Sweet Delight and Endless Night: A Qualitative Exploration of Ordinary and Extraordinary Religious and Spiritual Experiences in Bipolar Disorder

The authenticity of religious and spiritual experiences during mania is an important subject for bipolar patients. The exploration of such experience in bipolar disorder is the central point of this qualitative study. A psychiatrist and a hospital chaplain conducted 35 semi-structured interviews wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The international journal for the psychology of religion
Authors: Ouwehand, Eva (Author) ; Zock, Hetty 1957- (Author) ; Boeije, Hennie 1966- (Author) ; Braam, Arjan 1969- (Author) ; Muthert, Hanneke (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group [2018]
In: The international journal for the psychology of religion
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Manic-depressive psychosis / Experience of religion / Spiritual experience
RelBib Classification:AE Psychology of religion
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:The authenticity of religious and spiritual experiences during mania is an important subject for bipolar patients. The exploration of such experience in bipolar disorder is the central point of this qualitative study. A psychiatrist and a hospital chaplain conducted 35 semi-structured interviews with recovered participants, recruited from mental health care institutions in the Netherlands, the patients' association and via the internet, about their religious and spiritual experiences during illness episodes and in stable times. A variety in types (such as divine presence, unity, mission, meaningful synchronicity) during mania was reported, which were on a sliding scale with experiences/views in stable times in more than half of the interviews. During depression, absence of religious or spiritual experience was predominant. The reported experiences were viewed by most participants as both authentically religious or spiritual but also related to the disorder, requiring therefore language that transcended medical terminology. Also indicated is the relevance of the results for fundamental discussions about the nature or religious experience.
Item Description:In der Druckausgabe ist Volume 28, Numbers 1-4 in einem Heft erschienen
ISSN:1532-7582
Contains:Enthalten in: The international journal for the psychology of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/10508619.2018.1415085