Can “sense of presence” experiences in bereavement be conceptualised as spiritual phenomena? more

Menial Health, Religion & Culture Vol. 13, No. 3, April 2010, 273-291 O Routfedge T^i^r&FtJ.xisCrcH-Ti RESEARCH ARTICLE Can "sense of presence" experiences in bereavement be conceptualised as spiritual phenomena? Edith Steffen* and Adrian Coyle Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK (Received 21 September 2008; final version received 9 December 2008) This article explores the possibility of conceptualising the frequently occurring experience of "sensing the presence of the deceased" in bereavement as a spiritual phenomenon and examines how such a conceptualisation can be related to two recent perspectives in the field of bereavement research, "continuing bonds" and "meaning-ma king." It is argued that "sense of presence" experiences are expressions of the continuing relationship with the deceased that can be spiritually understood but that pose various challenges for their meaningful integration into the bereaved person's worldview or meaning structures - something that may need to be more explicitly incorporated into current theoretical frameworks. It is suggested that these experiences can be the catalyst for "post-traumatic growth" through a socially mediated and interactive narrative exploration and that this has important implications for bereavement counselling and therapy. Keywords: bereavement; continuing bonds; meaning-making; meaning recon- struction; post-traumatic growth; sense of presence; spirituality Introduction In recent years, there has been a growing recognition in the Western bereavement literature that an ongoing relationship with the deceased can be normal and potentially adaptive (Klass, Silverman, & Nickman, 1996). The "continuing bonds" perspective, which has been informed by insights gained from cross-cultural studies, constitutes a radical departure from the formerly dominant view that emotional disengagement from the deceased should be the goal of mourning (Bowlby, 1998; Freud, 1917; Parkes, J998). Having interactions with the dead is now not necessarily viewed as a "hallucinatory wishful psychosis" (Freud, 1917) but, for example, from an attachment theory-based perspective, as a non-pathologicai means of coping that serves "secure base" functions ■when adjusting to grief (Field, Gao, & Paderna, 2005). A continuing bond is, however, not necessarily seen to be adjustment-promoting in itself (Stroebe & Schut, 2005). Rather, the interaction of ongoing attachment and meaning reconstruction processes is thought to predict bereavement outcome (Neimeyer, Baldwin, & Gillies, 2006). It has been observed that the availability of relevant spiritual or religious frameworks for meaning-making may lead to better coping (Benore & Park, 2004), benefit-finding (Richards, Acree, & Folkman, 1999) or even post-trauma tic growth *Corresponding author. Email: E.Steffen@surrey.ac.uk tSSN 1367- 4676 print/ISSN 1469-9737 online © 2010 Taylor & Francis DOf: !0.1030/13674670903J57S44 h tt p://www. i n for ma world .c o in