“It was definitely a sexual kind of sensation”: sex, sexual identity, and gender in the phenomenology of psychosis
Nev Jones, Cherise Rosen, Sarah R. Kamens, Mona M Shattell
Psychosis April 3, 2018 DOI: 10.1080/17522439.2018.1469036 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 49 |
| Population | Individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder who reported past or current treatment |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key findings | Sex- and gender-related content was common in participants' psychotic experiences: nearly three-quarters of interview participants and about one quarter of focus group participants reported it, spanning themes of shame and persecution, sexual or sexualized violence, power and agency, and positive erotic experiences. The authors argue that clinicians should validate and engage with these themes and that more research is needed on their implications for engagement, treatment, and social recovery. |
Abstract
Purpose: Over the past twenty years, few empirical studies have focused on manifestations of sex, sexual identity, and gender within the phenomenology of psychosis. The goal of the present analysis was to explore themes related to gender and sexuality among individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth phenomenological interviews and a secondary analysis of two focus groups with an additional 24 participants (total N = 49), all of whom reported past or current treatment for a psychotic disorder.
Results: Nearly three-quarters of interview participants and one quarter of focus group participants reported some kind of sex or gender-related content. Participants’ experiences were grouped under the following four themes: “shame and persecution,” “sexual or sexualized violence,” “power, agency, sexuality & gender,” and “positive experiences of the erotic.” Some participants described sexual experiences or content as a primary facet of their experiences, while for others it occupied a more secondary place. Many participants reported some degree of shame associated with sexual aspects of their experience.
Conclusions: We emphasize the clinical importance of validating and engaging with sex/sexual themes, and call for future research focused on implications vis-a-vis engagement, treatment, and social recovery.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |