The Potential Therapeutic Efficacy of Assisted After-Death Communication

Beischel, Julie; Mosher, Chad M.; Boccuzzi, Mark

doi:10.4324/9781315202396-17

Cited by 4 publications

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“…The many modes of ADC parallel the diverse ways that people see themselves as receiving messages from God: Through interpersonal encounters, meaningful events, physical sensations, sacred texts, spontaneous thoughts, and nature experiences, to name just a few (Harriott & Exline, 2017; Liebert, 2008). Although ADCs often occur spontaneously (Guggenheim & Guggenheim, 2005; Houck, 2005), people can also pursue ADCs, perhaps via mediums (Beischel et al, 2014–2015, 2018; Houck, 2005; Krippner & Friedman, 2010; Lee, 2015) or through techniques based on eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR; Botkin, 2000; Botkin &, Hogan, 2005; Hannah et al, 2013).…”

Section: Afterlife Beliefs: Prevalence and Correlatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychopathology, normal psychological processes, or supernatural encounters? Three ways to frame reports of after-death communication.

Exline¹

2021

Spirituality in Clinical Practice

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Many people believe that they have received after-death communications (ADCs) from deceased loved ones, and some bereaved individuals may disclose such experiences to their therapists. This can be a challenging area to navigate, especially given stigma around ADCs, uncertainty around their interpretation, and possible worldview differences between therapists and clients. This article illustrates how clinicians might frame ADCs through three different lenses: mental illness, psychological, and supernatural. I outline potential pros and cons of each lens and offer tentative suggestions about how each might be effectively applied in therapy. The mental illness lens frames ADCs as possible hallucinations, delusions, or other psychological or medical symptoms. Although this lens can help to identify and treat serious conditions, its overuse may lead to dismissal and pathologizing of ADCs and can contribute to stigma, along with inaccurate psychiatric diagnoses and treatments. The psychological lens, which frames ADCs as normal psychological phenomena, allows the deep exploration of potential meanings, predictors, and consequences of ADC, but some people may find that excessive analysis or sharing of these extraordinary, perhaps ineffable experiences strips them of personal impact or transcendent meaning. The supernatural lens, which frames ADCs as actual messages from the deceased, may provide reassurance, hope, and inspiration by suggesting or confirming positive afterlife beliefs and opening the possibility of continued communication with deceased loved ones; however, supernatural framing might also introduce problems such as disorienting worldview shifts, burdensome or frightening messages, or overreliance on external sources such as spirit mediums in the pursuit of ADCs.

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Section: Afterlife Beliefs: Prevalence and Correlatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…What if Teresa were to ask you for help or advice in finding a medium? (See, e.g., Beischel et al, 2014–2015, 2018; Krippner, 2006; Krippner & Friedman, 2010; Lee, 2015). Depending on your beliefs and experiences, you may feel perfectly comfortable making a referral.…”

Section: Three Lenses: Mental Illness Psychological and Supernaturalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychopathology, normal psychological processes, or supernatural encounters? Three ways to frame reports of after-death communication.

Exline¹

2021

Spirituality in Clinical Practice

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“…Fourth, the varied practices of new age spirituality generally consist of small group workshops and therapeutic dyads which tend to conform well to the needs of the grieving and bereaved (Taves & Kinsella, 2013). And fifth, new age spirituality actively supports individuals in reexperiencing or reproducing the effects of ELEs, whether it be through guided visualizations or through seeking the assistance of psychics and mediums (Beischel et al, 2018). As such, those who work with individuals reporting ELEs should be sympathetic and appreciative of how this meaning-making system is especially useful for individuals operating within the contemporary Western materialist paradigm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was followed by a gradual decrease of apparitions sighted during the days, weeks, and months after a death (Myers, 1903). Just over two decades later, Sir William Barrett published a study of "deathbed visions" in which he presented a typology of end-of-life experiences; exactly half of the number of types that Barrett identified were those reported by loved ones and caregivers of the dying (Barrett, 1926). In sum, early psychical research revealed that the living and the dying alike may experience a variety of non-ordinary phenomena around the event of a death.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Spectrum of End-of-Life Experiences: A Tool for Advancing Death Education

2022

Omega (Westport)

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Studies on end-of-life experiences (ELEs) suggest that caregivers and loved ones of dying patients also have ELEs, though these are rarely explored. This article introduces the Spectrum of End-of-Life Experiences (SELE) as a descriptive list of types of ELEs reported by all members of the care unit, including dying patients, their caregivers, and their loved ones. We applied SELE towards identifying ELEs reported by 143 caregivers and loved ones and successfully identified every experience. Interviews revealed that participants viewed their ELEs as profound communicative events, yet a substantial minority also reported struggling to name and process these experiences. We propose that SELE be included in death education to raise awareness about ELEs that can occur within the care unit, and we suggest that SELE has additional applications, including use as a prognostic aid in end-of-life care and as a therapeutic aid for bereavement support.

