Scrutton, AP (2017) Can jinn be a tonic? The therapeutic value of spirit-related beliefs, practices and experiences. Filosofia Unisinos, 17 (2). pp. 171-184. ISSN 1984-8234
Abstract
Religion and spirituality are increasingly associated with mental health, yet spirit-related practices, beliefs and experiences (SPBEs) are regarded with more suspicion. This suspicion is misplaced, and worryingly so, since, I argue, it shuts down a potentially therapeutic avenue in relation to anomalous experiences such as hearing voices and sensing the presence of the dead. A presupposition of this argument is that anomalous experiences are not inherently pathological but can become so as a result of the way they are interpreted and reacted to. While this claim is not new in itself, I will provide a philosophical foundation for it by defending a ‘contextualist’ view of pathology in the context of anomalous experiences against ‘inherentist’ alternatives, according to which some or all instances of anomalous experiences are inherently pathological.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), which permits reproduction, adaptation, and distribution provided the original author and source are credited. |
Keywords: | religion; spirituality; auditory hallucinations; psychosis; pathology; mediumship; schizophrenia; hearing voices; spirit possession; healing rituals |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > Theology and Religious Studies (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number MIND Association Scrutton Fellowship |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 08 Jul 2016 11:01 |
Last Modified: | 17 Oct 2017 17:49 |
Published Version: | http://doi.org/10.4013/fsu.2016.172.12 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Universidad do Vale de Rio dos Sinos |
Identification Number: | 10.4013/fsu.2016.172.12 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:102054 |