I held off reading Man's Search for Meaning for a long time because it seemed...I don't know...obvious? A pretty ignorant belief, I think. I also (unfairly) thought I would get little from this psychologist's experience surviving a death camp. Ex. "How could that possibly relate to my life?" Finally read it last year. It's moving and his idea of logotherapy is fascinating. He does a good job at zooming out from his personal experiences and connecting them to well-articulated theories about psychology, mental and spiritual breaking points, and the human will. Valuable book and worth a read. I don't know what sort of crisis you're going through but William Styron's Darkness Visible is very good as well. A short exploration of depression and suicide. Extremely lucid reflections on his personal mental break, as well as on psychiatry and the cultural understanding of depression and mental health. My sister read it when she was in the psych ward for an extended time and subsequently recommended it to me. It's a deep read, but we both found it comforting and strangely hopeful. Wishing you the best on your end. Hopefully things will turn around soon.

The Holy Bible /thread No but for real if this isn't a shitpost please go get proper care from a mental health professional

pseudointellectual

2 months ago

Also very funny that the previous post from this user was talking about jumping into philosophy

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foonami

2 months ago

gay and tarded i have moments of pure agonizing misery like the rest of us.

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Ice--Anna Kavan, The Hearing Trumpet--Leonara Carrington

You could lose yourself in the Book of Disquiet

I am a psychotherapist, we can chat briefly on discord and I can give you general advice. Tag @Denion

If losing one's mind to misery, rather than generalised delusion, Sartre's Nausea is fairly suitable. Additionally, just from a brief scan of the public lists, these may be appropriate depending on the condition: https://www.lit.salon/lists/cluelessinseattle/j3wJcGr0da6sMPBWmuse/schizoposting (particularly the fiction) https://www.lit.salon/lists/raybradbruh/cwQK0xZrXvl8PHDg9Aav/they%E2%80%99re%20just%20like%20me%20fr https://www.lit.salon/lists/cropdustderecho/NqH7dJGkRoHlKta93YTn/You'll%20see%20their%20bones%20not%20separate%20yet%20from%20death https://www.lit.salon/lists/shawcrit/JHYpFiQM3mi4UlM0IpGt/Unhinged%20Women%20 https://www.lit.salon/lists/aliens/QyoiXqfBkJdG5KSxOO7g/Summer%20of%20agony https://www.lit.salon/lists/halincandenza/rumx8uoXgkPdw7H70LYs/Yes%20I'm%20paranoid...%20but%20am%20I%20paranoid%20enough%3F%20

melancholica

2 months ago

just realised i've assumed you want your condition reflected or heightened in your reading material - if trying to be better, i'd recommend anything grounding - cookbooks, gardening, bushcraft, light-hearted travelogues anchored in reality. spiritual clarity isn't my strong suit, but i've found bell hooks and pema chodron (specifically in When Things Fall Apart) to have some (albeit fairly limited) assistance in clarifying existential angst.

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Salinger is always reliable in a crisis