AUTHOR=Fach Wolfgang , Atmanspacher Harald , Landolt Karin , Wyss Thomas , Rössler Wulf 

TITLE=A Comparative Study of Exceptional Experiences of Clients Seeking Advice and of Subjects in an Ordinary Population

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2013

YEAR=2013

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00065

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00065

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Exceptional experiences (EE) occur frequently within the populations of many countries and across various sociocultural contexts. Although some EE show similarities with mental disorders, it would be a mistake to identify them in general as disorders. In fact, the vast number of individuals reporting EE includes subclinical and completely healthy subjects. We conducted a comparative empirical study of several characteristics of EE for two samples -- one from ordinary population and the other from clients seeking advice. We found surprisingly similar \Red{phenomenological patterns of EE in both samples, but} the frequency and intensity of EE for clients seeking advice significantly exceeded those for the ordinary population. Our results support the hypothesis of a continuous spectrum between mental health and mental disorder for the types of experiences analyzed.