Abstract

The primary aim of my study was to appreciate and learn from research participants who had lived through distressing anomalous experiences and created lives they considered successful on their own terms. This research also aimed to articulate views informed by the participants’, that could contribute to clinical and societal narratives. The potential for individuals to improve their navigation through distressing anomalous experiences, and formal mental health services, appeared evident. Recommendations are made to improve mainstream psychiatric practice.

Primarily I sought to meet the participants as whole human beings, to listen to their views, to provide a platform, amplify, discuss, provide context, consider implications and gather
recommendations. The research participants had struggled with isolation and some profoundly disorientating experiences that were not understandable in any ordinary way. Through their lives they acquired considerable insight into inner challenges, distressing anomalous experiences and how they developed beyond distress and confusion. The creation of lives the participants considered successful demonstrates the validity of their insights.

This research sought to foreground the participants’ voices, so often sidelined in academic work. The understandings of psychiatric survivors, holistic clinicians and academics have not yet permeated through to mainstream psychiatric practice, but this research contributes to the body of evidence.

The following narrative strands contributed most visibly to participants’ inner development: acknowledgement of the personal challenges of inner development, the development of
psychological inner qualities such as courage, persistence, independence, active learning, emancipation from problematic cultural and subcultural influences Additionally, relationships with helpers in a broad sense, and the integration of inner experiences were significant narrative strands.

The participants all had physical, existential, emotional and cognitive challenges while immersed in profound difficulties in lifestyle, social relations and ability to live in the everyday world. They particularly struggled with isolation, despair, fear, learning to understand themselves and create a place for themselves in the world. The creation of a fundamentally revised and re-integrated identity was a particular challenge that was successfully addressed. With great courage, persistence and independence, the participants fought their way through to creating a life that was successful on their own terms. This involved developing their lives in the everyday material and cultural worlds whilst establishing a nurturing connection to the realm of anomalous experiences.

The research methodology primarily involved presenting the participants with the title; “Inner development beyond distressing anomalous experiences“, then engaging and learning from the participants’ responses. An essentially participant-led approach was employed in interviews and a synthesis of dialogical and narrative methodologies was applied in the research. Four participants from the USA did seven interviews (one participant missed an interview), three from Britain did two interviews each.

In attempting a thesis that prioritized participants’ voices, tensions arose when communicating such ideas within a typical thesis structure. Initially I sought to foreground participant material before discussing definitional issues, available literature and methodology. When I tried to maintain clarity of exposition, critical thinking and comprehensibility for the reader, this initial approach was challenging. The final version of the thesis reverts to a more traditional structure and order of material, although I provide an outline of literature before the methodology, bringing participant material forwards and placing a more detailed literature chapter after the participant material to provide a structural indication of my ideal of privileging the voice of participants.

The originality of this doctorate lies in the participants' unique contribution, and analytic insights concerning dynamics between everyday consciousness and the realm of anomalous experiences.