MYSTICISM, MADNESS AND MANIA

Drawing from his own personal experience as a sufferer from bi-polar mood disorder and as a person who has had a number of mystical, spiritual experiences, Pilgrim Simon explores the themes of religious mania, so-called 'mental illness' amd immediate or mystical experiences of the Divine. In so doing he seeks to draw out distinguishing features that differentiate mystical experience from manic mood phases and from schizophrenic displays of religious delusion. He… (more)

Drawing from his own personal experience as a sufferer from bi-polar mood disorder and as a person who has had a number of mystical, spiritual experiences, Pilgrim Simon explores the themes of religious mania, so-called 'mental illness' amd immediate or mystical experiences of the Divine. In so doing he seeks to draw out distinguishing features that differentiate mystical experience from manic mood phases and from schizophrenic displays of religious delusion. He draws from the Transpersonal model of Ken Wilber and also from the approach of Personal Constuct theory and the research of Julian Jaynes on the Bicameral mind. This study leads to questions about the very foundations of psychology and psychiatry and the forms of analysis and diagnosis that they may make concerning mystical or transcendent spiritual experience. Pilgrim Simon has studied spirituality and religion for over forty years. He has an Honours degree majoring in Psychology and Post graduate qualifications in counselling.