Mental Health and the Paranormal

Predicting Facets of Adult Paranormality From Childhood Exposure to Inappropriate Styles of Parenting

“…Leonard, 2002). Indirect support for the PFH also comes from evidence that most facets of adult paranormality are associated with trauma-induced pathological dissociation (for reviews, see Dein, 2012; French & Stone, 2014; Irwin, 2009). Finally, paranormal belief has also been strongly associated with more frequent house moves during childhood (Lawrence et al., 1995), the implication being that such beliefs evolve as a response to early domestic instability rather than “active” child maltreatment.…”

‘It’s about having exposure to this’: investigating the training needs of therapists in relation to the issue of anomalous experiences

“…Likewise, given that some research has shown a link between AEs and other issues such as abuse, trauma, and dissociation (for an overview see Dein, 2012), it is crucial that therapists feel able to explore the meaning of these experiences with clients to help them to make sense of their experiences and to identify any precipitating factors that might be involved. It is also important for therapists to be aware that for some individuals AEs can be comforting, lifeenhancing, and adaptive, and can contribute to better psychological wellbeing (e.g., Braud, 2012;Grof & Grof, 1989;Kennedy & Kanthamani, 1995;Roxburgh & Roe, 2011;Wilde & Murray, 2009).…”

‘They daren’t tell people’: therapists’ experiences of working with clients who report anomalous experiences

“…In terms of AEs specifically, this could be achieved by therapists, services, and training organisations having adequate and reliable information about AEs and the potential link with mental health (Dein, 2012), including research findings and case studies, but also peer-facilitated support groups for AEs, such as those set up by the hearing voice network (HVN) for individuals who hear voices.…”