Reports of Esctatic, Paranormal, or Religious Experience in Great Britain and the United States: A Comparison of Trends

Studies in the United States show that ecstatic, paranormal, or religious experience is much more widespread than contemporary descriptions of reality would lead us to suppose. Despite differences in methodology, trends seem to be emerging and a recent national survey in Great Britain suggests that these findings may not be peculiar to North America. The paper outlines points of convergence and divergence between the British and American work on the occurrance of such experience and its relation to psychological well-being, and explores theoretical perspectives which may illuminate the information gathered in these surveys.