Psychosis and Spirituality: Exploring the New Frontier
A conference sponsored by the University of Southampton Medical School
King Alfred's College, Winchester 6-7 September, 2001

Jennifer Elam, Ph.D. Pennsylvania, USA

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2nd annual conference called Psychosis and Spirituality: Exploring the New Frontier. I feel enormously grateful for the opportunity to again join in dialogue with professionals in the field as well as people who have had powerful spiritual experiences. The purposes of the gathering were to: 1) continue the search for a new story about the conceptualization and treatment of spiritual experiences in professional settings; 2) hold up to examination the new conceptualizations and document the questions that are raised, 3) learn more about how to interact with the beliefs and experiences of others in respect; and 4) begin to examine how new ways of viewing experiences may affect how we as professionals intervene therapeutically. The conference was organized to allow for the greatest possible variety of viewpoints with much discussion.

The stage was set at this 2nd conference by ISABEL CLARKE, conference organizer and a clinical psychologist briefly sketching in a "discontinuity model" suggesting that polarization between psychosis and spirituality is a false dichotomy. Instead, there are two ways of operating in the world; the every day ordinary and that which goes beyond the ordinary, the "transliminal." Both ways are available to all humans and are equally valid. Distinguishing the raw bodily and sensory experiences from the conceptualizations, words, meanings, and frameworks put around raw experiences is important. Traditionally, professionals have not viewed patients’ stories of their experiences as particularly valuable; in the new story, experience is at the heart of data collection.

DR. PETER CHADWICK helped to set a tone of acceptance for the conference by talking about his spiritual experiences that were part of a psychotic breakdown in the 1970's that ended in failed attempts at suicide by jumping under a bus and throwing himself down flights of stairs. He was pulled away from the bus by "a force" and ended up parallel to the bus. He finds making distinctions between his mystical experiences and his psychotic experiences to be helpful and believes that his functioning has been improved by taking medication along with a deep searching for meaning within the experiences.

An important part of his experiences included synchronicities, in which he found deep meaning in everything that happened. For example, the ambulance men who took him to the hospital were named Peter and Paul. He could not flow with the synchronicities. He broke (open). At that time, he searched and found nothing he had learned in obtaining four academic degrees to help him.

His efforts to "disentangle" the experience and share it with others has been very helpful in integrating it and moving on toward a productive life, happily married, a college lecturer and researcher of psychosis in its many facets. At this point, he appears able to find gifts in his journey from sanity to supersanity to insanity and back again and articulates the journey in helpful ways for others.

ANNE BARING gave an extraordinary keynote talk entitled "Unexplored Dimensions of Consciousness and the Visionary Experience: Parmenides, Dante, and Jung's Seven Sermons to the Dead" in which she integrated her own life’s stories with those of these three visionaries and considered the changing role of the visionary in different cultures. She began with the question: Are we related to something infinite or not? Is our brain the origin of our consciousness or does our consciousness originate in or from a greater reality?

The following image displayed on a slide summed up her answers: "A man puts his head beyond the edge of a familiar universe, gazing in wonder at another dimension of reality. It is an image of breaking through limitations, an image of quest, exploration and discovery - all experiences that are absolutely intrinsic to the human spirit."

All through human history it has been essential for human movement toward a greater consciousness for people to open to the transliminal. The prophetic tradition, illustrated here by the examples of Parmenides, Dante, and Jung, assists this. The belief is growing that madness has meaning and needs to be treated as such. Over 50% of the population reports having spiritual experiences but do not talk about them for fear of being called crazy.

NIGEL MILLS is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and a Lecturer at Whitchurch Hospital/Cardiff University for the Clinical Psychology training course. Integrated into his therapy are practices he has developed from mindfulness and body-mind integration strategies from t’ai chi and yoga. Mindfulness may be achieved through attention to breathing, heightened awareness of movement, the cultivation of compassion for self and others, and "sitting with" feelings. The client can move from a place of fear to a place of compassion.

