Rights statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Mental Health, Religion and Culture on 14/06/2019, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13674676.2019.1606186
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Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health and mediumship
T2 - an interpretative phenomenological analysis
AU - Wilde, D.J.
AU - Murray, J.
AU - Doherty, P.
AU - Murray, C.D.
N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Mental Health, Religion and Culture on 14/06/2019, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13674676.2019.1606186
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - There is a lack of research examining the mental health of practicing mediums, yet the nature of mediumship work inherently presents a number of challenges to the mental health of practitioners. In this study, we aimed to gain an understanding of how mediums experience their mental health in relation to their mediumistic practice and how they recognise and respond to psychological difficulties experienced by their clients. Fourteen mediums from the North West of England took part in one-to-one interviews, which were transcribed and subject to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four themes were identified: from past traumas to mediumistic identity; spirit makes sense, mental illness is chaos; being resilient but vulnerable; and ethical mediumistic practice. The research highlights the value of not dismissing or attempting to change appraisals of valued aspects of mediums’ anomalous experiences. However, the findings do indicate that support for exposure to clients’ difficulties might be helpful.
AB - There is a lack of research examining the mental health of practicing mediums, yet the nature of mediumship work inherently presents a number of challenges to the mental health of practitioners. In this study, we aimed to gain an understanding of how mediums experience their mental health in relation to their mediumistic practice and how they recognise and respond to psychological difficulties experienced by their clients. Fourteen mediums from the North West of England took part in one-to-one interviews, which were transcribed and subject to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four themes were identified: from past traumas to mediumistic identity; spirit makes sense, mental illness is chaos; being resilient but vulnerable; and ethical mediumistic practice. The research highlights the value of not dismissing or attempting to change appraisals of valued aspects of mediums’ anomalous experiences. However, the findings do indicate that support for exposure to clients’ difficulties might be helpful.
KW - Anomalous experience
KW - bereavement
KW - hearing voices
KW - medium
KW - psychic
KW - qualitative
KW - trauma
U2 - 10.1080/13674676.2019.1606186
DO - 10.1080/13674676.2019.1606186
M3 - Journal article
VL - 22
SP - 261
EP - 278
JO - Mental Health, Religion and Culture
JF - Mental Health, Religion and Culture
SN - 1367-4676
IS - 3
ER -