Sensory and Quasi-Sensory Experiences of the Deceased in Bereavement: An Interdisciplinary and Integrative Review

Karina Stengaard Kamp; Edith Maria Steffen; Ben Alderson-Day; Paul Allen; Anne Austad; Jacqueline Hayes; Frank Larøi; Matthew Ratcliffe; Pablo Sabucedo

doi:10.1093/schbul/sbaa113

Sensory and Quasi-Sensory Experiences of the Deceased in Bereavement: An Interdisciplinary and Integrative Review

Schizophr Bull. 2020 Dec 1;46(6):1367-1381. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa113.

Authors

Karina Stengaard Kamp¹, Edith Maria Steffen², Ben Alderson-Day³, Paul Allen^{2

4}, Anne Austad⁵, Jacqueline Hayes², Frank Larøi^{6

7

8}, Matthew Ratcliffe⁹, Pablo Sabucedo²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology and Behavioural Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
² Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
³ Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK.
⁴ Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK.
⁵ Faculty of Theology, Diaconia and Leadership Studies, VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway.
⁶ Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
⁷ Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁸ Norwegian Centre of Excellence for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁹ Department of Philosophy, University of York, York, UK.

Abstract

Bereaved people often report having sensory and quasi-sensory experiences of the deceased (SED), and there is an ongoing debate over whether SED are associated with pathology, such as grief complications. Research into these experiences has been conducted in various disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, and anthropology, without much crossover. This review brings these areas of research together, drawing on the expertise of an interdisciplinary working group formed as part of the International Consortium for Hallucination Research (ICHR). It examines existing evidence on the phenomenology, associated factors, and impact of SED, including the role of culture, and discusses the main theories on SED and how these phenomena compare with unusual experiences in other contexts. The review concludes that the vast majority of these experiences are benign and that they should be considered in light of their biographical, relational, and sociocultural contexts.

Keywords: auditory-verbal hallucination; persistent complex bereavement disorder; population; sense of presence.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Bereavement*
Hallucinations* / diagnosis
Hallucinations* / etiology
Hallucinations* / physiopathology
Humans
Interpersonal Relations*
Mental Disorders* / diagnosis
Mental Disorders* / etiology
Mental Disorders* / physiopathology

Grants and funding

WT108720/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom