Jason Clark is sitting in a living room chair, looking relaxed and comfortable in a cherry red parka and matching sweat pants.
His blues eyes sparkle and his face opens into a wide smile as he talks about his life.
“I’m a psychic witch and a certified high priest in Wicca,” he said. “I often use spells, hexes and magic.”
Clark, a 27-year-old Bloomington man with black fingernail polish, is fascinated by the dark side of the spiritual world.
He’s written several self-published books dealing with Satan, the antichrist and witchcraft.
Clark is also self-aware. By his own admission, he is mentally ill — plagued by paranoid schizophrenia.
Thanks to therapy and medication, his illness has improved immensely. He no longer hears voices, and his behavior has become far less bizarre.
“He’s still convinced he can read people’s minds and see the future,” said Janet Clark, his mother. “But he’s come a long way, and for that I feel blessed.”
Clark lives independently in a Center for Behavioral Health apartment, and uses the bus system to make regular trips to the library and book stores.
“I refuse to let schizophrenia hold me back,” he said. “I’m still accomplishing my goals. I’ve started an antichrist church online, and am attending a witch school online.”
Jason disappears
Clark’s mental illness did not manifest itself until just after he’d finished his sophomore year at the International Business College in Fort Wayne, when he suddenly disappeared.
Unbeknownst to his mother, Clark had slipped away to San Francisco, where he spent nearly two years living on the street.
“I reported him as missing,” said Janet. “I was worried sick, but I always felt he was still alive. What got me through was my family and a lot of prayer.”
Police finally found him and contacted Janet’s sister in Las Vegas, who arranged for him to fly there. She then put him on a plane to Indianapolis, where Janet picked him up.
“I was shocked by how thin and odd he looked,” Janet said. “He didn’t smile. He just stared.”
Before he disappeared, Clark had been meticulous about his appearance. His face was always clean shaven, hair neatly combed, shoes spit polished.
Now his hair was long and straggly, his clothes were disheveled, and he wore an unkempt beard.
“He looked like Charles Manson,” she said. “There was dirt in his pockets, and he was carrying a stick with a feather on the end of it.”
One day, Janet asked Clark to water her plants. Instead, he poured water on a completed puzzle depicting a bouquet of flowers.
“Fortunately, I was able to see humor in some of his behavior,” she said. “I realized I could either laugh or cry, so I chose to laugh.”
Clark was so lethargic during those days that he didn’t even watch TV.
“He never smiled,” she said. “He would just sit at home or walk around the neighborhood. Sometimes, he’d stop in the middle of the street and just stare.”
Fortunately, Janet said, their neighbors were understanding and supportive.
“They would assure me he’d get better and pray with me,” she said. “They’d always say Hi to Jason and keep an eye on him for me while I was at work.”
Getting Jason help
For months, Janet was frustrated that she could not get professional help for Jason.
“He was over 18, so I couldn’t force him to do anything against his wishes,” she said.
One day a police officer saw Jason walking down the middle of Rogers Street during rush hour.
“When he called me I told him to take Jason to the hospital,” she said. “The doctor there talked him into signing release papers so I could ask questions about his illness.”
Clark made an appointment with a psychiatrist at the Center for Behavioral Health, who began treating Jason with therapy and medications.
“The medications and therapy have helped me the most,” said Jason. “I really like my psychiatrist.”
Learning to let go
In 2004, Clark attended a Family-to-Family Education Program in Bloomington, sponsored by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
“One thing I learned at the program was to stop hovering over Jason and monitoring his every move,” she said. “That was really bugging him. I learned to give him some space and allow him to make some mistakes.”
The result is a happier Jason, and a better relationship between mom and son.
“I can honestly say I really enjoy his company now,” she said. “We go to the grocery store or Wal-Mart, and go to movies and to dinner together. Our relationship has been restored.”
Jason Clark, a 27-year-old Bloomington man, developed schizophrenia in early adulthood, disappearing for several years before turning up on the West Coast. Jeremy Hogan | Hoosier Times
Jason Clark, who is schizophrenic, checks the sales of his book in the back room at Soma coffeehouse in Bloomington. Clark said he often hears the voices of demons due to his study and practice of witchcraft. Jeremy Hogan | Hoosier Times
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