C Scharfetter

[Occultism, parapsychology and the esoteric from the perspective of psychopathology].

Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie October 1, 1998 C Scharfetter

Occultism, parapsychology, and esoterics are compared with religion, spirituality, and mysticism, emphasizing cultural relativity. Occultism involves manipulating phenomena inaccessible to normal perception through magic. Parapsychology in its popular sense addresses occult phenomena, while scientific parapsychology investigates them empirically. Esoterics comprises beliefs about occult processes and destiny after death within a hermetic tradition. Transpersonal psychology frames these as spiritual. Paranormal experiences can affect personality, interpersonal relations, and mental health, potentially causing crises or psychoses, including mediumistic psychoses where splitting of non-ego parts manifests schizophrenic symptoms. Dangers include ego inflation from attributing superhuman power. Schizotypia may predispose to parapsychological perception. Adepts may exhibit a false self as described by Winnicott.