Sarah Kamens is a clinical psychologist and interdisciplinary researcher whose work focuses on the phenomenology of emotional distress, including the distress that results from structural disparities and psychosocial mar-ginalization. Alongside her colleagues in the Society for Humanistic Society, Dr. Kamens explores possibilities for diagnostic alternatives in the mental health professions.
'In this work we are provided with a much-needed breadth of approach (and thus a breath of fresh air) to understanding the problem of mental illness. The use of the broad approach including the questions brought by the interest in <> all contribute to the considerations so needed in our field.' John Strauss, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Yale University 'In this acute and moving analysis, the authors explore a crucial feature of many who suffer from what has traditionally been termed ""schizophrenia"": feelings of utter homelessness, of wandering lost and alone in an uncanny world that offers no sense of safety or emotional sustenance. This is a work of deep empathy and marked inconoclasm. It opens new avenues for research and reflection - also for more effective forms of treatment, both in therapy and on a societal level.' Louis Sass, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Clincial Psychology; Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) Rutgers University 'Wide ranging and beautifully written, one of the standout achievements of this phenomenological work is its engagement with culture, both at a more macro level (informants in Israel, Palestine and the US), and in its attention to the nuanced ways in which cultural contexts infuse and shape the experience and existential import of psychosis. Both those who agree and disagree with Kamen's underlying thesis of urhomelessness will find a text rich with insights and provocations positioned to unsettle tired phenomenological tropes and break new ground at the intersections of subjectivie experience, culture and religion, and identity.' Nev Jones, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Pitssburgh