Some Religious and Spiritual Experiences Associated with Depression Resemble Hypomania/Mania
Ari Brouwer, Charles L. Raison
July 1, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/ew5mh_v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Content analysis and phenomenological analysis |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 249 |
| Population | First-person reports of religious and spiritual experiences associated with depression |
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Psychopathology Depression economics Psychosocial Mental health Cognition Relevance law Perception Spirituality Interpretation philosophy Psychotherapist Clinical psychology Hypomania Praxis Interpretative phenomenological analysis Depressive symptoms Function biology Mood |
| Key points | Some religious and spiritual experiences associated with depression resemble hypomania or mania, involving long-duration positive emotional and perceptual states, and may either eliminate depression or be linked to mental health problems. |
Abstract
This paper explores whether some religious and spiritual experiences (RSEs) associated with depression resemble hypomania/mania. Content analysis and phenomenological analysis were used to characterize first-person RSE reports associated with depression (N = 249). Findings reveal that some RSEs that follow depression are characterized by long-duration states (lasting days to weeks) of positive emotion, cognitive clarity, and a sense that the external environment is imbued with extra positive emotional and perceptual qualities (e.g., love, beauty, light, vividness). These long-duration positive states are not always preceded by discrete visionary or hallucinatory phenomena, suggesting that hypomanic/manic-like experiences, in addition to psychotic-like experiences, bear relevance to the study of RSEs. Some RSEs that resemble hypomania reportedly annihilate depression or prevent its recurrence. Other reports of recurrent RSEs associated with depression refer to mental health and social problems. Relational features of certain RSEs, such as experiences of unconditional love, acceptance, and support, may relate to better outcomes associated with RSEs relative to typical psychopathological experiences. This interpretation is consistent with the idea that RS traditions function in part, like psychotherapeutic traditions, to promote mental well-being and to protect against psychosocial dysfunction.