MOVIE

FindCenter AddIcon

Crazywise

2016

What can we learn from those who have turned their psychological crisis into a positive transformative experience? During a quarter-century documenting indigenous cultures, human-rights photographer and filmmaker Phil Borges often saw these cultures identify "psychotic" symptoms as an indicator of shamanic potential. He was intrigued by how differently psychosis is defined and treated in the West. Through interviews with renowned mental health professionals including Gabor Mate, MD, Robert Whitaker, and Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD, Phil explores the growing severity of the mental health crisis in America dominated by biomedical psychiatry. He discovers a growing movement of professionals and psychiatric survivors who demand alternative treatments that focus on recovery, nurturing social connections, and finding meaning. CRAZYWISE follows two young Americans diagnosed with "mental illness." Adam, 27, suffers devastating side effects from medications before embracing meditation in hopes of recovery. Ekhaya, 32, survives childhood molestation and several suicide attempts before spiritual training to become a traditional South African healer gives her suffering meaning and brings a deeper purpose to her life. CRAZYWISE doesn't aim to over-romanticize indigenous wisdom, or completely condemn Western treatment. Not every indigenous person who has a crisis becomes a shaman. And many individuals benefit from Western medications. However, indigenous peoples' acceptance of non-ordinary states of consciousness, along with rituals and metaphors that form deep connections to nature, to each other, and to ancestors, is something we can learn from. CRAZYWISE adds a voice to the growing conversation that believes a psychological crisis can be an opportunity for growth and potentially transformational, not a disease without a cure.

82 min

FindCenter Video Image

The Beauty in Mental Illness

Look more closely and you’ll see.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image

Male Depression and Anxiety in Athletes

Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, has acknowledged that after the 2012 games, his longtime depression was so overwhelming he thought about killing himself.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image

Experimental Treatments Changed the Course of the AIDS Epidemic; We Need the Same Approach to Mental Illness Today | Commentary

Demand from patients seeking help for their mental illnesses has led to underground use in a way that parallels black markets in the AIDS pandemic. This underground use has been most perilous for people of color, who face greater stigma and legal risks due to the War on Drugs.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image

What Ails Us

Most genetic studies completely ignore the science of epigenetics, which is how the environment actually turns certain genes on or off.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image
17:58

Challenges and Rewards of a Culturally Informed Approach to Mental Health - Jessica Dere - TEDxUTSC

Dr. Jessica Dere explains how culture makes a difference when thinking about mental health and mental illness. Across mental health research, clinical care and teaching, there are profound rewards to be had by truly understanding individuals in context.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image

The Jeweled Path: The Biography of the Diamond Approach to Inner Realization

An intimate account of the development of a spiritual tradition and a biography of its creators—told by one of the Diamond Approach cofounders. The Jeweled Path invites you to enter into the story of how the modern spiritual path of the Diamond Approach emerged.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image
33:47

Dealing With Depression, Mental Health

I’ve never openly talked about or shared my experience with depression, but I’ve been feeling lately that I should share with you guys my experience in the hopes that I can help someone out there dealing with it.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine

In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of its publication, a newly reissued edition of the bestselling author’s classic work of feminine spiritual discovery, with a new introduction by the author. For years, Sue Monk Kidd was a conventionally religious woman.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image

Emotion Coaching: Helping Kids Cope with Negative Feelings

Emotion coaching is the practice of talking with children about their feelings, and offering kids strategies for coping with emotionally difficult situations. The goal is to empathize, reassure, and teach. Does it make a difference? Yes.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Video Image

The Psychotropic Mind: The World according to Ayahuasca, Iboga, and Shamanism

In the Amazon, shamans do not talk in terms of hallucinogens but of tools for communicating with other life-forms. Ayahuasca, for example, is first and foremost a means of breaking down the barrier that separates humans from other species, allowing us to communicate with them.

FindCenter AddIcon

EXPLORE TOPIC

Depression