Feel free to sign my guestbook, and share your experience of my website or my work. Note: your email will not be made public, though if you share a link to your website that will be public. I also want to add that I cannot reply to people’s messages here. I’m really sorry about that!!
573 entries.
wrote on March 28, 2013
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Daniel Mackler 12/14/2009 1:19:17 PM
Hi Nora---here\'s part 2! I just called paypal and they helped me change some of my preferences, so it SHOULD work now if you try again to purchase the DVD. If, however, there is still a problem, I also asked them for the telephone number for Paypal in Australia, so if you wish you call them you can. it\'s: 282239500 . Also, if it doesn\'t work again they said you can get the specific error message and email it to me, and I\'ll call paypal and sort it out. My email is dmackler58@aol.com . I hope this helps!!! all the best, Daniel (in NYC)
Daniel Mackler 12/14/2009 12:56:38 PM
Hi Nora...hmm...very odd, but not the first time this has happened. Paypal has some weird stuff about it, and sometimes gets \"testy\" for reasons I don\'t quite understand. Just so you know, though, I have shipped the DVD to Australia several times after Australian folks bought it with Paypal, though---so there ARE ways of making it work, somehow! (Also, it plays nicely on the Australian all-region DVD players!) I\'ll see what I can do to figure it out!! Frustrating inconvenience, though!!! (We\'ll get it to work somehow, though!) All the best, Daniel
Nora Gainey Watts 12/14/2009 8:11:24 AM
How come i can\'t get your DVD here in Australia?? HELP!!!! Paypal refuses to ship it here. I have a DVD player that plays region 1 DVDs too!!
Daniel Mackler 12/12/2009 2:08:43 PM
Thanks for the feedback, Maureen---SO glad you find the self-therapy book useful!! We worked hard on the book---and actually I am using it myself, too, in my own self-therapy. I\'ll also pass on your feedback to Fred, my co-author. all the best, Daniel
Maureen Harkness 12/12/2009 11:12:50 AM
Hi Daniel Thank you for booklet \'From Trauma To Enlightment :Self Therapy in 12 steps\'. It is amazing and helps so much to make sense of the process Ive been stumbling through. In some ways Im at stage 7 as Im embroiled in grieving but Im going to go back to stage one for the sake of clarity,which youre booklet gives. Very emotional experience to find a book and website like this Thanks again
Daniel Mackler 11/30/2009 7:16:25 PM
Hi M, I suppose I could sell the PDF or Word version of the text---but gosh, the booklet looks so nice!!! (Just a personal opinion from someone who loves holding a book\'s actual physical copy in my hands.) Thanks for the comment--- Daniel
M 11/30/2009 6:21:05 PM
You could offer your books *for sale* in PDF or some other electronic format. Some people like to read on the computer rather than a book.
Daniel Mackler 11/29/2009 2:05:19 AM
Hi all---Thanks for the comments---much appreciated. To Larry and Bob: glad you\'ve been enjoying the videos. The problem with sharing the Self-Therapy book for free is that Fred Timm and I put in a significant financial investment (significant for us, that is!). I try to put as much up for free as I can afford though---in my writings and in the YouTube videos. ERG, I feel torn, but at this point I need to sell it. Thanks for the kind words, though---Daniel
Larry 11/28/2009 9:35:48 PM
I second Bob\'s interest in a pdf version of your book \"From Trauma to Enlightenment\". Like him, I\'ve watched several of your videos. I\'ve also read many of the article on this site. I\'d like a copy of your book, but would prefer an electronic version. A Word or rtf or html document would be even better than pdf for my purposes.
bob 11/21/2009 7:30:02 PM
I\'ve been watching your youtube videos and found them very helpful. Now I\'m interested in your book \"FROM TRAUMA TO ENLIGHTENMENT\". Could you make it available in pdf format?
David Patterson 11/17/2009 8:36:45 AM
Amazing stuff here! :O) love the songs... really enjoy reading your perspective and hearing your experiences, so positive and uplifting. Just what I needed to hear, I will buy some of your cd\'s/mp3\'s soon :O), much much respect, Dave :O)
Ed Altwies 11/15/2009 6:33:07 AM
Been listening to you CD. I love the songs \"I Don\'t Want Your Diagnoses\", \"They Told Me My Problem is Genetic\", \"I Went to The Shrink\". Poignant. Powerful.
