Spiritual awakening - from a psychopathological perspective

There is currently a massive increase in public interest in "catching" various altered states of consciousness - in shamanistic rituals #ayahuasca, in the use of psychoactive substances #magicmushrooms, in intensive breathing practices, meditation and other spiritual and other practices. 

Those who have tried it report a sudden transformation, a coming to themselves, to nature and to God. The business sector is not lazy either, with loud marketing slogans telling people that these experiences can bring long-awaited fulfilment, meaning, happiness, inner harmony, adherence to spiritual values and other positive influences. 

And in some cases it is true: transcendent (altered, expanded) states of consciousness (also called spiritual awakening, enlightenment experiences, spiritual experiences, etc.) are part of spiritual growth, and by experiencing them, inner transformative processes can begin to take place, resulting in a more harmonious, accepting and loving person towards themselves and the world, and yes, sometimes turning towards spirituality.

However, in psychology, these experiences are not as clearly valued as modern advertising slogans suggest. Yes, there are studies that confirm the beneficial effects of these experiences on a person's mental health. However, there is also research that confirms the opposite: the link to mental illness and mental health risks that can result from irresponsible experimentation with 'catching' expanded states of consciousness.

This article is more about the other side of the coin - spirituality and spiritual awakening experiences in the context of psychopathology. Reading between the lines may also partly answer the question of why we experience thoughts of "fucking mind" when experiencing expanded states of consciousness.

Religious or spiritual problem (Religious or Spiritual Problem)

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) of the American Psychiatric Association includes a diagnosis number V62.89 (Z65.8), which can be applied to people whose complaints centre on religious or spiritual issues. Specifically, in psychiatry, prominent (out of the norm) human manifestations with religious or spiritual content are considered a mental illness. It is true that the features of the diagnosis are described very roughly and the entry in the classification is made in a very remote place in the DSM (for social and political reasons; also because religion and spirituality are sometimes an important element in coping with mental illness; and also because various dimensions of spirituality show a positive relationship with mental health in research). However, it is a fact that religious and spiritual experiences also tend to be present in people with mental illness. In a word, the situation is complicated.

Mystical experience

Mystical experiences and other intensely expanded states of consciousness are among the psychic states to which the above diagnosis may apply. A mystical experience is, by its very nature, an event filled with positive emotions (initiated through spiritual practices, the use of psychoactive substances, breathing techniques, etc.). It is characterised by overwhelming, extremely strongly felt positive emotions - feelings of joy, happiness, unconditional love; a sense that all that exists is one or one with the universe; that everything that exists has the awareness that it is alive, perfect and predetermined. One can have a sense of being in touch with an all-inclusive force, an all-knowing, higher source (which many choose to interpret as God). 

It sounds beautiful, but from a pathological point of view, the manifestations and the course of mystical experiences are often similar to a psychosis or a psychotic episode - an outburst associated with an illness (mainly schizophrenia), during which a person loses contact with reality. 

In recent years, science has tried to distinguish between mystical experiences and psychosis as two different states of the psyche, or (another theory) to highlight the fact that, even if the experiences are one and the same, in some cases people can successfully integrate the experiences without psychiatric intervention, and this can even be beneficial for a person's mental health.  

Spiritual emergency

One of the psychiatric conditions most often diagnosed as a religious or spiritual problem is a spiritual crisis - which can result from difficulties in processing or integrating intense expanded states of consciousness (including mystical experiences). 

A mental crisis is a state of the psyche that can occur in situations following a sudden mental awakening (e.g. spontaneous) that becomes traumatic for the person and thus triggers a state of psychological crisis. A spiritual crisis differs from other psychosocial stress conditions in that it is spiritual or transpersonal in nature. Sometimes (not always) this crisis is associated with mental health problems, but at the same time a spiritual crisis can become an opportunity for inner growth.

Good news / bad news

It is clear that the science of spirituality and expanded states of consciousness is not yet clear.

Based on historical theories and DSM entries, the notion that experiences with spiritual and religious content are indicative of mental illness is still alive and well. This is a problem both in society, where some people still treat spirituality and spiritual experiences with rejection, condemnation, as hoaxes and charlatans trying to sell their wares; and among professionals: few psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists are able to distinguish or at least accept the idea that spiritual crises/intense altered states of consciousness may not be related to psychopathology.

What is being done now, however, is to overturn the historical view of all altered states of consciousness as pathological. At the same time, it is clear that all altered states of consciousness and all expressions of spirituality and religion cannot be attributed to mental health (in some cases they are indeed related to psychopathology). More specifically, science is currently trying to differentiate when a religious or spiritual problem is related to a mental illness, and in which cases a person is able to successfully integrate it (and even benefit from it).

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Sources:

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition. Arlington.

Harris, K. P., Rock, A. J., Clark, G. I. & Clin, D., P. (2020). Defining Spiritual Emergency: A Content Validity Study. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 52(1), 113-141.