Psychosis as a Transformation of the Flesh: Some Merleau-Pontian Musings on Madness
Anthropos December 1, 2025 Adnan Sivić
Psychosis is often seen either as a meaningless cognitive breakdown or as a valid alternative reality. This paper, drawing on Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, proposes a third view: psychotic language is an incomplete attempt at expression that can sometimes be made intelligible to others, with therapeutic benefit. The approach aims to encompass both the pathological and the expressive aspects of psychosis, complementing recent phenomenological psychiatry that shows clinical value in helping patients articulate their experiences.