“Experience has shown pastoral caregivers that individuals do seem to cope better if they can “actualize” their spiritual experiences in times of crisis.”
A substantial amount of interest in spiritual experiences recently appears to be from a re-emergence of interest from the (unofficial) pastoral school of thought in psychology. For instance, the authors (Easterling et al) observe that “Conversely, experience has shown pastoral caregivers that individuals do seem to cope better if they can “actualize” their spiritual experiences in times of crisis. (Spiritual Experience, Church Attendance, and Bereavement,” by Larry W. Easterling, Th. D, Louis A. Gamino, Ph.D., Kenneth W. Sewell, Ph.D., Linda S. Stirman, B.S.N)
Then there is the article on “Children’s Grief Dreams and the Theory of Spiritual Intelligence” by Kate Adams Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln Brendan Hyde Australian Catholic University.