Sweet Delight and Endless Night: A Qualitative Exploration of Ordinary and Extraordinary Religious and Spiritual Experiences in Bipolar Disorder
Eva Ouwehand, Hanneke Muthert, Hetty Zock, Hennie Boeije, Arjan W. Braam
International Journal for the Psychology of Religion December 13, 2017 DOI: 10.1080/10508619.2018.1415085 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Recovered bipolar patients recruited from mental health care institutions, a patients' association, and via the internet in the Netherlands |
| Keywords | Mania Bipolar disorder Religious experience Terminology Relevance law |
| Citations | 20 |
| Key findings | Participants reported a variety of religious and spiritual experiences during mania that were often on a continuum with stable-time experiences, and most viewed them as both authentically religious or spiritual and related to the disorder. |
Abstract
The authenticity of religious and spiritual experiences during mania is an important subject for bipolar patients. The exploration of such experience in bipolar disorder is the central point of this qualitative study. A psychiatrist and a hospital chaplain conducted 35 semi-structured interviews with recovered participants, recruited from mental health care institutions in the Netherlands, the patients’ association and via the internet, about their religious and spiritual experiences during illness episodes and in stable times. A variety in types (such as divine presence, unity, mission, meaningful synchronicity) during mania was reported, which were on a sliding scale with experiences/views in stable times in more than half of the interviews. During depression, absence of religious or spiritual experience was predominant. The reported experiences were viewed by most participants as both authentically religious or spiritual but also related to the disorder, requiring therefore language that transcended medical terminology. Also indicated is the relevance of the results for fundamental discussions about the nature or religious experience.