I am new to this site and to your methods of healing. I have dealt with depression all my many years . Now , at 85, after many forms of counseling and therapy, I have found that works best for me is the practice of stepping out of my suppositions and usually corrosive thought processes and seeking another reality than the one that causes me to be despondent and suicidal. There is a reality beyond the one we create for ourselves that strives to justify depression and binds one to the constant task of "licking the wounds" . I realize that is a work that is always in progress and that I must revisit the methods that keep me somewhat "sane" I will try to attend some of your talks in Cincinnati , though the movie on certain drugs does not interest me as I have liberated myself from all and any medication for depression and have never had to deal with psychotic problems.

Hi Daniel, I follow you regularly on youTube, and I have seen a couple of your films. I have been attempting (for the past decade) to advocate for healing options that do not involve coercion, humiliation, or use of medication to "control" another person. Thank you for your inspiring work -- which I also find to be an accurate presentation of what often occurs in our mental health system (at least in the U.S.). I am currently licensed as a mental health counselor, but I am far from satisfied with the general direction of "mental health" (whatever that really means??) treatment. I would love to have a conversation with you some time about some work that I am doing in Utah. Thanks again!

I just watched Open Dialogues and Healing Homes. USA life seems so fake now. Authenticity, common sense and humanness is out of the window. Your work is transcendent Daniel. Thank you.

thank you Daniel.

Dear... I looked at your video and was fascinated that there is a way to help sick people without medication. My son has always wanted it and has always refused medication. How could I get the addresses of such families? Is this also possible for German? Unfortunately in Germany there is no such wonderful foundation and my son is now suffering from medication. Please help me! Sincerely, Mila Luther

Dear Daniel! I watched your youtube videos and want to thank you for sharing your philosophy. Your thoughts on family, personal growth and everything else are very interesting and touching. It is like meeting the only honest person among fake ones. You feel things so deeply. You are the first person who acknowledged that all sorts of stuff happening in the world is wrong but considered by society as normal. Family lies, living live with false purposes etc. I am also having issues with my family and at 30 I started to see how delusional my parents are and how miserable they made me. There was no “big trauma”, but they belittled me constantly and ignored me and want me to earn their love with “right” behavior. And I used to hate myself so much and blame myself and feel that everything was wrong with me. It took years to overcome it, to start to love myself. This was so frustrating to hear from everywhere: my parents are great, I love them, my mom/dad is the best person in the world. I thought: why I did not feel that way, but now (after watching your speeches) I am realizing that they all (or most of them) are dissociated from their own feelings. They prefer to believe happy lies rather then to see things in a real way, because it is painful. I am glad that I am “not crazy” and I am not alone, that other people too feel that their family is a prison, is a cult, as you named it. I do not know how to express my gratitude to you. It is very brave to be true self. Please know, that we, people from different side of a screen, love you and wish you all the best. To defeat your fears and to grow more in any way you choose - as a musician or filmmaker or else. I am glad I have found such a great person in the Internet. Good luck.

This web-site is awesome. Thank-you for being a responsible citizen and speaking out. My dad has a twitter account with millions of followers in Dunwoody, which has tons of wealthy influential people who are mainly republican. He talks politics. I don't have a blog. I was recently accepted into a masters of counseling program at the University of Cumberlands. This website doesn't make me want to proceed with that too much. Maybe i'll go for graphic design instead. I feel just as empathetic as you do and I don't think I could deal with treating the mentally ill any worse than they've already been treated. Have a good night and please keep sharing your experiences. I don't feel I should put you on a pedestal, but I do feel you are a good example of a more fully actualized human being. I think as time goes on people will more and more see the truth of your words.

And I spelled my name wrong in the "from"section of my previous post. Fail!

Thank you for sharing your voice with others. Your clarity, insights, respect, and compassion are inspiring. Far too many therapists use counseling sessions to direct clients rather than genuinely supporting healthy growth. I am very grateful that you've touched my life.

