In spite of conventional wisdom that psychotic disorders from schizophrenia to manic depression cannot be cured, the author has shown that even the most disturbed mind can be taught to recognize and nurture "islands of clarity". Morever the author argues that by using your own basic sanity and intelligence, home can be the best place for recovery. Dr Podvoll takes the reader inside the psychotic experience as he illuminates the tremendous energy, insight, intelligence and creativity that are a part of madness. He then shows how intimate relationships, formed with the patient, can provide the energy catalyst for recovery. This book provides a reconsideration of the psychotic mind and its never-lost capacity for self-recovery and is designed for patients, families, friends and physicians.