The Genius of Schizophrenics in History
Updated: Jul 4, 2025
Written by Jonathan Dubrulle, Healer-Influencer
Jonathan Dubrulle is a Healer-Influencer in Madrid who likes to help people create 'paso a paso' a better life.
Approximately 1% of the global population are affected by this mental condition. If we do the math, that is around 80 million people. It ranks amongst the top 10 causes of global disability. It sounds super heavy, but there are inspirational figures in every community. In this article, we are going to talk about 2: John Nash and Vincent Van Gogh. Have you heard about them? Maybe you’ve seen ‘A Beautiful Mind?’ Or seen ‘Starry Night’ at The Met in New York City?
John Nash
The story of the Nobel Prize Winner of 1994 became famous with the Hollywood Movie ‘A Beautiful Mind’. As an economics student, I read his work in the library. He helped develop an entire field in Economics called Game Theory. I had 3 courses in this field: 2 in Belgium and 1 in France.
Without making it too complicated, he introduced the concept of ‘The Nash Equilibrium’. A situation where mutual cooperation can be stable. The shift from pure mathematics to tools that can still be practically used is still viable today. Angela Merkel in her memoire stated that the issue with Trump is that he doesn’t believe in Win-Win.
After 2 decades of struggle, he returned to academia and became a Senior Researcher at Princeton University. He received $310K or 7 million SEK for his Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
The Movie grossed over $300 million and Nash and his wife Alicia were financially compensated for their participation and consultation.
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent is one of the most influential artists in history. He painted ‘Starry Night’ in 1889 when he was in a psychiatric hospital in France. There are several versions: 1 is in The Met, and the most famous version is in the MoMa, both in New York City.
Because of the lack of historical records, there is no 100% certainty that he was a schizophrenic. However, he cut off part of his earlobe, which seems to suggest psychosis.
As an impressionist, he pushed the boundaries of the use of the color yellow in his infamous Sunflowers paintings, and watching Starry Night has touched the souls of millions. From the Provence in France, he connected and translated his talent to marvelous paintings that are universally appreciated and valued.
Even though he lived a life in poverty and was funded by his brother, his paintings are now valuedat over +$100M.
Enjoy life even with the struggles that shape your history
Even despite mental distress, they both leave a great legacy that made the history books from Hollywood, to the Arts to the field of Economics. Everyone has struggles, but life can be beautiful with them. I uphold to that philosophy. If you are going to wait to live life until everything is perfect, it will never happen. I love being an inspirational person that can meet people where they are at. If you want to get to know me better or connect, all my social media links & websites are on Linktree.
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Jonathan Dubrulle, Healer-Influencer
I’m Jonathan (38y) and a Spinal Flow Practitioner in Madrid. I started as a high-potential at Thomson Reuters when I was 21. After Brussels and Geneva, I started the healing journey in Singapore and fell in love with my Chiropractor. I discovered I was gay in a country where it was still illegal at the time. With a broken heart, I moved to New York City, where I worked in Corporate Strategy. At 24, a revolt of the soul would happen at the Times Square Headquarters, and I was admitted to Bellevue Hospital.
Now I have a practice in the center of Madrid. I help clients heal and grow, develop good microhabits, and create strategies to impact the world. Beauty can rise out of ashes.
