Premium
Visions or Hallucinations? Lacan on Mysticism and Psychosis Reconsidered: The Case of St George of Malta
Author(s) -
Baldacchino JeanPaul
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
british journal of psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1752-0118
pISSN - 0265-9883
DOI - 10.1111/bjp.12230
Subject(s) - vision , mysticism , context (archaeology) , psychoanalytic theory , religious experience , psychoanalysis , psychology , psychosis , maltese , convergence (economics) , sociology , religious studies , psychiatry , philosophy , theology , anthropology , history , linguistics , archaeology , economics , economic growth
Mysticism has long featured in discussions among psychoanalysts and mental health practitioners, anthropologists and scholars of religion. In this paper I analyse the life and visions of a twentieth century mystic in the Catholic Mediterranean. Through this case study I seek to compare the psychoanalytic and to a lesser extent the psychiatric discussions of ‘hallucinations’ with the theological explanations of visions. Via a Lacanian discussion of the case of the first Maltese saint I argue that there are interesting points of convergence between the two. An adequate understanding of the cultural context within which visions are articulated as meaningful experiences is essential to our understanding and clinical treatment of people presenting symptoms associated with religious content. A psychoanalytical understanding can serve to enrich and enliven theological discussions on madness as a path to sanctity.