Maestro 11/14/2009 1:47:43 AM
Thank you so much! Exactly what I needed to read while going through what I\'m going through with my family. Keep going, the room for progress is always infinite, just like the Universe!:) Thank you again and good luck!
james gaugler 11/7/2009 5:19:48 AM
animals do not always act logically. humans retain animal behavior and exhibit it. We can mindlessly project our expectations onto the environment. This is fact. If you feel depressed and alone, you wish for someone to call out your name to break the loneliness. Wish hard enough, and you will hear it! We have the dangerous power to see past our own reality. I have no doubt schizophrenia is psychological and curable
Daniel Mackler 10/30/2009 1:02:24 PM
Hi Marg---if you email me (dmackler58@aol.com) I can probably connect you with folks in Australia who knows more about where to get good local support. I have connections in a few Australian cities (and just two weeks ago met a radical psychiatrist from Darwin), and they know folks in other places. Thanks for the kind words! -Daniel M.
Marg 10/30/2009 8:30:36 AM
Would you know of any supportive help in Australia my son had a psychotic break 18 months ago. Luckily I typed the magic words into google Hearing voices and all this encouraging information was available. My son is off medication now, getting to sleep is the problem Zopiclone sleeping tablets seem to be the only answer at present. My son now attends a Hearing voices group. I thank you for your DVD\" Take These Broken Wings\", showing this to others certainly changes their perspective Thank you so much Daniel
Jane Slater 10/10/2009 11:08:21 PM
Terrific website Daniel. Untangling oneself from the past but enduring lies and traumas of one\'s childhood is important work. Thanks for your courageous work.
Daniel Mackler 9/25/2009 7:53:50 PM
Robert---hmm, about tapering meds, I really, unfortunately, am not the one to ask. I don\'t even give that kind of advice to people I work with professionally---because it\'s beyond the scope of my license. On the other hand, there are a lot of resources on peer support for this sort of thing---people who have been through it themselves---for instance, Gianna Kali\'s blog Beyond Meds. And Will Hall\'s paper on The Harm Reduction Guide to Coming off Psychiatric Medication. I think it\'s on the web. But ideally you\'d be able to taper in tandem with a psychiatrist---and a therapist too. That\'s what I would recommend. It\'s safest. Just my two cents. Sorry I can\'t be of more help on this one. Yours, Daniel
Robert Sturgis 9/25/2009 9:47:32 AM
Hey Daniel. I have a question for you: Do you think it is safe to be taking five pills per day each at 50 mgs, and stop taking one at a time. It would be for a month period that each one is eliminated. I ask because my psychiatrist is unwilling to work with me at eliminating my pills (She thinks I need them), so I need to take it into my own hands. I am just wondering if you think dropping down by a pill each month is safe. Thank you.
lauren spiro 9/8/2009 10:21:13 PM
Daniel, thank you for producing this exquisite, thought-provoking film. I showed it to a dozen people today and will email information and clips of it to hundreds of folks in a few minutes. I will put it as a resource on my work website, www.ncmhcso.org. You deserve a documentary award!!! and much more. I will do what I can to help sales. I too, have recovered from what is labeled \'schizophrenia\'. Thank you, lauren spiro
Daniel Mackler 9/6/2009 1:03:49 AM
thanks Susan and Rachael for your kind entries. glad my writing speaks to you. i\'m working on a big youtube project right now where i\'m putting a lot of the ideas from this site into video form---tough work, stressful, lots of self-doubt...which usually means that the work has value! (i hope!!!) thanks again for the feedback, daniel
rachael 9/5/2009 10:11:16 PM
Hi. I have just discovered this site, while trying to get helpful information relating to a stressful time I am going through. This site has been so helpful in validating me. I have just printed out the piece, \"everyone is his own hated minority\" and put it up on my wall. A beautiful piece. I was surprised to see your picture. With your wisdom, I thought you\'d be much older. I am going to visit your other site. Thank you for this site, which will help open eyes. rachaelraps@copper.net
Susan Catherine Keter 8/26/2009 5:13:18 PM
I am happy that I found this website. You are doing great work. I remember when I was seeking therapy after being diagnosed with depression and I could not find a good therapist. I could not find a therapist who understood childhood trauma, especially when there was no major incident of abuse to report. I truly appreciate the work you are doing. Keep it up. There are many people out there who need the services of a good psychotherapist.
