Ep 18 - Isabel Clarke - Between Madness and Mystery: Psychosis, Spirituality & the Transliminal Mind

In this episode, I sit down with clinical psychologist and author Isabel Clarke to explore the deep waters where psychosis, mysticism, and spirituality meet. Drawing from her influential book Madness, Mystery and the Survival of God, Isabel invites us to reconsider what it means to be “mad” in a world that has lost touch with the numinous.⏱️ Episode Timestamps 00:00 Intro02:20 Isabel’s journey into spirituality and psychosis07:00 Mystical experiences and psychosis08:20 The transliminal and schizotypy11:00 Getting stuck in the transliminal12:30 Barriers to integrating transliminal experience15:00 Brain architecture and the numinous20:30 Understanding delusions in psychosis22:00 Does psychosis have a reality function?26:00 Pathology vs spirituality33:00 Acknowledging delusional beliefs40:00 The “Both–and” of spirituality and psychosis42:00 Cultural neurosis and disenchantment44:30 The Spiritual Crisis Network49:00 Medicine and the mystical56:00 Comprehend, Copy, and Connect01:02 Where to find Isabel Clarke Where to find Isabel Clarkehttps://www.isabelclarke.org/Instagram / Tik Tok : @ Conversationsfortheend