How to Differentiate Spiritual Crisis from Pathology
Learn the essential skills to distinguish spiritual emergence from mental illness. Includes a practical comparison table.
Applies to Level 2 Certification
This course is part of the Level 2 Spiritual Emergence Coach® Certification. You can take this course individually or as part of the complete certification bundle. Upon completion, this course will count toward your Level 2 certification requirements.
About this course
Differentiating a spiritual crisis from mental illness is not easy. Intense experiences of awakening can look like pathology on the surface, yet they usually require a very different kind of support.
This two-hour course includes a practical 2-page reference table you can use right away as a quick assessment guide. Designed especially for healthcare providers, but open to anyone interested in the topic, this course helps fill a major gap in conventional education and clinical training. Most providers were never taught how to recognize spiritual emergency, which means these experiences are often misunderstood or treated too narrowly through a purely bio-medical lens.
This course gives you a clearer framework for thinking about assessment, context, and care. You will learn what to look for when trying to distinguish spiritual emergency from so-called pathology, why a medical checkup is an important part of assessment, how capacity for relational connection is important to recognize, and what aspects of a person’s history can help clarify the direction of care.
A one hour presentation and a one hour panel discussion are available immediately upon registration, and all course materials can be reviewed indefinitely at your convenience. Everyone receives a course completion certificate. Two Continuing Education credits or CMEs are available for eligible mental health professionals, nurses, and physicians.
Learning Objectives
Articulate the three important aspects of care that are equally important in making an assessment and offering comprehensive support to someone in spiritual emergency.
Describe why the diagnostic labels of mental illness and spiritual emergency are not a binary or in conflict.
Respectfully support issues related to awakening as well as those needing psychological or psychiatric help
Know when to refer a client for care by a medical professional.
Use resources to offer clients training or guidance to address spiritually transformative experiences that have been distressing.
Clarify the length of time it takes a particular individual to integrate the dynamics of their spiritual emergency.
Syllabus
Presentation from Emma Bragdon
Detailed description of 2-page reference table, and how to use it.- Why differentiation matters for treatment outcomes
- Overlapping symptoms and diagnostic confusion
Panel Discussion with Dr. Noorani, Dr. Bragdon, and Leah Harris
- Reflections on best practices for support and healing from a patient along with professionals
- How treatment needs to change in residential treatment centers
Your Instructor
Emma Bragdon, PhD
Dr. Emma Bragdon is a pioneer in body–mind–spirit wellness with 50 years of experience in integrative approaches to mental health, healing, and human development. She has written seven books, co-produced two documentary films, and has taught experiential learning for adults since 1985. Emma volunteered with the Spiritual Emergence Network (SEN) for seven years, editing their journal and coordinating conferences at Esalen Institute with founders Stanislav and Christina Grof. Her PhD dissertation, "How to Support Someone in Spiritual Emergency," launched a lifelong specialization in this field. From 2001–2012, she conducted field research at Spiritist Community Centers and Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil, studying their 120-year-old model of integrative care. Since 2012, she has served as "ambassador" to non-Brazilians for the Spiritist Psychiatric Hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, facilitating seminars for health professionals worldwide.
About Continuing Education Credits
For licensed health professionals seeking CE credits for license renewal
CE Provider Information
CE credits are provided by Westbrook University, an APA-approved continuing education provider for healthcare professionals.
Level 2 Certification Courses
Explore all courses in the Level 2 certification pathway. Advance your expertise with specialized training in clinical assessment and ethical practice.
Residential Treatment & Collaborative Care
Explore how integrative residential treatment centers provide holistic care for individuals experiencing mental health crises and spiritual emergence.
Inner Ethics When Working with Non-Ordinary States
Develop ethical awareness and establish healthy boundaries when supporting clients through psychedelic experiences and non-ordinary states of consciousness.
How to Differentiate Spiritual Crisis from Pathology
Master the critical skills needed to distinguish between spiritual emergence and mental health conditions requiring different therapeutic approaches.
Screening for Spiritual Emergence
Receive a validated screening tool designed specifically for identifying spiritual emergence in clinical settings and private practice.
Psychosis: What is it?
Deepen your understanding of psychotic states and learn when spiritual experiences overlap with or differ from psychotic episodes.