Spirituality on the psychology map

Spirituality on the psychology map

Spiritual experiences are not often talked about in psychology. But two Massey University researchers are looking to change that.

Psychology lecturer and international near-death experience expert Dr Natasha Tassell-Matamua, and Dr Karen Frewin, a registered psychologist and senior lecturer in counselling and guidance at Massey’s Institute of Education, have just launched a national study investigating spiritually-transformative experiences.

Research suggests the majority of people, at least in Western cultures, place personal importance on spirituality, with many indicating they have had at least one ‘spiritual experience’ in their lifetime.

“One of the issues people often face is integrating the experience into their life”, says Dr Frewin. “Because of the unusual nature of spiritual experiences, some people may find them difficult to differentiate from some mental illnesses, which leaves them wondering whether they are ‘crazy’ after having such an unusual experience.”

Dr Frewin states despite the difficulty some people have with understanding the experience, the beneficial changes that can occur for many indicate they could serve a positive psychological function, and have implications for psychotherapy and understandings of anomalous phenomena.

“We are interested in finding out who has these experiences, how they are described, and the ways people who have them integrate them into their lives”, says Dr Tassell-Matamua.

“The positive and negative implications are of equal importance to us. We want to gain a snapshot of how ordinary New Zealanders view spiritual experiences and how they are transformed by them.”
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