The numinous experience in the context of psychopathology and traumatic stress studies
Christian Lönneker, Andreas Maercker
Culture & Psychology September 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1177/1354067x20922139 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | PTSD |
| Key points | Proposes that the numinous experience, defined through paradoxical cognitions and dissociation, can help explain psychopathological phenomena such as those occurring in near-death experiences, childhood sexual abuse, PTSD, prolonged grief disorder, and sleep paralysis. |
Abstract
The psychological phenomenon of a suddenly appearing, extremely enigmatic, and at the same time fascinating state in which one feels influenced by higher powers was described as a “numinous experience” by R. Otto and C. G. Jung. This condition is one of those subjectively non-rational experiences that have so far received little attention in cultural clinical psychology and yet have great potency to explain psychopathological phenomena. In the first section of this paper, we work towards a contemporary psychological definition both by focusing on the roles of paradoxical cognitions and dissociation and by presenting various differentiations and possible explanatory mechanisms. In the second part of this paper, we describe the numinous state as it occurs in selected clinical phenomena such as the subjective experience of potentially traumatic events including near-death experiences, sexual abuse of children, post-traumatic stress disorder, severe states of mourning (diagnosed today as prolonged grief disorder), and sleep paralysis. This paper is intended as a theoretical proposal aimed at better understanding subjectively non-rational states in patients.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theorizing that Psychedelic Assisted Therapy May Play a Role in the Treatment of Trauma-Induced Personality Disorders. | 2024 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The potential use of N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA) assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of eating disorders comorbid with PTSD. | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in adolescents: rationale, potential, risks, and considerations. Adolescents with PTSD | 2024 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Agency in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Implications for Therapy | 2023 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Inner World in the Outer World: The Phenomenology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder from a Psychoanalytic Perspective | 1996 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Near-Death Experiences: A Bibliometric and Systematic Review of Published Literature From 1977 to 2025. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying July 30, 2025
- The Monika Encounter: A Mixed Methods Study of a Techno-Based Ghostly Episode Spiritual Psychology and Counseling June 1, 2025
- Awe and Positive Affect: the Role of Self-Transcendence and Self-Focused Attention March 20, 2023
Cites 9
- Congruence Between Near-Death and Mystical Experience International Journal for the Psychology of Religion October 1, 2013
- Near-Death Experiences and Posttraumatic Growth The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease September 5, 2015
- Traumatic and Mystical Experiences Journal of Humanistic Psychology December 18, 2014
- C. G. Jung and numinous experience: Between the known and the unknown European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling December 1, 2007
- Interpreting Numinous Experiences Social Analysis 2006
and 4 more in the library