\u201cThe Awful Rowing toward God\u201d: Interpretation of Religious Experiences by Individuals with Bipolar Disorder

Eva Ouwehand,J K Hanneke Muthert,Arjan W Braam,Hennie Boeije,T Hetty Zock

doi:10.1007/s11089-019-00875-4

Abstract

Limited research has been conducted on the religious experiences of people with bipolar disorder (BD). Qualitative research indicates that the disentanglement of pathology and genuine religiosity is an important issue for persons with BD and that some patients experience discrepancy between the explanatory models of mental health care professionals and religious leaders. The current study explores the ways patients with BD interpret religious experiences they have had during illness episodes, how this interpretation changes over an individual’s lifetime, and the expectations of treatment that persons with BD have regarding these religious experiences. Semi-structured interviews with 34 stable BD patients were conducted by a hospital chaplain and a psychiatrist trainee. The method of analysis was interpretative phenomenological analysis. For many participants, a religious quest originated after a religious experience during mania, and then a variety of medical and religious sources supported the interpretation process. Most participants endorsed mixed medical and religious explanations for their experiences and tried to distinguish between spiritual and pathological features. The interpretation process changed over time, influenced by religious affiliation and views, mood swings and the course of BD, and communication with others about the experiences. Discourse about the experiences was often problematic within treatment; a majority expressed the need for recognition of the spiritual value of the experiences, together with a critical sounding board for reflecting on their meaning and the influence of BD. More attention could be paid to the subject in treatment, and the expertise of hospital chaplains could contribute to this.

Highlights

The Awful Rowing toward God is the title of a poetry collection (1999) by Ann Sexton (1928– 1974), written one year before her suicide
The focus of this study was on the way persons with bipolar disorder (BD) interpret their religious or spiritual experiences related to illness episodes
An important result was that most participants endorsed mixed religious and medical explanations for BD and for their religious and spiritual experiences related to BD

Summary

Introduction

The Awful Rowing toward God is the title of a poetry collection (1999) by Ann Sexton (1928– 1974), written one year before her suicide. Sexton was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) (previously known as manic-depressive disorder) in 1954 Her poems in this collection reflect both her severe suffering and her fierce religious longing, coupled with her profound questioning of the destiny of (wo) mankind and the meaning of life. In the sparse patient-centered literature on BD in relation to religiosity, the question of whether such experiences are a sign of hyperreligiosity or reflect genuine spirituality emerges as an important theme for patients (Michalak et al 2006; Ouwehand et al 2014) This qualitative study explores how individuals value and interpret self-reported religious and spiritual experiences that occur during episodes of illness

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion