VERGILIO, Silvia Regina    HOLANDA, Adriano Furtado. Spiritist mediumnic meetings: exploring meanings and effects for the participants. Gerais, Rev. Interinst. Psicol. []. 2011, 4, 2, pp. 264-275. ISSN 1983-8220.

Mediumnic phenomena and communication with spirits play a relevant role in the Brazilian culture, and are present in several religions. Some works in the field of Psychiatry relate mediumnic phenomena with mental health and investigate the spiritist treatment of psychopathologies. Studies in Psychology of Religion point out that religious practices result in different effects in the individuals, and highlight the importance of studies to investigate such effects. However, in the psychological literature, the effects of mediumnic practices have not been sufficiently explored. Given this context, the goal of the present work is to investigate the effects of the participation of gifted people in mediumnic meetings within Spiritism. By adopting a qualitative phenomenological method, the meanings associated to the mediumnic experience and to the participation in such meetings were explored by means of interviews conducted with three mediums, participants in mediumnic practices within Spiritism. The work investigates whether these effects help the individuals to adapt and work out in their social context. It contributes to better understand this religious phenomenon.

: Psychology of Religion; Spiritism; Phenomenology.

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