What if sleep didn’t just heal the body—but opened a door to another world?
Dr. Janet Petrie, a New York psychiatrist and sleep researcher, believes she’s on the verge of uncovering the biological purpose of dreams. But when her own insomnia and grief begin to blur the line between science and spirit, she slips into a mysterious realm of dark matter—a parallel dimension where the boundaries between life and death dissolve.
As she navigates this strange, luminous world, Janet must confront her failing marriage, her husband’s dementia, and her son’s dangerous descent into addiction. When tragedy strikes, her journey through dreams becomes a quest for meaning, healing, and the possibility of redemption beyond the limits of the waking mind.
Blisstopia is a hypnotic exploration of consciousness, loss, and the invisible threads that connect us across time and space. With poetic precision and psychological depth, author and psychiatrist Carol W. Berman invites readers into a story where neuroscience meets the metaphysical, and where the heart learns to find light in the darkest night.
If you’ve ever wondered what lies between sleep and eternity, open Blisstopia and find out.
Buy your copy today and step into the world between worlds.
Carol W. Berman is at home in both fiction and nonfiction. She wrote a monthly column on mental health for the Huffington Post, and several of her short stories have been published in literary magazines. In addition, she served on the editorial board of The Bellevue Literary Review. Her sci-fi inspiration comes from reading Ursula K. Le Guin and Isaac Asimov as a kid.
Berman grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and NYU Medical School. Her residency in psychiatry was spent at St. Luke’s–Roosevelt Hospital. In 1986, she accepted a research fellowship at NYU Langone Medical Center, where she is a clinical assistant professor in psychiatry. She is also in private practice in New York City.
As a preeminent member of the medical community and Life Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Berman is that rare and courageous physician who is not afraid to draw upon her own artistic and intuitive powers to enhance her scientific approach and engage her patients and readers in a deeper level of healing and self-empowerment. She is also a playwright with over 15 plays to her name.
NONFICTION
• 100 Questions and Answers About Panic Disorder (2005), Jones and Bartlett; reissued 2009
• Personality Disorders (2009), Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
• Surviving Dementia: A Clinical and Personal Perspective (2016), Springer Press
• Taming the Negative Introject (2019), Francis & Taylor
• Psychiatry on the Stage (2023), Oxford University Press
Carol W. Berman is at home in both fiction and nonfiction. She wrote a monthly column on mental health for the Huffington Post, and several of her short stories have been published in literary magazines. In addition, she served on the editorial board of The Bellevue Literary Review. Her sci-fi inspiration comes from reading Ursula K. Le Guin and Isaac Asimov as a kid.Berman grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and NYU Medical School. Her residency in psychiatry was spent at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital. In 1986, she accepted a research fellowship at NYU Langone Medical Center, where she is a clinical assistant professor in psychiatry. She is also in private practice in New York City.As a preeminent member of the medical community and Life Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Berman is that rare and courageous physician who is not afraid to draw upon her own artistic and intuitive powers to enhance her scientific approach and engage her patients and readers in a deeper level of healing and self-empowerment. She is also a playwright with over 15 plays to her name.NONFICTION- 100 Questions and Answers About Panic Disorder (2005), Jones and Bartlett; reissued 2009- Personality Disorders (2009), Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins- Surviving Dementia: A Clinical and Personal Perspective (2016), Springer Press- Taming the Negative Introject (2019), Francis & Taylor- Psychiatry on the Stage (2023), Oxford University Press
