In Dark Side of the Mood, author Sheri Medford takes us on a brave and powerful journey as she recounts, in a series of evocative vignettes, her experiences with bipolar disorder and her heart-wrenching relationship with what she calls the Nothingness. Inviting the reader into her internal landscape, Medford looks beyond the physical needs to the deeper spiritual needs of someone encompassed by a chronic, invisible disability in today’s society. As her journey progresses, she comes to see her illness as a gift that led her to her true self — her soul — which, she comes to understand, is not ill.

Dark Side of the Mood illustrates how the support of a community, as well as daily meditation and reflection, can lead to a strengthening of self and faith, and it is hoped that those who suffer from bipolar disorder, or have loved ones struggling with it, will find Medford’s journey to be helpful and inspiring.