Sensory and Quasi-Sensory Experiences of the Deceased in Bereavement: An Interdisciplinary and Integrative Review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Sensory and Quasi-Sensory Experiences of the Deceased in Bereavement

T2 - An Interdisciplinary and Integrative Review

AU - Kamp, Karina Stengaard

AU - Steffen, Edith Maria

AU - Alderson-Day, Ben

AU - Allen, Paul

AU - Austad, Anne

AU - Hayes, Jacqueline

AU - Larøi, Frank

AU - Ratcliffe, Matthew James

AU - Sabucedo, Pablo

N1 - © The Author(s) 2020

PY - 2020/10/25

Y1 - 2020/10/25

N2 - Bereaved people often report having sensory and quasi-sensory experiences of the deceased (SED), and there is an ongoing debate over whether SED are associated with pathology, such as grief complications. Research into these experiences has been conducted in various disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, and anthropology, without much crossover. This review brings these areas of research together, drawing on the expertise of an interdisciplinary working group formed as part of the International Consortium for Hallucination Research (ICHR). It examines existing evidence on the phenomenology, associated factors, and impact of SED, including the role of culture, and discusses the main theories on SED and how these phenomena compare with unusual experiences in other contexts. The review concludes that the vast majority of these experiences are benign and that they should be considered in light of their biographical, relational, and sociocultural contexts.

AB - Bereaved people often report having sensory and quasi-sensory experiences of the deceased (SED), and there is an ongoing debate over whether SED are associated with pathology, such as grief complications. Research into these experiences has been conducted in various disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, and anthropology, without much crossover. This review brings these areas of research together, drawing on the expertise of an interdisciplinary working group formed as part of the International Consortium for Hallucination Research (ICHR). It examines existing evidence on the phenomenology, associated factors, and impact of SED, including the role of culture, and discusses the main theories on SED and how these phenomena compare with unusual experiences in other contexts. The review concludes that the vast majority of these experiences are benign and that they should be considered in light of their biographical, relational, and sociocultural contexts.

U2 - 10.1093/schbul/sbaa113

DO - 10.1093/schbul/sbaa113

M3 - Article

SN - 0586-7614

VL - 46

SP - 1367

EP - 1381

JO - Schizophrenia bulletin

JF - Schizophrenia bulletin

IS - 6

ER -