1998 Gest Fellow
Jennifer Elam

My research involved collecting about 100 stories of people's (primarily Quakers) experiences of God. Some people's experiences seem only slightly out-of-the-ordinary and they have words and frameworks for understanding what happens to them. Others have experiences such as hearing voices, seeing visions, or feeling presences that are quite extraordinary. Some have ways of understanding these experiences and can integrate them into their lives. Others do not ahve good supports for integrating their experiences and their mystical experiences become framed in pathological models. During my Gest fellowship, I read the works of many Quakers to see what (L)light they could shed or insights they might share.

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