BACKGROUND: Non-pathological psychotic and dissociative experiences are frequent in the general population, particularly in religious groups. There are few studies on the profile of non-clinical populations with these experiences, and on criteria for differential diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: To identify the sociodemographic profile and anomalous experiences (AE) among people who sought help in spiritualist groups. METHODS: We interviewed 115 people who sought assistance in six spiritualist groups in the city of Juiz de Fora/MG due to psychotic and/or dissociative experiences. Semi-structured interviews investigated sociodemographic data, AEs reported and presence of criteria that have been proposed to identify non-pathological spiritual experiences. RESULTS: sample was mostly composed by women (70%), middle age, high educational level, whose AEs started in childhood (65%) and adolescence (23%). The most frequent AEs were visual (63%) and auditory (54%) hallucinations, "spiritual perception" (53%), "paranormal dreams" (38%) and out-of-body experiences (31%). Most of the sample reported that these AEs were not related to socio-occupational impairments, were short, episodic, and beneficial; however, reported emotional distress and lack of control over the experiences. DISCUSSION: The high frequency and diversity of AEs reported, as well as their theoretical, clinical, and public health implications point to the urgency need of more attention to this topic.
Psychotic disorders; diagnosis; mediumship; religion and psychology; spirituality
