Transes, crises e diagnósticos
February 25, 2021 Lucas Baccetto
The creation of two diagnostic categories in the 1994 DSM—'religious or spiritual problem' and 'dissociative trance disorder'—reflects ongoing debates among psychiatrists and psychologists about whether religious and spiritual experiences should be considered normal or pathological. Proponents of these categories draw on psychological and anthropological concepts, particularly from transpersonal psychology and studies on dissociation, to frame phenomena like religious trance, spiritual possession, and transcendental experience. Analysis of scientific articles, academic works, and interviews reveals how these professionals produce distinct psychological understandings that can either normalize or pathologize such experiences.