I find you fascinating and true.I am gradually working my way through your videos.Thank you so much for sharing.xx

Dear Daniel, Thank you for creating this forum. It’s the best on the web. And many special thanks for calling out psychiatry for what it truly is - nothing but hogwash, filled with toxic thinking and poison pills - truly an abomination of warped ideology, and a sick suppression of vulnerable human spirit. And thank you for your many videos and essays on psychotherapy, as it too can be just as harmful. I never thought I’d come across be a therapist wise enough and brave enough to see and publicly name psychotherapy’s potential downfalls. The other day I came across the term “spiritual abuse”. And while I don’t like to use the word “spiritual” because of its religious connotations, I think the definition could include psychiatric/psychotherapeutic abuse as well. These abusers seek to destroy people’s self confidence and self trust, to discredit their common sense, to talk people out of trusting their own intuition - to trust the therapist/pastor/counselor more than themselves. Your advice is the opposite - you advise people to trust their gut. Thank you for this. Hearing this from you, a licensed professional, has helped me more than anything. You gave me permission to trust myself, and I needed permission. Thank you for this. I’ve yet to figure out how or why anyone in their right mind would ever claim to think they know what anyone else else truly thinks or feels. And they never doubt themselves. How sick is that? I think most therapists are by far the the most arrogant and egocentric people the world over. I have found that Self- therapy based on your books, videos and website to be helpful in many ways large and small. Truly healing indeed. All my life I’ve sensed that upbringing affects people into adulthood, but I never realized how much and profound it can be. Childhood trauma really is where it begins. For the most part I tuned out this thinking because I found most, if not all, psychotherapists’ manner to be smug and conceited. No humanity or humility at all. They never doubt themselves. It just made me feel worse. I think more than anything people need to find a way to trust themselves, to trust their gut, to believe that if they know something themselves, that’s enough. Otherwise there’ll be no peace. And moments of peace, however faint and fleeting, can be the beginnings of, or retclaimation of, some kind of joy. Psychotherapy wasn’t helpful. It just wasn’t. All I felt was more confusion. And I don’t need to figure it out. I gave it enough time and chances. It fosters dependence, and that’s not good. People need trustworthy relationships. It’s called friendship. Even kindness from total strangers can be remarkably healing. Most of all, reading and hearing your good, sound and compassionate thoughts has been transforming. I just wanted you to know how grateful I am. And I write in hope that it miight help someone else. maria

Hey Daniel, First, I just want to thank you for making your videos/documentaries/books. Thank you for sharing your experience. I found your videos at a turning point in my life last year, age 26. I had just started working at a group home/CMHC. I was contemplating medical school, and your videos (along with my experience at work) pushed me towards counseling instead. I identified somewhat with your history. More subtle, rather than extreme traumas, which still managed to separate me from my true self and leave pretty serious damage. Slowly started healing through high school. Studied Biology in college, partially to please my parents and give them hope that I may become a doctor in the future. I threw in Anthropology as well as a means of rebellion. Then after graduating, I took off 4 years to work at a record store and travel on tour with bands. I plan to go to ICSW in Chicago this coming fall (they have a more psychodynamic leaning program). In counseling, I would like to work with people that have received more severe diagnoses (i.e. schizophrenia, bipolar, etc.) Wondering if you have any general advice on school, becoming a therapist, or recommendations on texts/case studies related to resolving schizophrenia through intensive psychotherapy.

I listened to your youtube about leaving behind the field of psychotherapy. I am going through my own disenchantment with the field. It was very validating for me to hear your thoughts as I seem surrounded by practitioners that I cannot talk to about my disenchantment. I have been doing a lot of journaling and following my dreams, taking some art classes, and plotting my exodus. I appreciate your thoughts. Blessings to you.

Dear Daniel, I am beyond appreciative of your work. You don’t mince words and you get straight to the point, diving deep into truth. At 42 years old I am still learning. Your YouTube videos found me at just the right timing along my journey of healing. Our world needs more people like you. Thank you for being a trailblazer. Thank you for your bravery.

Finishing "Breaking from your Parents" book right now. Great peace and resonance to be reading this. I broke with family August 2018. Has been liberating and frightening and many things. I am finishing a MA program for Social Work. When I started the degree I was in a very different place. So much has shifted since then I have found it hard and often meaningless to continue the degree. Yet, it is last semester so...onward, I guess. Every bit of my life was infested by the emotional incest and cult like drug trance I was conditioned into since my early childhood (me as the drug of choice for family to base their sense of self-hood and validation) that separating from that has opened up a major void. The old identity is gone, or on its death bed. This MA degree, too--nearly $20,000 into it and 2 years of commitment--seems based on my needing to rescue others and sacrifice my needs for others. I feel deep commitment to heal and to spiritually seek. I can't continue to live this way; 32 years as a kind of undead blood-supply for the world. I feel close to breakdown/breakthrough but must stay dissociated and distracted until the degree is over. What comes next? Ayahuasca ceremony seems right. Live in a spiritual community where I can collapse and let the rebirth of ego death move through me. I want to face this fear, these wounds, this trauma embedded in me, this pain in my intestines; this world-weariness; this numbness. Any thoughts? Thank you for the book and your courage.