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“…Podem também acontecer através de encontros oníricos e de coincidências ou sinais que são interpretados como mensagens deixadas por alguém que já morreu (Exline, 2021;Guggenheim;Guggenheim, 1995;Krippner;Faith, 2001). As experiências de comunicação após a morte podem também ser descritas através do fenômeno da mediunidade (Beischel, 2019;Beischel et al, 2014;Lee, 2015;Maraldi et al, 2017). O termo mediunidade refere-se a experiências caracterizadas pela extensão da própria consciência para além do continuum tempo-espaço como o percebemos, onde indivíduos denominados médiuns podem se comunicar com pessoas falecidas (Lucchetti et al, 2015).…”

Section: Experiências De Comunicação Após a Morte Ou Mediúnicasunclassified

Experiências espirituais e religiosas no Brasil: prevalência, características e implicações para a saúde mental

Barros¹

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Barros MCM. Experiências espirituais e religiosas no Brasil: prevalência, características e implicações para a saúde mental [tese]. São Paulo: Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo; 2022.As experiências espirituais e religiosas (EERs) são definidas como fenômenos subjetivos relacionados à consciência de uma dimensão transcendente. Podem provocar mudanças de valores, hábitos e estilo de vida. Encontram-se na base das crenças sobre a existência da dimensão espiritual da realidade e podem apresentar características anômalas. As EERs não dependem de crenças religiosas ou espirituais específicas, mas se relacionam com elas na maneira como são interpretadas. Há evidências de que são comuns em diferentes populações, dentro de vasta gama de origens culturais. No Brasil, dados sobre sua prevalência, associação com fatores sociodemográficos, fatores de indução, processos de mudança religiosa e aspectos de saúde mental tais como ansiedade, depressão, qualidade de vida, otimismo e pessimismo ainda não foram investigados em amostras gerais amplas. Com o objetivo de preencher essa lacuna, foram investigados 16 tipos de EERs entre 1053 participantes da população geral brasileira, através de um questionário online autoaplicável, distribuído nas 5 principais regiões do país através do sistema de cotas. Foram então coletadas informações sobre religiosidade e aplicadas as escalas DUREL, Qualidade de vida (WHOQOL-breve), a PHQ9 para rastreamento de depressão e GAD7 para ansiedade, além do Teste de Orientação de vida (TOV-R). As EERs foram agrupadas em experiências místicas, mediúnicas, relacionadas a psi, experiências de memórias de supostas vidas passadas e de quase morte. A idade média da amostra final foi de 40,8 anos, com respondentes de nível socioeconômico e educacional superior à média da população brasileira. As EERs mostraram-se altamente prevalentes; aproximadamente 92% da amostra teve EERs pelo menos uma vez na vida e 47,5% referiu ter pelo menos uma experiência frequentemente. As EERs foram mais prevalentes em mulheres, mas não se associaram com renda, educação, situação de emprego e etnia. A idade avançada mostrou-se associada apenas a experiências místicas frequentes. Os respondentes reportaram ter pelo menos uma experiência mística com frequência em 35% dos casos, enquanto no grupo de experiências psi, esse percentual foi de 27,7%, seguido pelo grupo mediúnico, com 11%. As experiências isoladas mais frequentemente vivenciadas foram: "Unidade com Deus ou algo maior que o indivíduo" (26,8%), "Ter uma intuição sobre algo" (18,6%), "Ter usado a intuição para tomar uma decisão" (18,0%). As EERs espontâneas mostraram-se predominantes (77,2%), mas as induzidas foram substancialmente observadas (22,7%). EERs espontâneas associaram-se a homens, católicos e pessoas com mais de 60 anos, enquanto as induzidas foram mais comuns entre kardecistas, mulheres e pessoas com idade entre 31 e 45 anos. Os experienciadores identificaram mais de um indutor relacionado às experiências, que ocorreram principalmente em estados alter...

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The Potential Therapeutic Efficacy of Assisted After-Death Communication

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Psychopathology, normal psychological processes, or supernatural encounters? Three ways to frame reports of after-death communication.

Psychopathology, normal psychological processes, or supernatural encounters? Three ways to frame reports of after-death communication.

The Spectrum of End-of-Life Experiences: A Tool for Advancing Death Education

Experiências espirituais e religiosas no Brasil: prevalência, características e implicações para a saúde mental

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