Hope, have you ever seen the film “Take these broken wings” by Daniel Mackler?
Daniel is a former therapist who advocates treating SZ with therapy and love rather than meds. I was very open to his message early on, given that my friend remains unmedicated. But over time I realized that probably the vast majority of SZ cases could not improve without meds. Still, there are a couple of narratives in the film that basically says the same thing you heard in Family to Family: therapists encountering severe cases of SZ who eventually were able to elicit a faint response from the patient, but only after sitting with them over several years. Just being present, not even talking much. They then made steady but not linear progress thereafter. The patients eventually went on to have normal lives. Such films may indeed document actual cases, and for sure they do exist. But to imply that anyone with SZ can expect this kind of non-med “cure” is a little naive, as I’ve learned since. Nevertheless, any small improvement or positive change in our loved ones is like water for the very thirsty, isn’t it?