Introduction

Introduction

In this second part of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology Special Issue (JHP), Humanistic Perspectives on Understanding and Responding to Extreme States, there are 6 authors with lived experience of extreme states, bringing the total of authors in both volumes to have survived that profound initiation to 10.

As you read all the revolutionary articles here that challenge the orthodox psychiatric status quo, I hope you will consider how the early founders of the JHP might have valued seeing their humanistic experiment bear this fruit.

I’m grateful to the souls who survived both the stigmatizing burden of psychiatric labels, and the often injurious treatment, who have stepped forward here. I believe their sharing may serve as a form of 21st century leaven that may help sustain the JHP founders’ original bold and heart filled vision of a truly humanistic psychology. All the other superb authors bravely and with compassion stand with them.

My personal gratitude as Guest Editor to all the authors who accepted the invitation to share articles here. All are seeking to expand the humanistic understanding and response to those in extreme states.

As with Part 1 of this JHP Special Issue, all the authors responded in their own way to these two questions below that I posed to them in the invitation.

Many thanks to JHP Editor Sarah Kamens and all the Sage staff.

Michael W. Cornwall, PhD