Theorising disruption at the intersection of madness, mental disorder and acute religious experiences : a mad studies approach

Abstract

This thesis is derived from my own experience that: When I am sane, I am an atheist, but when I am Mad, I am driven by the Hand of God. From this paradoxical position I hypothesise a non-binary Intersection of Madness, Mental Disorder and Acute Religious Experiences. To establish and develop this Intersection I explore the way Madness, Mental Disorder and Acute Religious Experiences have been constructed and how they do and do not construct their referent realities. I explore the interrelation of these ideas showing how these have been addressed, but also remain undertheorised in the Academic disciplines of Psychiatry and Religious Studies. This thesis draws on my experiences but also an extensive bibliography of over six hundred texts split evenly between the sciences and the humanities. I introduce three innovations: 1.) Mad Studies: This approach privileges the voices of those who have experience of Madness. By applying this approach to both Psychiatry and Religious Studies for the first time, traditional models of understanding can be redescribed. 2.) Acute Religious Experiences: I conceptualise these as a distinct category which is competent to address species wide behaviours, in the same way that the ... (continues)