DR. NATALIE TOBERT is currently conducting research in India into religious and medical strategies for addressing mental health. She works as a freelance lecturer, facilitating courses which explore spirituality, medical anthropology, shamanism, and death. She asks, "Can we develop a program to train people in shamanistic practices so that they can gain more control over their experiences of expanded perception?"

DR. ANDREW POWELL is a traditionally trained psychiatrist who has sought further training in many areas of healing including soul recovery. We are souls primarily who take a body to experience life with its problems and opportunities. There is a supreme being; we are all connected to it and it lives in all of us and is our life-giving essence. There is much power in soul to soul contact; Dr. Powell described powerful changes in his client's relationships when taught to look beyond the difficulties experienced in the physical body. The therapist's role is to facilitate the person finding what they need to heal; what they need lies in their own soul. The soul does not make mistakes; all experiences are grist for our mill. We are co-creators with the Divine and the soul's journey is to re-unite with God.

MARK SUTHERLAND is an Anglican priest who has served as chaplain at the South London & Maudsley NHS. Mark is interested in the relationship between altered states and one's long-term spiritual journey. He has explored Eastern spiritual practices which establish good mind/body connections and open the practitioner to a wider experience of the numinous ground.

Using story, movement and music, DR. JUNE BOYCE-TILLMAN presented a moving performance called "The Gift of Tears - Margery Kemp" integrating her own life with the lives of Margery Kemp (a remarkable and eccentric medieval visionary who suffered in her faith) and Jesus.

In addition to the workshops, there were also two panel discussions. On Day 1, the question was "Does considering the overlap between Psychosis and Spirituality open up new therapeutic possibilities?" "What are they?"

Dr. HAZEL NELSON discussed the therapeutic possibilities opened up by understanding psychosis as a break in communication between the two central meaning processing systems of the human being: the propositional and the implicational. "Mindfulness" as a therapeutic approach is indicated by this perspective. DR. JENNIFER ELAM collected the stories of about 100 people's experiences of God ranging from experiences of awe and wonder to experiences that were overwhelming and contributed to the person's need for hospitalization. After following many of them for three years, she discussed commonalities in the suggestions made by experiencers as to what has been helpful to them in integrating their experiences in a positive way into their lives. Jennifer is a school psychologist who has begun asking questions related to the implications of these new conceptualizations for the treatment of children. CRAIG CHIGWEDERE asked us to consider the views of other cultures, particularly indigenous cultures that offer alternative views of transliminal experiences that can be helpful in the integration process. He gave examples from his experience growing up in Zimbabwe.

A second panel discussion was chaired by DR. CHRIS CLARKE. Chris is a physicist who is exploring a new conceptualization of the scientific method called "The Cooperative Inquiry Model," which is more suitable for exploring questions related to spirituality and transliminal experiences. Members of this panel were asked to share their theoretical and faith viewpoints. ANNABELLE HOLLIS had a transliminal experience that she views as psychotic. She discussed what led up to that experience and her path back. Now working in a medically-oriented but alternative treatment center, she has a strong "container" around her so that the quality of her life has been enhanced by the experience. DR. SERENA RONEY-DOUGAL researches the pineal gland. She has found that we make a chemical at night that leads to our dreams; that substance has the same chemical structure as a plant that is used as an hallucinogen. The pineal gland is affected by chanting. DR. JUNE BOYCE-TILLMAN teaches at King Alfred's College and says that in many places we have lost our traditional liturgy or other rituals that help contain the energy of transliminal experiences so we are trying to construct a container, individually. We need the checks and balances provided by a spiritual community and we need grounding. ISABEL CLARKE suggested that psychosis is capable of both being a curse and a glimpse into a spiritual depth that people long for. Seeking transliminal experiences for the sake of the experience could deteriorate into another consumerism.

Emerging Themes

1. THE LIFE ENHANCING SIDE OF TRANSLIMINAL EXPERIENCE
Many participants saw their transliminal experiences as breakthroughs and paths to finding their own voices.

