Anton Boisen Reconsidered: Psychiatric Survivor and Mad Prophet.
Journal of religion and health February 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-022-01697-0 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAnton Boisen, a key figure in the psychology of religion and pastoral psychology, faced skepticism about his ideas and stigma over his psychiatric diagnosis. The author argues Boisen was a prophet whose critiques of psychiatry and claim that psychosis and mystical experience overlap were ahead of their time. Scholars have overlooked the prophetic truth in Boisen's 1920 visionary experience, which predicted today's ecological crisis. Reclaiming Boisen's voice could help reclaim the uniqueness of the disciplines he helped create.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Anti-psychiatry Anton boisen Clinical pastoral education Mad pride Mad studies |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | Anton Boisen's 1920 visionary experience predicted the current ecological crisis, and his critiques of psychiatry and view of psychosis as overlapping with mystical experience have been unjustly ignored. |
Abstract
Anton Boisen was a seminal figure in the psychology of religion and pastoral psychology, but scholars have remained skeptical about his theoretical contributions and have perpetuated the stigma surrounding his psychiatric diagnosis and incarceration. I argue that Boisen was a prophet, ahead of his time, and that the academy has been slow to hear his salient critiques of the psychiatric system, and his contention that "psychosis" and "mystical experience" are overlapping phenomena. Most significantly, scholars have ignored the kernel of prophetic truth in Boisen's own visionary experience, which, remarkably, in 1920, predicted the ecological crisis of our current age. Reclaiming Boisen's unique voice might help us reclaim the uniqueness of the disciplines he helped birth.