ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on an ethnography of a Spiritual Peer-Support Networks’ (SPSNs) community in the UK, encompassing the organisations Spiritual Crisis Network and Emerging Proud. SPSNs provide support for individuals who identify as having experienced one or more mental health and / or spiritual crises. These crises range from what could be labelled as psychotic episodes, mystical experiences, and everything in between. SPSNs promote seeing these experiences as part of a transformative journey, rather than as a chronic life sentence. There is a growing body of literature on experiences of psychotic-like phenomena reported by clinical and nonclinical groups. These point towards a need to better understand the heterogeneity of experiences. Using predominantly narrative theories, this study explored how narratives interact with lived experiences, shaping and challenging each other, and how participants make use of these for potential transformation and healing. The author took part in events and meetings, conducted participant observation of peer-support groups and 20 in-depth interviews with members of the SPSN’s community, mostly in the UK, from January to April 2019. Most participants had used psychiatric services, and all identified as having experienced at least one mental health and / or spiritual crisis. A framework analysis was constructed primarily from narratives of SPSNs and individuals, whilst keeping in mind emotions and affects imbued within these. This chapter outlines how individuals partake in the practice of meaning-making within the peer-support groups and their community, referring to shared archetypal narratives to find purpose into their crises. What seems most healing and transformative, however, is for the purpose to transcend themselves by helping others heal – individuals become “wounded”, or rather “scarred”, healers.
