The Void

We are called upon to classify, cut and dry, a soul’s attempts to create a reality he can live in.

How can the DSM IV categorize the moments when Vincent is transfixed by swirling indigo twilight?

When his blood momentarily stops in his veins, and then gushes forward in one fantastic rush

breaking through his body, like a harsh ocean wave, exhilarating and painful

and he awakens afresh to his place in the glorious dance of the universe.

The joy so intense, quickening his breath, causing his stomach to collapse

and allow all the butterflies to roam free throughout his body.

And in generous, unstinting response he creates canvases that serve as portals

to a bountiful Love without name.

Where do his experiences fit into our circumscribed maps of the human psyche?

And so too the experiences of any our patients?

How may we bridge the void that lies between the label “schizophrenic” and a soul’s totality?