wrote on March 28, 2013
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Daniel Mackler 7/21/2009 6:55:24 PM
Robert, Sorry I didn\'t see this guestbook entry till today---sometimes it takes a little while for them to post. I don\'t know a psychiatrist with a similar philosophy in San Jose, but Ira Steinman is a psychiatrist in San Francisco ( http://irasteinman.com/ ) and he holds to a similar philosophy. He might know someone in San Jose... All the best, Daniel M.
Makoto Horiuchi 7/21/2009 5:19:20 PM
Dr. Micheal Drexler here at the San Francisco VA Medical Center would like to purchase your DVD. However, you or your company is not listed in the CCR Central Contractor Registration for the Federal Govt. Do ou have a DBA? If not I must register you in the CCR. I will need your Tax ID and Duns #. Thanks Makoto Horiuchi Makoto Horiuchi Psychological Services â?? Program Asst (116B) 4150 Clement St. San Francisco, CA 94121 Phone: 415 750-2004 Email: Makoto.Horiuchi@va.gov
Robert 7/11/2009 5:29:38 AM
Would you happen to know of any psychiatrists in San Jose with a similar belief system of recovery from Schizophrenia?
daniel mackler 7/3/2009 1:57:19 PM
Robert, very glad to hear it!! i just re-read three of the best outcome studies for schizophrenia (courtenay harding\'s, harrow and jobe\'s, and the WHO\'s studies, by jablensky---all cited in the documentary, and all available on the website psychrights.org), and they are very heartening. i hope lots of people read them. they show JUST how possible and even common full recovery without meds can be...--daniel
Robert Sturgis 7/3/2009 9:34:40 AM
Awesome. Thanks for your reply. Great documentary btw. Enjoyed it a lot. btw, my schizophrenia has gotten a lot better recently for some reason.
daniel mackler 6/10/2009 1:21:37 PM
Peter, Great article by Bert Karon. Thanks for sharing it. It\'s very similar to much of what he says in my film. I cite this very article in a book I just finished---and am in strong agreement with it. It is consistent with what I have observed as a therapist. I am confused, however, by why you think I wouldn\'t agree with it. You state that I \"ignore any evidence contrary to [my] belief that parenting has no effect on the development of schizophrenia.\" I\'d be the LAST one to state that \"parenting has no effect on the development of schizophrenia.\" I think poor parenting---particularly abusive parenting (which of course all poor parenting ultimately is)---is the PRIMARY cause of schizophrenia. I hope that makes my point of view on the etiology of schizophrenia clear. All the best, Daniel Mackler
peter cork 6/10/2009 12:03:34 PM
(1994). Psychoanalytic Psychology, 11:47-61 Bertram P. Karon and Anmarie J. Widener \"...therapists who treat schizophrenics generally report a parenting interaction different from that usual to neurotic patients (although there are cases where relevant noxious life events have nothing to do with parents; in other cases, both parents and child are tragic victims of bad or absent professional advice). Communication deviance, measured from parental interaction, the Rorschach Inkblot Test (Rorschach, 1932), and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Murray, 1943) has been found to characterize parents and adoptive parents of schizophrenics. Expressed emotion (intrusive hostility) of parents increases rehospitalization. Genetic factors, at most, represent increased vulnerability\" [but, vulnerability is NOT causation]. \"Pathogenesis, based on clinical observations, is measured from the TAT and is defined as the degree to which the parent, when there is a potential conflict between the needs of the child and the needs of the parent, unconsciously acts in terms of the parent\'s needs without regard to the potentially conflicting needs of the child. Pathogenic parents, as well as their children, are victims in the same way that any patient who suffers psychological symptoms based on unconscious factors is a victim and not a culprit. In a series of studies, mothers of normals averaged 35% pathogenic. Mothers of schizophrenics averaged 65% pathogenic. Fathers of schizophrenics are nearly as high. Most convincing are clinical observations.\" --make sure you ignore any evidence contrary to your belief that parenting has no effect on the development of schizophrenia. That\'s known as \"confirmation bias,\" and it\'s particularly bad science.
