What Do Clients, Who Have Described Their Mystical Experiences to Their Therapist, Report about the Outcome?
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Authors
Lamb, Lynn
Issue Date
2005
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The centrality to human life of religious or mystical experience was confirmed in a 1990 Gallup poll, which revealed that 53% of Americans have had a "sudden religious awakening or insight" (Levin, 1993). Miller and Thoresen's 2003 study indicates that 95% of Americans believe in God or higher power, and this figure "has never dropped below 90% during the past 50 years” (p. 24). However, only a few studies examine the methods of contemporary psychologists in addressing client reports of religious or mystical experiences, and only one study addresses the issue from the client's perspective. This study adds to that body of knowledge by examining how clients experience their therapist's responses to the disclosure of mystical or religious phenomena by using content analysis to assess the data. Seventy participants were recruited through the Internet. The majority of the sample was Caucasian (n= 59). The typical participant in this study was female, married, 41 years old, graduate school educated, and did not identify with any major religion. The majority of participants responded to postings on websites calling for research participants. Most participants (n=60) chose to disclose their mystical experience to their therapist and described a positive reaction (n=36) from their therapist. These positive experiences generally resulted in the client's reported integration of their mystical experience into their lives, positive changes to the therapeutic relationship (i.e., increased trust), and the exploration of similar material in therapy. Participants who reported a negative experience (n=24) generally felt invalidated and frustrated in their efforts to integrate the experience into their lives. The resulting lack of connection and trust with their therapist negatively impacted the relationship. The findings demonstrate that the therapist's response to reported mystical experiences is critical to the client's understanding and integration of these experiences. The author questions whether sufficient attention and training are given to clinicians to address these issues in the clinical setting.