My Redemption Journey

In this collection of poetry, individuals living with mental illness write in an intimate, evocative and vivid style their longing for acceptance, respect and recovery. For the mentally ill, writing poetically by using imagery, figurative language, symbolism and metaphor is a safe passage to capture hope, redemption and and purpose. Individuals living with disorders on the Schizophrenia Spectrum and Bipolar Disorder are a vessel of truth and writing poetically transforms that truth in a way that makes it amenable to healing. What is dormant and shameful to disclose is awakened, and it energizes one to act in some way to heal and defeat ongoing devaluation, loneliness, stigmatization and alienation. In the end, it is hope that gives life meaning and sustains faith for the good life. Without hope, one lives in despair and futility. The evocative nature of poetry transforms silence, alienation and insignificance to sound. The written word, the poem, is shared so others can understand and empathize with the mentally ill to abolish alienation, stigma and to welcome integration. The healthy mind will invariably understand the depth of suffering of the mentally ill and through empathy, the ability to take the role of the other, become more compassionate toward the mentally ill. Although each of the poets in this book lives a mental illness, they are unique in how they creatively express their thoughts.