Daniel Mackler 6/9/2009 3:03:53 AM
To Peter Henry: What an odd message you left... Is it my movie you\'re commenting on or somebody else\'s?? My movie traces the roots of schizophrenia to problems in childhood and trauma in the family system---and I\'ve taken heat for that from the biological psychiatry folks!!---and I TOTALLY dismiss the chemical imbalance theory. So I have absolutely no idea from where you\'re deriving your criticisms of my film... To recap: my film says the exact opposite of what you think it says. Daniel Mackler
Peter Henry 6/9/2009 2:49:07 AM
Your dismissal of any effect a mother\'s parenting has in contributing to schizophrenia is very telling. It\'s a complete sham, and your blind faith in a biochemical etilogy for what is so misunderstood as a \"disease\" only shows you have very little understanding of human behavior while you conform to a biopsychiatric model of abnormal behavior. Gee. How conventionally misleading. Glad I ran into your lies.
daniel mackler 6/2/2009 1:16:49 PM
good questions, robert. it seems there are many factors influencing whether or not a person will recover. some the movie addresses directly are whether or not the person stays on psychiatric drugs long-term---and if they do, it significantly diminishes their likelihood of making a full recovery. other factors (i talk about some of these in my interview at the end of the film, and some come up during the film): good social support, good housing, good diet, healthy exercise, taking distance from family of origin, working (volunteer even), having meaningful activities to do, friendship, and yes, good therapy too can be invaluable. just as a personal observation as a therapist, i have also observed that people who live with their parents tend to do have a much harder time recovering. also, people who drink and do drugs tend not to do as well---just a personal observation. also, getting good healthy, consistent sleep every night seems to be vital.
Robert Sturgis 6/2/2009 4:40:48 AM
Hey Daniel. I just saw your documentary \"Take These Broken Wings.\" I was wondering, being a schizophrenic, what are the differences between the people who recover from schizophrenia and those who don\'t. I noticed that the two interviewees both had good therapists, and they both pursued constructive activities.
wrote on March 28, 2013
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Georgia 4/20/2009 7:14:18 PM
Daniel, I have just downloaded your albums. I love your gentle delivery and the uncompromising boldness of the words of your songs. How simple, honest, and uplifting the message is, and what courage to commit to such a path of deep healing. I am reading your essays and feeling so touched by what you have to say. You have definitely inspired me to think more deeply and to be more fearless on my own path. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Paul Cheminais 4/10/2009 11:38:28 AM
Thank you for the Film & this web site. I watched the film the other night - I was already very familiar with the people & ideas in it. It bought up a lot of feelings for me. I haven\'t had the opportunities for such a med free recovery - I have been forced & made dependant on meds; against my will; for the past 20 years. I have managed to get to a low dose of one med (an anti psychotic). I have tried so hard to get med free - but have been unsuccessful. There is unfortunately not enough of the \'right\' kind of help in my life for a med free recovery. People need to be pointing out that \'The Emperor isn\'t wearing any clothes\' in regards to orthodox/mainstream psychiatry & the bio chemical model - it is long since time people stopped believing in lies around \'mental illness\' & that people stopped ignoring & denying the truth - that people can & do completely recover; from even the most severe of \'mental illness\'. This DVD & site is hope that one day we can have the humane & best treatment for those suffering mental distress. Thanks again.
Pat Williams 4/10/2009 11:29:51 AM
I liked your site.
kathleen 3/26/2009 10:07:49 PM
I\'d like to see the movie, sounds interesting. Have you heard of R.D. Liang. There is a film he did in the 70\'s call Asylum, you might enjoy it. Very interesting.
