My new article is about the revolutionary work of John Weir Perry, the leading Jungian in the area of compassionate treatment of extreme states. I completed the follow-up research on his Diabasis House. It was a medication-free program for young adults going through extreme states/psychosis. We were close friends and colleagues for many years, until John’s death in 1998.
In this video introduced by good friend Will Hall, I share about being with people in extreme states for over 25,000 hours since 1980. There’s a brief experiential exercise at the end you could try, that helps caregivers be more compassionately present with people in extreme states and other emotional pain. The video is from the recent RD Laing gathering at Esalen Institute.
Michael
Hi All,
Here’s my brief new essay on 40 years of compassionately being with people in extreme states and other forms of emotional and spiritual suffering, without viewing or relating to them based on the pathologizing psychiatric disease model.
Michael
Hi All,
Here’s my article for the Journal of Humanistic Psychology Special Edition on Extreme States. In it, I draw on my personal experience of extreme states over 50 years ago, and also of attempting, as a caregiver, to compassionately be present with people in extreme states for almost 40 years.
Best wishes,
Michael
Hi All. Here’s my new article on the “anti-psychotic” drug Abilify, that can now automatically send signals to your doctor, family members and the courts, to show them when you comply and swallow the pill.
Michael
Hi All, I was moved to write this article after learning of the passing of a brave and loving comrade in the struggle against psychiatric oppression.
Michael
This talk was given at the recent R.D. Laing symposium at Asilomar. I shared my personal story of an encounter with extreme states, and talked about how compassionate loving support can bring hope and healing in even the most difficult experiences.
Hi All,
Peter and I had a wonderful, free-wheeling discussion on June 28, 2017, about helpful ways to be there for people in extreme states. We also talked about what I called “the medical curse” that is given by psychiatrists when they label and treat people via the psychiatric disease model dogma. I also shared about the upcoming special edition of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology that I’m editing on extreme states, that has original articles from writers like Peter Breggin, John Read, Yana Jacobs, Natalie Tobert, Bob Nikkel, Michael Eigen, Will Hall, Dina Tyler, Louisa Putnam, Kermit Cole, Ron Unger, Cardum Harmon, Michael Guy Thompson, David Lukoff, Chuck Knapp, Ilya Parizhsky, and myself. The special journal edition will be available online in a couple of weeks. It will be titled, “Humanistic Perspectives on Understanding and Responding to Extreme States.”
Best wishes,
Michael
A memory here from a few years ago when my friend Will Hall interviewed me about extreme states for his groundbreaking radio program, Madness Radio.
Michael
Hi All,
I’ll be leading this upcoming weekend workshop at Esalen Institute with my friend, Dr. David Lukoff, on January 27-29, 2017. Since 2011, I’ve organized and co-led six week-long or weekend workshops at Esalen, all aimed at a group exploration of expanding our understanding of extreme states, and the development of enhanced ways to compassionately respond to people in extreme states.
Best wishes,
Michael
Michael Cornwall, Ph.D. 