| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Bray |
| Abstract | The literature suggests that spiritual domains of experience may be influential to an individual's growth in the aftermath of stressful life events. This paper explores the role that spiritual experience might play in the process of posttraumatic growth by examining two quite different approaches to transformational growth: Lawrence Calhoun and Richard Tedeschi's posttraumatic growth model; and Stanislav and Christina Grof's framework of psycho-spiritual transformation. Both approaches are briefly outlined, compared and discussed. Some observations are made about their shared understanding of the human potential for growth and the significance of spiritual experience in the struggle to master distressing life events. A further hypothetical model is presented that marries the two approaches and offers the opportunity for individuals in the posttraumatic process and helping professionals to examine their experiences in a broader context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Publication | Mental Health, Religion & Culture |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 293-308 |
| Date | April 2010 |
| DOI | 10.1080/13674670903367199 |
| ISSN | 13674676 |
| Short Title | A broader framework for exploring the influence of spiritual experience in the wake of stressful life events |
| Accessed | Fri May 7 15:27:30 2010 |
| Library Catalog | EBSCOhost |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 09:04:35 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 09:04:35 2011 |
| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | John H. Court |
| Abstract | The use of altered states of consciousness has a long history in religious settings, providing a vehicle for enhanced spirituality at a personal and collective level. These states have also provided the means of healing both within religious settings and more recently in secular health settings. Biblical sources affirm their value in providing wisdom and insight. Tensions exist among those who question whether altered states are safe, and these exist especially among some Christians who demonize hypnosis. Links between these spiritual and secular phenomena are explored with the help of examples, to argue that these two areas are complementary and not in conflict with one another. |
| Publication | Pastoral Psychology |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 411-422 |
| Date | August 2010 |
| Journal Abbr | Pastoral Psychol |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11089-009-0206-x |
| ISSN | 0031-2789 |
| URL | http://www.springerlink.com/index/10.1007/s11089-009-0206-x |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 09:03:07 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 09:03:07 2011 |
| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Don E. Davis |
| Author | Joshua N. Hook |
| Author | Everett L. Worthington |
| Author | Daryl R. Van Tongeren |
| Author | Aubrey L. Gartner |
| Author | David J. Jennings |
| Author | Lucy Norton |
| Abstract | In the study of spirituality and forgiveness, researchers have begun to look at how dynamic spiritual experiences influence forgiveness. In three studies, we develop the Relational Engagement of the Sacred for a Transgression (REST) Scale, which assesses the extent to which victims actively engage a relationship with the Sacred to deal with a specific transgression. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure of the REST. In Study 2, the factor structure was replicated using confirmatory factory analysis. The REST was correlated with religious commitment and negatively related to avoidant attachment to God. In Study 3, evidence supporting the scale's construct validity was adduced. REST scores were correlated with other appraisals of relational spirituality. Structural equation modeling was used to compare theoretical models. REST scores were related to dedication to the Sacred and viewing the transgression as a desecration. In addition, REST scores were positively related to empathy, which was positively related to forgiveness. Furthermore, REST scores predicted forgiveness above and beyond other appraisals of relational spirituality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Publication | International Journal for the Psychology of Religion |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 288-302 |
| Date | Oct-Dec2010 October 2010 |
| DOI | 10.1080/10508619.2010.507699 |
| ISSN | 10508619 |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 08:59:59 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 08:59:59 2011 |
| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Don E. Davis |
| Author | Everett L. Worthington |
| Author | Joshua N. Hook |
| Author | Daryl R. Van Tongeren |
| Author | Jeffrey D. Green |
| Author | David J. II Jennings |
| Abstract | We present a model of relational spirituality and forgiveness that considers how a victim’s spirituality affects his or her experience of and response to a transgression. In 2 studies, we investigate the psychometric properties of the Similarity of the Offender’s Spirituality Scale (SOS), which assesses the extent to which the victim sees the offender as spiritually similar. Results suggest the SOS has 2 factors that assess the offender’s spiritual and human similarity. The SOS showed initial evidence of construct validity, being related to other measures of spirituality and to measures of the victim’s response to a transgression. The overall model was found to offer incremental validity beyond known predictors of forgiveness. We suggest directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved). (from the journal abstract) |
| Publication | Psychology of Religion and Spirituality |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 249-262 |
| Date | November 2009 |
| DOI | 10.1037/a0017581 |
| ISSN | 1941-1022 |
| URL | http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bu.edu/login.aspx? direct=true&db=pdh&AN=rel-1-4-249&… |
| Accessed | Mon Nov 30 19:53:30 2009 |
| Library Catalog | EBSCOhost |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 09:05:21 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 09:05:21 2011 |
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| Author | Bettina Schmidt |
| Author | Lucy Huskinson |
| Series | Continuum Advances in Religious Studies |
| Place | London; New York |
| Publisher | Continuum |
| Date | 2010 |
| ISBN | 9780826435743 |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 09:04:35 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 09:04:35 2011 |
| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephan A Schwartz |
| Abstract | Two hundred years of reductive materialism has failed to explain the extraordinary experiences we know as moments of genius, religious epiphany, and psychic insight. This paper proposes that these three experiences are in essence the same experience, differentiated only by intention and context. It reaches this conclusion based on well-conducted experimental research across the continuum of science--work that proposes a new interdependent model of consciousness that takes into consideration a nonlocal linkage or entanglement, as an aspect of consciousness not limited by space and time. The paper surveys some of the most important relevant research from quantum biology, physics, psychology, medicine, anthropology, and parapsychology. It proposes that more attention should be paid to the autobiographies, correspondence, and journals of men and women to whom history unequivocally accords the designation of genius, saint, or psychic, offering examples from these sources. And it presents comparisons between ethnohistorical material and spiritual traditions, suggesting they arrive at a similar worldview. Finally, it proposes that meditation research, some examples of which are cited, be seen in the context of psychophysical self-regulation, and that it offers one powerful avenue for producing these exceptional experiences. |
| Publication | Explore |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 227-236 |
| Date | 2010 Jul-Aug |
| Journal Abbr | Explore (NY) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.explore.2010.04.008 |
| ISSN | 1878-7541 |
| Short Title | Nonlocality and exceptional experiences |
| Accessed | Tue Jul 27 11:49:57 2010 |
| Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
| Extra | PMID: 20633837 |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 09:03:48 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 09:03:48 2011 |
| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Edith Steffen |
| Author | Adrian Coyle |
| Abstract | This article explores the possibility of conceptualising the frequently occurring experience of “sensing the presence of the deceased” in bereavement as a spiritual phenomenon and examines how such a conceptualisation can be related to two recent perspectives in the field of bereavement research, “continuing bonds” and “meaning-making.” It is argued that “sense of presence” experiences are expressions of the continuing relationship with the deceased that can be spiritually understood but that pose various challenges for their meaningful integration into the bereaved person's worldview or meaning structures-something that may need to be more explicitly incorporated into current theoretical frameworks. It is suggested that these experiences can be the catalyst for “post-traumatic growth” through a socially mediated and interactive narrative exploration and that this has important implications for bereavement counselling and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Publication | Mental Health, Religion & Culture |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 273-291 |
| Date | April 2010 |
| DOI | 10.1080/13674670903357844 |
| ISSN | 13674676 |
| Accessed | Fri May 7 15:27:24 2010 |
| Library Catalog | EBSCOhost |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 09:04:35 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 09:04:35 2011 |
| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Trichter |
| Author | Jon Klimo |
| Author | Stanley Krippner |
| Abstract | Ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic plant brew from the Amazon basin used as part of healing ceremonies by the local indigenous people of the region for centuries, is now being consumed by growing numbers of people throughout the world. Anecdotal evidence and previous research suggest that there are spiritual effects experienced among participants who take part in ayahuasca ceremonies. The current study examined whether novice participants' spirituality was affected through participation in an ayahuasca ceremony, and if so, how. A mixed-design method was used, comparing those participating in an ayahuasca ceremony to those who did not participate. This investigation used the Peak Experience Profile, the Spiritual Well-being Scale, and the Mysticism Scale as quantitative measures. Participant interviews and written accounts of ceremony experiences were analyzed. Results showed that neither the SWB score nor the M-Scale score increased significantly after participating in an ayahuasca ceremony. However, it was found that the higher the PEP score, the greater the positive change in SWB and M-Scale scores. Qualitative data revealed common spiritual themes in many of the participants' interviews and written accounts. Experiential differences were displayed within the ayahuasca ceremony group, warranting continued investigation into, and identification of, various confounding variables that prompt reported changes in spirituality within some participants while not in others. |
| Publication | Journal of Psychoactive Drugs |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 121-134 |
| Date | Jun 2009 |
| Journal Abbr | J Psychoactive Drugs |
| ISSN | 0279-1072 |
| Accessed | Tue Feb 22 18:40:44 2011 |
| Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
| Extra | PMID: 19705674 |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 09:06:18 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 09:06:18 2011 |
| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Nancy L. Zingrone |
| Author | Carlos S. Alvarado |
| Author | Etzel Cardeña |
| Abstract | Results from surveys of persons who have had out-of-body experiences (OBEs) indicate that OBEs were associated with low physical activity and being in a supine position. Those who had experiences under these conditions also obtained a higher number of OBE features than those who were active and standing at the time of the OBE. |
| Publication | The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease |
| Volume | 198 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 163-165 |
| Date | 02/2010 |
| Journal Abbr | The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease |
| DOI | 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181cc0d6d |
| ISSN | 0022-3018 |
| URL | http://content.wkhealth.com/linkback/openurl? sid=WKPTLP:landingpage&… |
| Date Added | Thu Sep 29 09:04:35 2011 |
| Modified | Thu Sep 29 09:04:35 2011 |