‘Most people think you're a fruit loop’: Clients’ experiences of seeking support for anomalous experiences
Elizabeth C Roxburgh, Rachel E. Evenden
Counselling and Psychotherapy Research April 18, 2016 DOI: 10.1002/capr.12077 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 8 |
| Population | Clients who had discussed at least one anomalous experience in counselling |
| Citations | 25 |
| Key findings | Clients reporting anomalous experiences in counselling described both dismissive and validating therapist responses. The authors argue that finding an open-minded, informed counsellor matters, so clients can explore the meaning of their experiences without being ridiculed or pathologised. |
Abstract
Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of clients who report anomalous experiences ( AE s) in counselling services, so we are better informed about how therapists have responded to such clients. AE s are defined as those that ‘depart from our own familiar personal experiences or from the more usual, ordinary, and expected experiences of a given culture and time’ (Braud, , p. 107).
Design: A qualitative approach was taken involving semi‐structured interviews, and an inductive thematic analysis was conducted on transcripts.
Method: Semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with eight clients who had discussed at least one anomalous experience in counselling.
Results: Four themes were derived from participants’ data which were labelled using short participant extracts: ‘Why are you looking at that airy fairy crap?’, ‘It was like banging your head against a brick wall’, ‘It kind of shut the door’, and ‘Having someone to normalise and say you're not crazy, you're not weird’.
Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance for clients of finding an open‐minded and informed counsellor, so they can explore the meaning of the anomalous experience without being ridiculed or pathologised. Implications for both clients and counsellors are discussed in terms of the accessibility of counselling services to meet the needs of diverse clients and the growing field of clinical parapsychology.