Chapter 1 Introduction

In the context of spirituality and mental illness, one sometimes hears the following biblical story about a man possessed by demons:

Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" - for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man (for many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds). (Luke 8:26-8, NRSV)

According to the biblical story, Jesus sent the demons into a herd of swine, which proceeded to rush down the steep bank and drown. The man who received the exorcism was told to go home and proclaim what God had done for him. Reflecting on this example, most people in the Western world no longer attribute mental illness to demons as did the writer of the gospel of Luke. The interpretation of "religious insanity" - once used diagnostically in the psychiatric profession - is no longer a valid classification. Yet in many cases the baby has been thrown out with the bath water, I believe, and spiritual and religious resources that could be used in the service of healing have either been ignored or discarded.

This book concerns how creativity and spirituality can work as allies in the process of recovery from mental illness. The crux of the book is that both are inherent in the human psyche and, because of this, that individuals possess the inner resources to facilitate or augment their own recovery, resources that often need coaxing. This does not obviate the need for pharmacological treatment - medication is often essential. But medication is not the whole answer - and, once stabilized on medication, what next? How can one continue to move forward in the recovery process? Imagination, I suggest, is a powerful and highly underutilized aspect of psychic functioning, and the book aims to emphasize the integral connections between imagination, creativity, and spirituality and their role in healing. Since the field of psychiatry largely utilizes a medical model for treatment, the healing potential found in creative and spiritual expression frequently is overlooked. This book encourages individuals to listen to the wisdom of their own internal resources.