Professor Glover admits, right at the outset, that he is neither a psychiatrist nor a psychotherapist; yet his having witnessed mental disorders, on both a personal level and in the capacity of a professional researcher, gives him a special perspective on both those who suffer from such disorders and the society which seeks to understand and treat them.  Dr. Glover’s main discipline of philosophy gives his work a humanistic flavor rather than a clinical one; this approach allows the reader to view sufferers of mental illness as people, fellow humans, rather than “subjects,” “victims,” or “aliens unfit for society.”

The 33 chapters of the book are divided into six main sections for optimal understanding.  The first part gives an overview of the book’s themes, including the general “landscape” of the pathological realm, beginning with childhood and continuing on from there.  Part Two compares the general psychiatric approach with the more humanistic view, bringing in the values of humanistic and reflective interpretations.  The third section delves into the areas of autism, delusions, and waking dreams in terms of our broader understanding of those phenomena.

In Part Four, Glover discusses what he calls “the boundaries” of psychiatry; in it, he begins with an account of how psychiatry has failed or, at least, has proved overly constricting of states and ailments, many of which arising from the changing landscape of the times.  Following this, he goes on to show how those very boundaries have made the practice a refuge for sufferers of autism, delusions, and other pathologies and, when called for, has crossed over into both medical and humanistic arenas.

Part Five discusses the relationships between addiction and personality disorders, and personal responsibility in terms of what we should expect of psychiatry and what to expect of the individual regarding treatment and healing.  Finally, the sixth section comprises how the sense of self and personal identity relates to treatment and healing, particularly with regard to eating disorders, dementia, and schizophrenia.  The last chapter of that section addresses how the individuals’ basic moral foundation and creative sense enable them to distinguish themselves from their affliction, thus creating a path for treatment and the possibility of healing.

What makes Glover’s book eminently readable is that, instead of a textbook-like exposition of facts and theories, the author peppers his text with real-life accounts and relevant quotations from both experts and people who have had direct experience with the afflictions under discussion.  After reading Alien Landscapes? I feel a greater empathy for those who suffer from what I might have otherwise kept at arm’s length, and therefore have a greater understanding and compassion of these illnesses.

© 2015 Barry Klein

Barry Klein, Walden University, Minneapolis