"Soul-making" in a schizophrenic saint.
Journal of Religion and Health March 1, 1984 DOI: 10.1007/bf00999901 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Pierre Janet's theory stripped Madeleine of her soul, whereas a soul-making approach recognizes her altered states as part of integrating spiritual and bodily imagery into wholeness. |
Abstract
"Soul-making" (cf. Jung and Hillman) is the process of integrating spiritual and bodily imagery into an intimated wholeness transcending conscious comprehension. Pierre Janet's case of the psychotic mystic, Madeleine, reveals that the patient had been "making" her own-soul even though his theory had no provision for soul. Janet's soul-stripping theory is contrasted with a soul-making approach, primarily in their respective interpretations of Madeleine's altered states of consciousness. Religious ecstasy is a "stretching" of soul, an expansion into the realm of "spirit," which requires a subsequent descent into and reconciliation with tradition, society, outer world, and body.