Welcome to
EARS
Exploring Anomalous, Religious, and Spiritual Experiences
Mike Rush
This website presents my exploration into various aspects of anomalous, spiritual, and religious experiences.
I use the word ‘spiritual’ to cover a wide variety of experiences including: mystical, psychic, paranormal, religious, peak, transcendental, exceptional, anomalous, or simply unusual, experiences.
Research
I have undertaken research on psychic sensitivity in the field of parapsychology, spiritual experiences within the Western Esoteric Tradition, and I am currently researching the psychology of spiritual crisis or spiritual emergency for my PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University. I am one of the Trustees of the Sir Alister Hardy Trust (AHT), which supports the work of the Religious Experience Research Centre (RERC) at the University of Trinity Saint David in Lampeter, Wales. Some of my work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and newsletters.
Information, Advice and Support
I am a qualified hypno-psychotherapist registered with the CNHC and UKCP, and a Spiritual Emergence Coach registered with the IMHU. I have collated a range of resources on this website to support people affected by spiritual crisis. I define spiritual crisis, or spiritual emergency, as any spiritual or anomalous experience that causes concern or distress to the person who experiences it or to others around them. I am also one of the Directors of the Spiritual Crisis Network (SCN) in the UK and assist with thier email support service and the SCN peer-support group in Sheffiled.
Wyrd Ficktion
I also have a small creative project called A Flash in the Dark, where I publish my short stories online. Flash fiction is a form of very short story ranging from just a few words up to about 1000 words in length. My wyrd ficktion combines the traditions of weird tales, folk horror, and gothic horror, and is influenced by myth and magic, psychology and folklore, spirituality and religion, and my own dreams and experiences.
Donations
My research and support work is all self-funded but if you feel this work is important and you would like to contribute you can make a donation here.
I use the word ‘spiritual’ to cover a wide variety of experiences including: mystical, psychic, paranormal, religious, peak, transcendental, exceptional, anomalous, or simply unusual, experiences.
Research
I have undertaken research on psychic sensitivity in the field of parapsychology, spiritual experiences within the Western Esoteric Tradition, and I am currently researching the psychology of spiritual crisis or spiritual emergency for my PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University. I am one of the Trustees of the Sir Alister Hardy Trust (AHT), which supports the work of the Religious Experience Research Centre (RERC) at the University of Trinity Saint David in Lampeter, Wales. Some of my work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and newsletters.
Information, Advice and Support
I am a qualified hypno-psychotherapist registered with the CNHC and UKCP, and a Spiritual Emergence Coach registered with the IMHU. I have collated a range of resources on this website to support people affected by spiritual crisis. I define spiritual crisis, or spiritual emergency, as any spiritual or anomalous experience that causes concern or distress to the person who experiences it or to others around them. I am also one of the Directors of the Spiritual Crisis Network (SCN) in the UK and assist with thier email support service and the SCN peer-support group in Sheffiled.
Wyrd Ficktion
I also have a small creative project called A Flash in the Dark, where I publish my short stories online. Flash fiction is a form of very short story ranging from just a few words up to about 1000 words in length. My wyrd ficktion combines the traditions of weird tales, folk horror, and gothic horror, and is influenced by myth and magic, psychology and folklore, spirituality and religion, and my own dreams and experiences.
Donations
My research and support work is all self-funded but if you feel this work is important and you would like to contribute you can make a donation here.
Mission Statement
My goal is to support people concerned about, or distressed by, unusual or spiritual experiences by:
- Providing information and advice,
- Providing therapeutic support where required,
- Undertaking and reporting on high quality academic research,
- Delivering education and training about these kinds of experiences and beliefs.
- Raising awareness and bridging the complementary worlds of spirituality and mental wellbeing.
- Depathologising and normalising these kinds of experiences in contemporary society.
