#31: Psychosis and Spirituality with Isabel Clarke

In this episode I’m joined by Isabel Clarke, a consultant clinical psychologist with 25 years experience in both inpatient and outpatient care for the NHS. In addition to her clinical work, she supports people experiencing spiritual emergency and extreme states through the Spiritual Crisis Network. Her books include Meeting Mental Breakdown Mindfully, Madness, Mystery and the Survival of God, and, the main talking point, Psychosis and Spirituality.

We explore the similarities between mystical experience and mental breakdown, how the brain filter’s reality, the fluidity of the self, the mythical nature of transliminal dimensions, the transformative potential of psychosis, why boundaries are essential when accessing non-dual states, and what supports people in crisis, on a personal and institutional level.

MindThatEgo’s ethos is an expansive approach to mental illness, and it was inspiring to talk to Isabel, who not only honours this paradigm, but is having a huge influence on translating that insight into therapeutic care, challenging restrictive models, and placing emphasis on the human experience.

Resources and References:

• IsabelClarke.org
• Article: ‘Psychosis and Spirituality: the journey of an idea’
• Books