“A journey through a psychotic breakdown” shatters taboos about coping with mental illness

Written in first-person, ‘A journey through a psychotic breakdown’ by Douglas Gonçalves, tells the moving account of the executive when he faced a psychotic episode that made him a spectator of his own fate and changed his life forever.

São Paulo, December 2022 – In 2004, Douglas Gonçalves, a 34-year-old hotelier from São Paulo, embarked on a personal journey after having a psychotic episode. He now faces the transformations he experienced, shedding light on his memories, his past, his traumas, and untying the plots of destiny.

The book is a memoir about his experience of having a psychotic episode. It is divided into three parts: the first part describes the onset of his psychosis, the second part describes his time in a psychiatric hospital, and the third part describes his recovery, the narrative culminates in the treatments for the disease, through an engaging and dynamic reading free of prejudice.

Throughout the book, Gonçalves writes honestly and openly about his experiences. He does not shy away from describing the difficult and painful aspects of his psychosis, but he also writes about the hope and healing that he found through treatment. The author’s account provokes reflections on the current causes that trigger this disease and demystify the issue. According to medical statistics, one in four people will have mental health problems throughout their lives, which will greatly affect their personal, professional, and social existence.

Spirituality and Health

In the author’s opinion, the narrative aims at warning people who are prone to develop psychotic episodes, and helping families to quickly identify them. It also wishes to alert doctors to a more patient-centred treatment approach: an associative diffusion between spirituality and health, which refers to the relevance of spirituality in the treatment of mental illnesses.

Ancestry and affection

The narrative was written as a journal, in a simple and direct, sometimes humorous style. It highlights challenging moments, as the dramatic experience lived by the author in New York during the September 11 attacks; marriage concerns; familiar conflicts; and professional dilemmas, all leading to the breakdown. Gonçalves offers the reader a moving analysis, so much so in the post-pandemic world.

“When we face crucial situations and repeatedly disrespect the limits of our body, the brain finds ways to “turn us off” through the self-preservation instinct”, the author examines. And he adds: “The journey is individual but enriching. The search for understanding the deeper psychological causes, change in habits, spiritual re-education, acknowledging that nothing happens by chance: these were fundamental factors to reinstate the balance of the biological, psychological and energetic bodies”, he concludes.

“A Journey Through a Psychotic Breakdown”
Honest and raw: The author’s account of his psychotic breakdown is honest and raw, and it provides a unique and personal perspective on mental illness.
Empowering: The author’s journey to recovery is empowering, and it shows that it is possible to overcome mental illness and live a full and meaningful life.
Educating: The book is also educating, and it provides readers with a better understanding of what it is like to experience a psychotic breakdown.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Espaço SER, an ecumenical non-governmental organization, who assists people under emotional distress, personality disorders, depression, chronic anxiety, or other syndrome with self-destructive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Offers Complementary Integrative Practices based on the Ottawa Charter – WHO as a complementary treatment to the psychological and psychiatric ones.

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