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    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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Mental health and mediumship: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>1/07/2019
<mark>Journal</mark>Mental Health, Religion and Culture
Issue number3
Volume22
Number of pages18
Pages (from-to)261-278
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date14/06/19
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

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.

Bibliographic note

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