This situation is further confused by the body of opinion which seeks to peace mental health difficulties outside the conceptual paradigm of health and illness According to this view such experiences are a valid alternative an opportunity for growth followed to its logical conclusion removal of such experiences from the arena of health care would mean that there would be no rationale for intervention and therefore no mandate to create a book such as this one Hear we as editors have taken a Pragmatic approach We agree that all experiences have validity but also recognize that some such experiences are a source of profound misery both to those people experiencing them and those around them By the same token we have no doubt that there are many people who for example hear voices and experience what many other members of society would regard as delusional ideas yet are quite content with this state of affairs and offer no disturbance either to those around them or society more generally This book has in our view nothing to say to such people therapeutically although we do offer a plea for greater understanding by society of such different experiences