The Canary

Description

The Canary tells the story of a young man experiencing psychosis and his journey back to consensual reality and hope. It is written in an engaging style and can make you laugh, wince, or cry - sometimes on the same page. Jeff Malderez gives us a vivid picture of how it feels to go through what he now thinks of as a 'spiritual emergency'. Jeff's story identifies aspects of the environment which might precipitate sensitive souls, like the miners' canaries, to suffer such emergencies/crises. He concludes with messages to fellow 'canaries', those involved in the care of people in psychosis, and young people who could be creating an environment for themselves in which such crises might occur.

About the Author

Jeff Malderez was born in 1978 and, after having lived abroad most of his life, went to university in 1997 to study psychology. In 2000, he started experiencing severe panic attacks and the onset of acute psychosis. This journey took him through many mystical and spiritual adventures throughout the city where he lived and, more importantly, in his mind and being. Not only does Jeff have a BSc in psychology and two post graduate certificates: one in mental health art group facilitation and another in psychological therapies, but he has also worked in the adult mental health field in England for the past eight years.

He wishes to publish this book, his first publication, for the benefit of others undergoing similar experiences and help them reframe their experiences into a more helpful and ultimately, he hopes, a more meaningful framework. Appealing not only to this group of people but also to academics, professionals and the wider public, he hopes that this book can help de-stigmatise the nature of psychosis and help to dispel some of the myths surrounding it.