I like the concept of the proposed graphic novel described below.  I think it is critical that we address the role of the imagination in what gets called “schizophrenia” or “psychosis,” and that starts with recognizing it as imagination, and not calling it “illness” or “misfiring neurons.”  Once we recognize it as imagination, we can explore the paradoxes and dilemmas faced by people who find themselves lost in their imagination while awake.  And what better way to do that than in a work of imagination, as this author proposes?

Imaginarium

A Comics project in Philadelphia, PA by William Murakami-Brundage

Living in the Imaginarium is difficult. Ever since he set foot in the Otherworld, Aiden has been seeing things that aren’t there. Animals have been talking to him. His shadow keeps taunting him, and at one point ran off into the woods.

His family is confused, and his doctor says that Aiden has schizophrenia – but how do you escape the Imaginarium once you are within its boundaries? After all, the imagination is everywhere.

Help tell the story of how Aiden escapes from this other place and returns to the normal world. This work is a graphic novel about what it is like to have schizophrenia, the power of the Imaginary, and how being a little different can be a fantastic thing.

The author describes himself as follows:

By day I am a computer programmer, and in my spare time I write. In my previous career, I was a case manager for people with schizophrenia and severe mental illness. My goal is simple: Breathe some life into the stories that I have taken part in – I escaped the Imaginarium and recovered from schizophrenia.

You can sign up for a copy in advance, as well as help the author raise funds to complete the project, at this site.