Some people who are categorized as being “spiritual” report seeing visions, hearing voices, having extraordinary experiences, and are observed as speaking and acting in what might best be defined as “peculiar” manners. There are reports of such people entering into catatonic states, being filled with boundless energy, inflicting themselves with pain, depriving themselves from food and sleep, dancing and singing for days, and not responding to the external world. On the other hand, people who have been labeled as “schizophrenic” often receive this “diagnosis” on the grounds of similar behaviors.

Why do these behaviors warrant the label of “spiritual” in some cases, and “insane” in others? Is there a difference between spirituality and conditions of psychosis, such as schizophrenia? This article will explore this topic by comparing the symptoms of psychosis to spiritual experiences, and the next article will consider the historical conceptualizations of each, and identify fundamental differences between the two.

The latest addition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders states that people with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, have delusions and hallucinations. Delusions are maintained beliefs that are not supported by objective evidence, and hallucinations, in short, are sensing things (hearing, smelling, feeling, and seeing) that nobody else can sense.

People with schizophrenia have delusions about self, others, or events, and these can range in degrees of bizarreness from thinking that someone is monitoring his or her activities to believing that one might have a herd of elephants trapped in her or his stomach. The degree of unconventionality in one’s beliefs helps us discriminate the person’s departure from reality.

It could be true that one is being watched by others, and this is more or less likely depending on who they are. When a person believes they are being watched by the government, we raise an eyebrow and wonder. But, when they believe they are being watched by beings from outer space and can communicate with them through a soup spoon, we deeply suspect that the person is off their tooter!

Is it delusional for a spiritual person to believe that they are in communion with the divine, or that God wants them to do something? What about those who think that God is always watching them, and controls the events of this world, or those who believe that God trans-substantiates into bread and wine, making it his actual flesh and blood, which should be eaten, or those who believe that they are God, or will later become gods, or those who think that everything we experience is really false projections of the devil?

What of those who believe that special objects, rituals, and words can afford protection, change the course of events, allow for an afterlife, or open communication with the divine? Consider two people, who being faced with a difficult decision, with the one saying “I communed with God last night in prayer and have decided to…” and the other stating, “Last night, after talking with the invisible, omnipotent being that listens through my toaster, I decided to…” (Hmm?)

Those with psychiatric conditions experience hallucinations. The most common forms of hallucination involve hearing and smell. For a perception to be considered a hallucination, the sensation must have the quality of being real. (You can detect the difference between the qualities of imagined and real perceptions by saying your name in your head, and then saying your name aloud, or thinking about the smell of apple pie, as opposed to actually smelling a slice.) People labeled as psychotic may hear voices carrying on conversations, calling out to them, or telling them what to do. They might complain of odors that follow them, feel hands touching them, or see things like animals, objects, or people.

Spiritual people have also reported hearing from, and even seeing, important figures in their faith system. It is not unusual for them, or those near them to witness miraculous events happenings: such as the sun spinning in the sky, or to smell flowers or incense, or to reach out and feel the garments of the apparition.

In part one, we explored how aspects of humans labeled as psychotic are reflected in humans labeled as spiritual. To some, this might suggest that spirituality and mental illness are one in the same path. But, as we will see in the next article, these two similar looking paths are functionally different in outcomes.



Contact Bierdz

Thomas Bierdz is located in Chicago, IL. USA
His services are available in person, by phone, and through secure E-mail.
He is also available for presentations.

Get a printable 1 page version of this article

Read Next Article

Return to home page