Making Sense of Spiritual, Metaphysical, and Eschatological Elements in Delusions: A Qualitative Study Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Psychopathology January 1, 2024 Daniel Nischk, Rico Gutschmidt 1 citation
Delusions with spiritual, metaphysical, or eschatological elements (SMEDs) resemble mystical experiences in how they alter perceptions of space, time, and unity, and are accompanied by a sense of enlightenment that remains ineffable. Seven participants described SMEDs as sources of ontological insight, mental health issues, inspiration for a new life orientation, or examples of the limits of knowledge. Making sense of these experiences involved an internal dialogue reflecting contradictory positions, and participants often struggled to reconcile the experiences' apparent significance with the dominant illness explanation. Integrating SMEDs into one's life is challenging. A philosophical, non-pathological interpretation of SMED, derived from a novel perspective on mystical experience, may have therapeutic utility.