Episode 38 – The Sustenance of Spiritual Experience We discuss the psychological benefits of having spiritual beliefs. We discuss some of the research that has been done into the link between wellbeing and spiritual beliefs. This includes the work of Ken Pargament and others, whose research suggests that spiritual beliefs shouldn’t be dismissed or… Read more »
Chris Mackey is a clinical psychologist with over 40 years clinical experience across public psychiatric hospital and private practice settings. He is author of the book, The Positive Psychology of Synchronicity: Enhance your mental health with the power of coincidence. One of his key roles in 10 years as a senior clinical psychologist in psychiatric… Read more »
Episode 37 – Separating the Psycho-spiritual from Psychosis We speak about one of Chris’s favourite topics, facing a spiritual crisis. In this episode, we discuss what a spiritual crisis is, and how other mystical experiences and trans-personal phenomena can be of immense benefit to our mental health. We also look at the difference between… Read more »
This article is about the challenge of separating certain types of mystical or spiritual experiences from psychosis. This is a poorly understood issue in mainstream mental health services.
Episode 32 – The Helpfulness of Hope How can you boost hope? What is the relevance of hope? How can you tell if someone has lost hope? This week, Chris and Rowan discuss the topic of hope, both from the angle of restoring hope, but also the positive side of hope as a character strength…. Read more »
Episode 25 – Positive Psychology, Science and Synchronicity As a follow-up to last week’s introduction to the topic of synchronicity, Chris and Rowan look deeper into the wellbeing benefits of acknowledging synchronicity. We look at some stories of uncanny coincidences and how they have benefitted those involved, as well as what can be lost… Read more »
Episode 24 – Synchronicity and Psychology Chris and Rowan discuss synchronicity and how it relates to our wellbeing, the topic of Chris’s book. We share stories of meaningful coincidences and how they’ve helped people to form some sort of deeper understanding or meaning in their lives. This Week’s Links Synchronicity Unwrapped Blog Synchronicity in… Read more »
Angie Hilton sits down with clinical psychologist Chris Mackey to discuss the health benefits of spirituality. Spirituality can be seen as a private thing, so may not often be discussed unless we’re speaking to those closest to us, however, 25-30% of people in the Western world identify as being spiritual without necessarily affiliating with organised… Read more »
Acknowledging a spiritual dimension to life is something that is important to many people, even those who don’t identify religious. This article examines the relationship between spirituality and well-being and reminds us that it’s important to celebrate our own private or public acknowledgement of our beliefs.
The YouTube clip above is of Chris’s podcast interview with the host of Connecting with Coincidence, Dr Bernie Beitman MD. Dr. Beitman is the first psychiatrist since Carl Jung to attempt to systematize the study of coincidences. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia and former Chair of the Department of Psychiatry… Read more »