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From Cursed to Blessed: the Impact of Spirituality on the Life Course of 10 Brazilian Spiritist Mediums

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Abstract

This qualitative study analyzed the life course of ten Brazilian spiritist mediums who presented anomalous experiences (AEs). A socio-demographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were carried out with a non-clinical group, focusing on spiritual background. The inicial AEs were frightening and anguishing, as mediums have related uncertainty and feeling of being controlled; however, after their contact to Spiritism a new positive context was provided, through acceptance and supportiveness, promoting resilience, altruism and self-knowledge, besides an omnipotence status related to mediumship. It was concluded that harmful spiritual experiences may be positively transformed by reframing processes driven by organized religious doctrines.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health, Santa Casa of Sao Paulo School of Medical Sciences, R. Dr. Cesário Mota Júnior, 112, Vila Buarque, São Paulo, SP, 01221-010, Brazil

    Danilo Sanches Furlanetto & Quirino Cordeiro Junior

  2. Department of Public Health, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Marcelo Máximo Niel

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Alisson Paulino Trevizol

Authors
  1. Danilo Sanches Furlanetto
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  2. Marcelo Máximo Niel
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  3. Quirino Cordeiro Junior
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  4. Alisson Paulino Trevizol
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Correspondence to Danilo Sanches Furlanetto.

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Sanches Furlanetto, D., Máximo Niel, M., Cordeiro Junior, Q. et al. From Cursed to Blessed: the Impact of Spirituality on the Life Course of 10 Brazilian Spiritist Mediums. J Relig Health 61, 2514–2526 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01061-0

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