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The American Journal of Psychiatry, VOL. 130, No. 3

Articles | March 01, 1973

The Mystical Experience as a Suicide Preventive

PAUL C. HORTON

Am J Psychiatry 1973;130:294-296.

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United States Navy in Philadelphia and at the Department of Psychiatry, U.S. Naval Hospital, 16th St. and Pattison Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145

1973, The American Psychiatric Association

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Abstract

Three suicidal adolescents suffering from schizophrenic reactions developed the ability to conjure up a mystical consciousness. Directly experiencing this "oceanic" state (or just its memory) provided the patients with a reliably soothing safeguard against their overwhelming loneliness and possible suicide. Recognition by the psychiatrist of the mystical state as a transitional phenomenon points the way to the most effective therapeutic stance.

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