In "The Politics of Experience" and the visionary "Bird of Paradise", R.D. Laing shows how the straitjacket of conformity imposed on us all leads to intense feelings of alienation and a tragic waste of human potential. He throws into question the notion of normality, examines schizophrenia and psych[...]

First published in 1960, this watershed work aimed to make madness comprehensible, and in doing so revolutionized the way we perceive mental illness. Using case studies of patients he had worked with, psychiatrist R. D. Laing argued that psychosis is not a medical condition but an outcome of the 'di[...]

A series of dialogue-scenarios, which can be read as poems or plays, describing the "knots" and impasses in various kinds of human relationships.



"In his earlier work Laing guided the reader to understanding. In Knots he compels him to experience.... To gra[...]

First published in 1960, The Divided Self by Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing (1927 - 1989) set out to explain psychosis as an ordinary and understandable human experience. Laing's insight was absolutely revolutionary in its humane approach. One commentator described it as 'that particular touch of [...]