The similarity between psychotic symptoms and aspects of mystical experiences is well known. It has long been recognized that there are similarities between mystical and spiritual and psychotic experiences. The content of an experience alone usually does not determine whether an individual is psychotic. The Russian composer Scriabin (1872-1915) was among the most famous artists of his time....
The article describes a cultural pattern related to altered states of consciousness, observed amongst new immigrants from Ethiopia to Israel. The belief in possession by Zar spirits is one of the most common possession phenomena in Africa and in other continents. Possession by Zar is expressed by a wide range of behaviors, such as involuntary movements, mutism and incomprehensible language....
This article describes a cultural pattern related to altered states of consciousness, observed amongst new immigrants from Ethiopia in Israel. The belief in possession by Zar spirits is one of the most common possession phenomena in Africa and in other continents. Possession by Zar is expressed by a wide range of behaviours, such as involuntary movements (often resembling epileptiform...
AbstractIn this paper Reactive Dissociative Psychosis (RDP) is seen as a post‐traumatic stress response and as a subcategory of Brief Reactive Psychosis (BRP). A review of the literature and the evolution of RDP from Hysteria and Hysterical Psychosis are given. Issue is taken with defining the duration of BRP as “Brief.” The authors argue that long‐standing psychotic symptoms may be...