Description

From the Session Abstract

Children’s Spiritually Transformative Experiences: Implications For Teachers, Parents And School Psychologists

In doing the research for her book Dancing with God Through the Storm: Mysticism and Mental Illness, school psychologist Dr. Elam listened to the stories of over 100 people of their spiritual experiences that they perceived to be out-of-the-ordinary, then documented and wrote about them. In the course of listening to the stories of adults, Dr. Elam noted that most of the people stated that they had never talked about the experiences because they did not feel safe in doing so – and a large percentage said the experiences began in childhood. Dr. Elam began wondering if some of the children she saw as a psychologist might be having out-of-the ordinary spiritual experiences that they could not talk about and whether this might have an impact on learning and behavior. In an exploratory project, Dr. Elam spoke with ten children, some of whom had been diagnosed with learning and behavioral disorders. In fact, when interviewed, one of the children described exactly what Dr. Elam had heard the adults say had happened in their childhood. Dr. Elam wondered if a child’s most precious experiences of connection with the divine were not supported by those around them, might that be a factor in leading to learning or adjustment difficulties. In her current research on childhood STEs through ACISTE, Dr. Elam will share results that have implications for teachers, parents and school psychologists.