Date of Conferral

9-15-2026

Date of Award

September 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Michael Langlais

Abstract

Spiritually communicating individuals (SCIs), those who report interactions with non-physical entities, may face misunderstanding, stigmatization, and pathologization. Although spiritual experiences are recognized across cultures and hold significant psychological importance, they remain largely absent from developmental psychology, leaving a gap in understanding how SCIs navigate identity formation, emotional regulation, and social integration in early adulthood. The foundation of this study is transpersonal theory, which incorporates spiritual and transcendent dimensions of human experience, and phenomenology, which served as the guiding methodological and philosophical approach to explore lived experiences as subjectively perceived. This study examined the lived experiences of SCIs aged 26–35, investigating how SCIs construct meaning, regulate emotions, and develop a coherent sense of self. Transpersonal theory provided the theoretical framework, and phenomenology guided the exploration of participants’ lived experiences. Eight experiential themes emerged from the analysis: growing into an experience that preceded language; the body as a site of spiritual knowing; fear, invalidation, and protective silence; naming sensitivity and reconstructing identity; relationships as sites of validation and risk; developing boundaries and regulatory agency; grief, trauma, and continuing bonds; and transforming sensitivity into purpose. The findings can contribute to developmental psychology and clinical practice by offering a phenomenological understanding of how SCIs integrate spiritual communication into identity and relationships as a meaningful aspect of human development rather than a marker of dysfunction.

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