THE DIAGNOSIS OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES WITH PSYCHOTIC FEATURES

Psychotic and religious experiences have been associated since the earliest recorded history, and undoubtedly before. The Old Testament uses the same term, in reference to madness sent by God as a punishment for the disobedient, and to describe the behavior of prophets (Rosen, 1968). Socrates declared, Our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness, provided the madness is given us by divine gift (Dodds, 1951,p. 61). Boisen (1962), who was hospitalized for a psychotic episode and then became a minister, maintained that,