The Phenomenology of Non-Ordinary Experiences during Spiritualist Séances

Non-Ordinary experiences (NOEs), such as feelings of unity with God, hearing voices, and sensing the presence of deceased persons, are prevalent in the general population. They may be life-transforming but are also associated with pathological conditions such as psychosis and dissociation. However, little is known about how cultural appraisals and religious practices shape their phenomenology and psychological impact in non-clinical populations. For the most part, their socio-cognitive and emotional features remain unexplored. The purpose of this study was threefold. Firstly, to investigate the phenomenological characteristics and types of NOEs reported by self-defined spirit mediums from a spiritualist home circle in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Secondly, to explore the role of social context in interpreting and shaping NOEs. Finally, to gain a better understanding of the phenomenological similarities and distinctions of experiences reported in spiritualist contexts with psychopathological constructs such as dissociative and psychotic symptoms. The study used a mixed-methods approach, combining ethnographic observations of spiritualist séances, thematic content analysis of reports of séance-related NOEs, and standardized scales assessing dissociation, absorption, psychotic symptoms, symptoms of common mental disorders, and satisfaction with life. We analyzed a total of 151 independent reports of NOEs provided by a group of mediumship practitioners participating in regular séances over a period of one year and five months. The reports tapped a variety of experiences including intense emotional states (e.g., happiness, gratitude), alterations in consciousness (e.g., feelings of spacing out), spontaneous mental imagery (e.g., visions of the spiritual world), sensory-perceptual experiences (e.g., hearing voices or other unusual sounds), somatic manifestations (e.g., body tremors), and unusual experiences involving the séance table (e.g., vibrations). The experiences reported were episodic, controllable, and restricted to the séances. Overall, they were described as pleasant or innocuous. Mediums generally reported perceiving their lives as satisfying and meaningful and scored similarly to the general population on items indicative of common mental disorders. Given their cultural impact and predominantly positive effects, these experiences bear implications for differential diagnosis, and the role of cultural and religious factors in mental health, wellbeing, and cognition. The spiritualist séance provide a natural environment for observational and experimental studies of intentionally induced non-ordinary states of consciousness.Keywords: non-ordinary experiences, dissociative experiences, psychotic experiences, psychosis continuum, spirit mediumship, religious rituals, spirituality