Schizoid Personality Disorder

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He was young, schizoid, and had experienced brief periods of psychotic-like disorganization. We worked together in psychotherapy for many years. None of the then available psychotropic agents were helpful. He believed, however, that marijuana was helpful, and, if he smoked a joint in the hours preceding a session, his way of relating to me was different. He was less "there," more deeply into himself. His descriptions of the marijuana experience never varied. "I am," he would say, "at peace. I feel connected to everything. I am part of the universe, part of nature, part of God." He was, I thought, a person with significant ego boundary problems who, for the most part, maintained his basic sense of self by distancing himself from both the world and inner turmoil. Marijuana appeared to lead to the internal experience of greater connectedness and peace, although I felt he was less available to me after using it.

Music as a creative expression can rouse emotions. Sometimes, music can be used as a means of exploring those emotions and making a connection between musician and listener. Two examples, the Beatles' White Album and the Talking Heads' Remain in Light, show how music can do more than soothe the savage beast--it can also tell us something about ourselves.