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Psychosis I was talking to someone who suffered from schizophrenia. He took drugs to keep the voices that tormented him at bay. I asked him about his voices. He said one of the voices claimed to be God and set him tasks to do. He did the tasks but the voice continued to torment him. Despite claiming to be God the voice was unable to tell him anything he didn't otherwise know. Why, I asked him, did he listen to the voice? If I claimed to be God I was sure he wouldn't believe me. Why, then, did he believe this voice? I read an article on a woman who suffered from bouts of extreme tiredness and skin rashes. She went from doctor to doctor who were unable to help her. Eventually doctors simply said the symptoms were psychosomatic, that is that, she brought them on herself through being insane. Eventually, a friend recommended a naturopath. Because she was by then prepared to accept any advice she went. The naturopath examined her and diagnosed allergies and told her to avoid certain foods. She did and her problems disappeared. What was particularly interesting is that she commented on the relief she felt on finding that her problems were not imaginary. She wasn't mad. On the other hand, the person who reports voices and goes to the doctor is told that they are mad. There is, in one sense, no such thing as mental illness, there is only a different perception of the world and how the individual relates to this perception. If the person is at ease with the perception there is no problem. In fact, this altered, or untypical, perception may be advantageous. Many artists, for example, Van Gogh, have an altered perception. Even some scientists and engineers have an untypical perception and this can help in producing lateral solutions to problems. If an inner voice gives a solution or a different perspective on a situation then this would be useful. Often psychosis is associated with high energy levels. In the paintings of Van Gogh the images have strong energy patterns. In his painting of the Cornfields, the energy lines are prominent. It’s no coincidence that Van Gogh suffered from severe mental illness. The problem is that in Western culture inner voices are considered a symptom (or even a definition) of madness so when this comes to the attention of a conventionally-trained medical practitioner, schizophrenia is diagnosed. Because people are not trained to understand the inner voices the individual usually has no alternative but to take the advice of the doctor. In some instances people can be detained even against their will if they are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. The ‘treatment’ is, in most cases, drugs or Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT). Primarily, though not only, used to treat depression, this consists of passing an electric current through the brain. Despite assurances that this is only performed with a patient’s consent, in the UK 25% of patients are detained compulsory and of these over 50% are treated without their consent. Doctors do not know how ECT appears to work for depression. They are do not really know what it does. In fact, ECT dissipates the body's energy field. Everything is reduced in intensity. The intensity that someone such as Van Gogh experienced, is reduced. The key is to understand the altered perception. Someone who is afflicted with the symptoms of schizophrenia should attempt to maintain a degree of rationality to the situation.