[spiritual_emergency]

A fellow sent me an email asking if I might help him share a book he has written. I haven't read it myself so I can't offer a personal opinion on it but I don't see the harm in sharing some background and a link where others can purchase the book if they wish to do so.

Service user, Jeff Malderez, has just published his first book, which is an e-book and, soon, a paperback. Not only is the book published by Chipmunka Publishing – one of the leading publishers of mental health related material in the world – it also deals with his struggles with his mental health, his emerging spirituality and empowerment.

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.

He wishes to publish The Canary, 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. Lastly, he also hopes to increase awareness of ‘spiritual emergencies’ and the whole field of transpersonal psychology and psychotherapy in general.

Jeff holds several qualifications in the field of mental health and has been working in adult mental health in Leeds for the past eight years. The book is, therefore, written from both sides of the field so-to-speak.

• A reviewer offers: Once in a while a book comes along that you pick up and begin reading completely unaware that the hardest thing you will have to do next in your life is put it back down. ‘The Canary’ is one such book. I could physically feel myself being pulled into its pages to share in Jeff’s journey. Jeff’s writing enabled me to know the characters, and himself in such depth that I wanted to read it in one go, but that would have been a VERY BIG mistake indeed! Why? Because I would have missed out on so much more.
  
  The Canary’ is disturbing yet warming, alarming yet full of hope, shocking yet touching…oh I could go on and on, but over all this is a book that needs to be read, that demands to be read. It is a book that I am convinced will pull you into its pages. But heed my warning, read it too quickly or only once at your own loss.
  
  As a parent, minister, friend and human being I am more aware, more understanding, more open minded and a great deal richer for experiencing ‘The Canary’.

For further information, to view Jeff's artwork or to purchase the e-book, please visit http://www.jjmalderez.com

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[spiritual_emergency]

I've invited Jeff to come and join us here when he can do so. I look forward to hearing a little more about his personal experience of psychosis, how he managed to successfully move through it, and how it impacts his professional and personal life now.

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[kaytibear]

It would be interesting to talk to him Thanks for sharing