Atheism, Psychosis & Spirituality

Ok, I think it’s time to properly lay my cards on the table.
I was wound up and cranky before – probably not the best way to start off a blog I know, but having just finished a major piece of work for my masters in mental health studies and I was tired.

Anyway, my main interests here are atheism, psychosis and spirituality.

I’m a student of mental health and as such the above areas intrigue me.

With regard to the above, I subscribe to the dimensional concept of schizotypy rather than a categorical definition of psychosis to explain how many religious people are not actually ill, but their spiritual experiences share a great deal phenomenologically, with those of individuals whom psychiatry labels as psychotic.

In short I am an atheist for reasons of rationalism, empiricism and logic and, to paraphrase Dawkins, I submit that well are all atheists of some kind or another: Some of us just one god further.

Anyone interested in the area of schizotypy and spirituality I’d love to hear from you likewise religious people and those who have come into contact with mental health services.

I’m looking forward to the next challenge. Now that my MSc is behind me, I will hopefully be building up to a PhD in this area.

I’d be very interested to hear from all sides on this matter, your contributions would be greatly appreciated.