2. SIMILAR EXPERIENCES: DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL MEANINGS
For some, the experiences become prophetic or visionary and help the world, for some they are a breaking open that precedes a breaking through to a richer life and voice, and for some they lead to misery. What helps us to overcome the dangers of pathological grandiosity, projections, destructive voices, depression, and exhaustion?

Some agreement appeared amongst participants as to what has been helpful to them along the way:

3. THE ROLE OF CONCEPTUALISATION
Many began with a distinction between the bodily experiences and the conceptualization. Often the misery comes from fears that are related to the conceptualizations rather than the actual bodily experiences. For example, a common vision of a bright light can be framed either as: "I am going crazy", or as meaning connection to God and others, and is then more easily integrated into daily life.

4. THE NEED FOR A CONTAINING CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
A strong "container" is needed. The following containers have been found helpful:

· the experiencer’s own relationship with something bigger than themselves;

· Others find containment in their spiritual/faith communities who validate a sense of "calling";

· Still others are helped by the medical communities.

Many report harm being done by both traditional religious and medical establishments that do not value the experiences. Spiritual traditions of many kinds can provide the needed frame.

How the experiences are framed helps not only to contain but also to CREATE further experience. When the experience is framed as containing gifts, they are more likely to be found, when framed as pathology, one is more likely to move toward misery. It is important to recognize relevant truths that have come down through the ages and help the experiencer to connect to those larger truths; e.g., since the beginning of time (Genesis story), chaos often precedes creation.

5. SENSITIVE HELP IS NEEDED FROM PROFESSIONALS AND OTHERS TO GUIDE PEOPLE THROUGH THE DANGERS OF SUCH A JOURNEY WITHOUT INVALIDATING THEM.

· During the stage of misery, people need validation that their psychic pain is real. A period of rest and separation from the world may be needed because the increased sensitivity magnifies the impact of daily violence in the world. As soon as possible they need a place in the world where they can serve a positive role; a new way of functioning is emerging for them.

· Honest feedback is needed when realities do not match, but not by denying their reality or calling it delusional. Leading a person to see choices in their conceptualizations of reality can be helpful; in the long run, telling them their reality is false can do harm. They need accompaniment and this requires others who can stand beside them, not having to believe or dis-believe their stories.

· Many recognize that words are inadequate to the task of communicating about transliminal experiences. Using media such as creative arts, movement, and writing can reach the places from where words come when words are not effective. Language is only a representation of experience but creates its own reality. Many experience an "energy" along with their transliminal experiences that needs to be directed into constructive creative outlets or is at risk of turning destructive.

6. THE NEED FOR HELP IN HEALING AND FRAMING THE STORY.
Many report the need to tell their stories with all their paradoxes and be responded to with respect. For many, unresolved early traumas or recent losses (or both) have emerged needing treatment. Fear and resistance is often what creates more fear; then the experiences become a problem. As we accept the experiences, provide for them normalized frames and look for the gift, then paradoxically we no longer feel as out-of-control and fearful. As we give up trying to control them and know them as connection to something larger (God), we feel more in control.

Experiencers need help to transcend dualities that are unhelpful such as sick/well, psychotic/spiritual; the experiences are not one or the other. Both/and thinking is very helpful.

In summary, there are out-of-the-ordinary bodily experiences that sometimes become visionary experiences, sometimes lead to greater personal authenticity, and sometimes bring misery depending on how the transliminal experiences are encountered.

I am grateful for the many choices of conceptualizations that are coming forth as alternatives to the medical models. I am grateful to be in communication with so many people that have had many different kinds of transliminal experiences, have entered the world of darkness and have returned living more brilliant lives with more powerful voices. I am grateful for the hope that was generated at this conference for providing street lights along the dark path for those still in darkness. I am grateful for the courage shown to talk about matters that most would rather not talk about.

Dr. Jennifer Elam is author of Dancing with God through the Storm: Mysticism and Mental Illness. The organizers of the this conference have a book out called Psychosis and Spirituality: Exploring the New Frontier, Edited by Isabel Clarke, Whurr publishers Ltd., 19B Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN, UK, email: info@whurr.co.uk .