The Seduction of Madness: Revolutionary Insights into the World of Psychosis and a Compassionate Approach to Recovery at Home [Paperback]

Edward M., M.D. Podvoll (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this intriguing book, Podvoll postulates that "everyone has the capacity to recover from psychosis." Drawing on the writings of articulate individuals who recorded their psychotic experiences, he vividly re-creates bizarre behavior and thought patterns: visions, feelings of empowerment, sense of mastery (or subjugation) to an external order, enhanced spirituality, and exhilaration. To capitalize on the psychotic's "islands of clarity," he proposes designing a therapeutic home environment staffed by a team offering an integrated program of family support and psychotherapy, with spiritual overtones of Buddhism and Native American religions. While his ideas are impractical for wide-scale implementation, he succeeds in arousing interest in evaluating the mode, or indeed outmoded model, of current psychiatric care.
- Carol R. Glatt, Northeastern Hosp. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Perennial (August 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060921188
• ISBN-13: 978-0060921187
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a book of sanity, November 11, 2000

By 

Mirapeerance (Charlottesville, VA and Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seduction of Madness: Revolutionary Insights into the World of Psychosis and a Compassionate Approach to Recovery at Home (Paperback)

I do not have this book in hand to write this review. In fact I have been trying to locate a copy for nigh on a year. So I speak from memory. The seduction of madness chronicles the exertions required to go mad and the treacherous rewards of following the invitation and the compulsions which make it possible. It illuminates the link with spiritual seeking and genuine mystical experience. It is neither a romanticization of madness nor a disempowering judgement of those who may have emerged from the dread territory with experiences they consider to be of lasting value. Podvoll begins with accounts of "meaningful" madness, using the accounts of those who have been through it to shed light on survival techniques both during and after such episodes. He goes on to give a pioneering model for accompanying those afflicted by psychosis, back into 'normal' life, by emphasizing 'islands of clarity,' periods, however brief, where basic sanity shines through and, if acknowledged, can develop and be shared. This book should be required reading for all aspiring psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, as well a those who suffer psychosis and those who are near to them. It is a stunning and compassionate book whose value will be unmistakeable to all who seek the true unfolding of human potential.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a book about pain, February 11, 2007

By 

simon knight (melbourne) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seduction of Madness: Revolutionary Insights into the World of Psychosis and a Compassionate Approach to Recovery at Home (Paperback)

This book helped me a lot when i was really struggling. It was good to hear the accounts of others who had experienced conditions like my own and who had made the decision to confuse the heights of madness with enlightenment.
The book outlines many experiences that you can relate to if you've been psychotic or borderline, the mental hurricane and the helplessness inside ..