Daniel Mackler 2/26/2009 4:05:29 PM
Hi everyone! Thanks for the nice comments! I\'ll reply to a few of the questions: 1) On ordering films internationally: Yes, you can do this if you have paypal, and I\'ll ship the film internationally. I have done this several times already. Some people, however, tell me that their paypal doesn\'t work internationally, for some reason. If that is the case email me at dmackler58@aol.com and we\'ll try to find another way to work it out. 2) Ordering my music CDs: Yes, two of my CDs are out, and I\'ll be selling them through this website very soon! So many things to do, so little time!! -Daniel
Jesper 2/26/2009 2:08:06 PM
Hi Daniel, is it possible to buy \'Take these broken wings\' if you are living outside USA? It does not seem that way... Kind regards
Bex 2/23/2009 11:36:14 AM
Hi Daniel - when are we going to be able to order your cd\'s from here?
Delores M. Jankovich 2/21/2009 7:18:40 PM
I have just found your webite and ordered your DVD. Alice Miller is also my favorite writer in the area of psychology. I am only about one-fourth into the essay on her work and will finish it soon. Thank you for your work and writing this essay. I am a social woker in Kansas. I will write more later. Thank you for bringing hope to the world. Delores
josephine anderson 2/18/2009 4:46:18 AM
i knew elnora. from 1963-64 i was a research technician at nyu, under her supervision. she was very nice and i learned a lot from her. she was not intimidated by the important doctors around her. she once said she would rather hang out with truck drivers.
Eva 2/16/2009 1:32:28 PM
I love your DVD. Your message is very inspiring and interesting, especially since I am a clinical social work student. I used to believe that medication was the way for mental illness...This is turning my worldview upside down...and I like it! Thank you!
Kathena Bryant 2/4/2009 10:26:15 PM
I love your dvd, and your songs too, which I hope you will post here. You are a bright light shining on the ignorance so people can see and move on.
Cate Johns 2/3/2009 2:38:23 PM
Perhaps you need to specify the kind of degree that a potential parent should have. Some degrees, from some colleges or universities are worthless (fine art, ceramics, tourism, leisure, marketing, etc). Also in the UK at least, there are many Univerisities that will take students with very low grades. In an ideal world it should only be parents who have been through a rigorous degree programme at a top notch university who should be allowed to procreate. Imagine, if your philosophy had been in place, you would not have to suffer a President like Obama!
marko 1/19/2009 4:08:35 PM
Great job! Keep up the good work! Love your articles!
Gianna 1/15/2009 6:24:09 AM
Dear Daniel, I\'ve highlighted your video on my blog. I lifted some stuff off your site...I\'m assuming it\'s probably okay as I\'m promoting your film... let me know otherwise... your work looks fascinating...your articles courageous. Saying things no one wants to hear. good for you. please see my website: http://bipolarblast.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/take-these-broken-wings/ peace to you.
Kaleo 12/13/2008 12:36:15 AM
Hi Daniel, Great to see your new site and all the amazing work you have been doing. Would love to read more about your film and find a way to get it shown in my neck of the woods. Take care -
Gilad S. 12/13/2008 12:22:35 AM
It is said humans have the innate ability to recognize beauty. That\'s what I recognize here. all the best g
Bex 12/11/2008 8:59:25 AM
The new website is looking great and is a true testament to all the hardwork and dedication it must have taken! What a powerful and comprehensive (perfect word Fred!) guide to thinking about ourselves and the world we live in and what we need to address before enlightenment is possible!- An Inspiration!
Clare 11/30/2008 7:55:05 PM
I love your new site Daniel. Such a comprehensive collection of wisdom generously shared with the world. I constantly share your essays with friends, colleagues, and clients. Keep writing. C
rob 11/29/2008 2:39:35 AM
i really connected with some of the writing here. thanks.
Fred 11/22/2008 1:34:51 AM
This is a very comprehensive website ... spelling out a world view that could turn the course of the world from its self-destruction if people applied the wisdom laid out here. Kudos and thanks to Daniel Mackler