Religious Experiences During Psychosis

Many people experience religious phenomena whilst psychotic. This goes beyond the basic belief that one is Jesus, Mohammad, King Arthur etc. For example, you may find that the heavens open, a beam of golden light descends, and rank upon rank of angels proclaim you the One. And then the police arrest you for being naked in the street.

These religious experiences are so profound that there is actually a breakaway movement that considers psychosis to be a "spiritual awakening" and thus something positive. Personally I find this very dangerous.

According to the Bipolar UK website, 1 in 5 people with bipolar attempt suicide, and 1 in 10 are successful. These are frighteningly high statistics.

So here's how it works. Your behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, talking fast spending loose, moving quickly between different ideas, sexually disinhibited; and your family and friends are concerned. Then bang, you have a super-intense super-vivid spiritual or religious experience that convinces you out of all restraint that you definitely are the one here to save mankind, and that's it, the psychosis is out of control and no-one can talk you down.

When you eventually do come down it is going to be a hard landing. All of your energy is gone, your money is gone, maybe your job and your partner too. Plunged into the pits of depression, the voices start up: "your life is a wreck", "you're worthless", "you have nothing to live for", "why don't you just end it all?". And so on and so forth.

So what is the connection between the all consuming religious experience, and the suicidal thoughts months down the line? I would say they are tightly connected, because it is the power and the beauty of the religious experience that cause you to surrender completely to the psychosis, "it must be real!"

The form it takes doesn't really matter. A few years back everyone in the psychiatric hospital thought they were Jesus. When Lord of the Rings came out, many people thought they were Frodo. As Islam permeates society more deeply, more people begin to believe they are Mohammad.

In conclusion, in my understanding, religious experiences in psychosis are a cruel and sophisticated trick used to deceive and then ultimately destroy the person. We must believe there is a spiritual awakening that does not involve police, psychiatric hospital, family in despair, followed by deep depression and suicide attempts. It is all part of the same condition.