The Link Between Dissociation and Religious/Spiritual Experiences

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Abstract Dissociation encompasses a wide range of normal to pathological alterations in the usual sense of identity and state of consciousness, from depersonalization/derealization symptoms to psychogenic amnesia and trance. Since the late nineteenth-century, dissociation has been regarded as an important psychological mechanism underlying diverse spiritual or religious experiences, from spirit mediumship to ecstatic or mystical states. However, distinguishing healthy spiritual experiences from dissociative disorders can be challenging. In this chapter, I review and critically examine the literature on the link between dissociation and religious/spiritual experiences. I begin by briefly outlining the theoretical controversies surrounding the etiology of dissociation, more specifically, the debate between the trauma and fantasy models, which bears implications for the link with spiritual experiences. In a second moment, I review and discuss the most relevant findings bearing on this link, and their implications for differential diagnosis issues. I present and explore three hypotheses to account for the evidence: (i) dissociation is a universal psychobiological response to trauma underlying different spiritual experiences, (ii) spiritual experiences involve dissociative processes which differ from trauma-related dissociation, and (iii) spiritual and dissociative experiences are socio-historical constructs rather than universal, recurring phenomena. I discuss the extant findings in favor of each hypothesis, as well as the methodological strengths and shortcomings of the available studies. I conclude by arguing that the etiology of dissociative experiences cannot be understood solely in terms of post-traumatic stress reactions, and that religious/spiritual practices and beliefs should be considered in a comprehensive theory of dissociation.