milieu.
Isabel Clarke and Dr. Hannah Wilson/Dr. Donna Rutherford
This highly interactive day workshop brings to life the approach to inpatient and crisis work featured in our book: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Acute Inpatient Mental Health Units; working with clients, staff and the milieu. We delivered it as < span lang="EN-US">part of the the Pre Conference Workshop programme at the Edinburgh BABCP Conference in 2008.
We have been invited to repeat it at different venues.
Past talks, Conferences and Publications.
Continuing the Journey 2010
Psst!... Look who’s talking…
The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Alfreton, Derbyshire : 3rd – 7th May 2010
Programme and booking form About Continuing the Journey
First Conference on Health, Mental Health and Exceptional Human Experiences, Monday 7th September, 2009
At this conference, hosted by Liverpool Hope University
I gave a talk, title:
"Transformative and/or destructive: Exceptional experiences from the
clinical perspective".
More details Powerpoint
Confer 'Landscapes of the Mind Conference' 25th–27th September at the Eden Project, Cornwall
I gave the following talk: "What we do to the Earth, we do to Ourselves"
The ecological crisis is a crisis of relationship. Our abusive relationship with the earth, threatening the future of our species, also distorts us, causing pain, which we dull by addictions that fuel reckless consumption. Accepting and understanding that we are caught between self consciousness and embededness in relationship opens our capacity to expand in love not cut off in addiction.
Recent publications.
Isabel Clarke, What we do to the Earth, we do to Ourselves Journal of Holistic Healthcare, 6 19-22, (2009)
Isabel Clarke, Madness,
Mystery and the Survival of God, O Books, 2008
Clarke, I. & Wilson, H.Eds. Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy for Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Units; working with clients,
staff and the milieu. London: Routledge.