Religious and Spiritual Experiences (RSEs) of Demons, Devils, and Satan: An Analysis of Features and Relationships to Psychopathology and Culture
Ari Brouwer, Charles L. Raison
June 21, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/g3spn_v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Population | Reports of religious and spiritual experiences from the Alister Hardy RERC database |
| Keywords | Psychopathology Mental health Religious experience Interpretative phenomenological analysis Content measure theory Narrative Developmental psychology |
| Key findings | Personal experiences of demonic forces are more associated with mental health difficulties than with particular religious or cultural affiliations. |
Abstract
This paper examines first-person experiences of demons, devils, and Satan contained in the Alister Hardy RERC database of religious and spiritual experiences (RSEs). Word frequency analysis, content analysis, and phenomenological analysis are used to characterize the features of demonic experiences and how they relate to psychopathology and religious/cultural affiliations. Results show that demonic experiences are less common than positively valenced RSEs in the RERC database, and that they disproportionately reflect psychotic-like experiences and mental health difficulties. Personal experiences of demonic forces also appear to be related to dreams and parasomnias (e.g., sleep paralysis), while reference to the possession/exorcism of other persons is associated with Pentecostal/evangelical affiliation. Results suggest that personal experiences of demonic forces are more associated with mental health difficulties than with particular religious or cultural affiliations within the current sample.