The Embodied Emotion Management of Extrasensory Practitioners

297 Pages·2015·2.17 MB·English

The Embodied Emotion Management of Extrasensory Practitioners:
A Reflexive Approach

Sarah Janet Olivia Roberts

Doctor of Philosophy
University of York
Sociology

February 2015
Abstract

In this thesis I adopt a reflexive approach to examining the emotion management,
identity work and the ethical and normative aspects of extrasensory practices. Using
my own method of Systematic Emotional Embodied Reflexivity (SEER), the thesis
draws upon ethnographic data (consisting of extensive involvement within
esoteric/new age subcultures, participant observations at a mediumship training
college and interviews with practitioners and spiritualist leaders) to provide a
sociological analysis of the relational considerations which underpin extrasensory
work. Key findings suggest that the ideal of authenticity guides the identity work that
practitioners do; however the data indicate that authenticity is more spiritually
complex than it appears. Practitioners claim their interactions are significantly
embodied, based not simply on thought and feeling but also on bodily senses and cues.
In sum effective emotion management for the extrasensory practitioner involves
achieving distance from the self in order to successfully present Spirit to the recipient.
Nevertheless, ethical considerations often provide practitioners with interactional
dilemmas contradicting the detached experiences they report. Using SEER to account
for my own extrasensory experiences within the field, allowed me to experience
emotion management as reported by the participants and facilitated reflective
analysis.

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List of Contents

Abstract 2
Contents 3
List of Figures 7
Acknowledgements 8
Declaration of Originality 10

Chapter 1: Introducing the sociological significance of 11
extrasensory practitioners
Introduction 11
Chapter overview 12
Aims and objectives of this thesis 12
Defining ‘extrasensory practitioners’ 14
Other issues to consider 17
Extrasensory practices in contemporary UK culture 18
The development of current spiritualism and spiritualist philosophy 19
The positive and negative responses of extrasensory practices 25
Bias within extrasensory research and the necessity of researcher 28
reflexivity
The author’s own involvement with the extrasensory 35
Sociology and the extrasensory 37
Marginality 37
Gendered work practices 40
Bereavement and extrasensory practices 40
Authenticity, trust, context and language in extrasensory 42
practices
The language of psychic practitioners 44
The importance of studying emotions, experience and the body 45
within extrasensory work
Emotion management and extrasensory practitioners 46
Chapter-by-Chapter Outline 48

Chapter 2: Emotion management, identity and extrasensory 52
practitioners
Introduction 52
Conceptualising emotion 52
Hochschild’s The Managed Heart 55
Emotion management (and emotion work) 57
Emotional labour, surface acting and deep acting 58
The development of Hochschild’s work 61
Diverse forms of emotion management and identity work 62
Emotion management, client involvement and the role of the 69
practitioner’s body
Conclusions 72

Chapter 3: The research process 75
Introduction 75
The ethnographic method 75
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Reflexivity in fieldwork 77
Systematic Embodied and Emotional Reflexivity (SEER) 79
Summary of data collection 83
Sampling using social networking 85
Interviewing 86
College ethnography 88
Selecting the college setting 88
Gaining access to the college 89
The role of participant observer 91
Note taking, recording data and data management 92
Audio diaries 94
Hanging out with extrasensory practitioners 95
Ethical considerations 96
Data management and transcription 99
Data analysis: approach and procedure 99

Chapter 4: Seeing through the eyes of the believer 102
Introduction 102
Four stages of researcher emotion management 104
On a mission: my pro-practitioner phase 104
Becoming disheartened: my uncertain phase 105
Being an active believer: a new way of thinking 111
Being a sympathetic disbeliever 119
Summary 121

Chapter 5: So You Wants To Be A Medium? 124
A reflexive analysis of attending a mediumship
training college
Introduction 124
The History of the College 124
The College Setting 126
Educational Program 128
Structures and Constraints of the college 129
Applying Goffman to College Life: A descriptive account of the 131
introductory procedure
Reflections on the introductory procedure 136
Social construction of Spirit 139
The philosophy of Spirit 139
Silence and its function 140
Ritualistic, embodied and emotional experience 142
Ethics, morals, values and the supportive nature of the college 143
Emotionality and disclosure within the college 144
The college and the extrasensory practitioner 145
Challenges to the students sense of self 145
Phenomenological exposure 147

Chapter 6: The social construction of practitioners’ 149
authenticity
Introduction 149
‘Authentic (extra-sensory) abilities’ and ‘Authentic (spiritual) 150
selfhood’
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Type 1: Authentic (extrasensory) abilities: Constructing one’s 152
abilities as genuine (both for others and self)
Innate talent (or gift) 153
The practitioner as a ‘channel’ for Spirit 155
I. A practitioner’s relationship with Spirit guides 156
II. The practitioner embodying Spirit 157
III. Types of Spirit (channelled) information 162
Proof for the client that the information originates from Spirit 166
Strategies that clients have to test practitioners 168
Using third person accounts to increase authenticity 170
Communicating with Spirit without knowing how and without it 173
being a matter of choice
Spiritualism and constructing the authentic (extrasensory) self 176
Professionalisation and ‘developing’ the authentic 180
(extrasensory) self
Meditation 182
Type 2: Authentic (spiritual) selfhood: Living an authentic life/being 183
true to oneself
Spirit and the practitioner 183
Spiritual knowledge and backgrounds 184
Spiritual characteristics and the preparation of the spiritual 185
body
Absence of ulterior motive – working to ‘heal’ people not for the 187
money.
Being true to the authentic spiritual self 189
Hard life experiences-making it possible to relate to people in a 190
genuine way
The extrasensory practitioners (spiritual) management of ego 191
Discussion 195

Chapter 7: Embodied emotion management and ethics of 197
extrasensory practitioners
Introduction 197
Experiencing Spirit Emotion 198
Preparation techniques for extrasensory work 203
Emotion management and ethics 214
The therapeutic, emotional and positivity of extrasensory advice 221
Extrasensory practitioners and emotion management during the 224
delivery of information
Discussion 234

Chapter 8: Discussion and conclusion 238
Introduction and Chapter Aims 238
Summary of Thesis Findings 239
Contributions of this thesis 244
Contributions to research on emotions and the body 244
Contributions to research on anomalous experiences 246
Contributions to methodology 249
I. Methodological contributions and anomalous experiences 249
II. Methodological contributions and emotions and the body 251
Limitations and area of further study 252
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Consumer involvement-limitations and areas of further 254
research

Trance mediumship-areas of further research. 254
Statistics – areas of further research 254
Terminology- contributions and areas of further research. 255

Conclusions: Why has all of this mattered? 255

Appendices 257

Appendix 1: 1.1 Meditations (field notes) 257
Appendix 2: 2.1 Talktorials (field notes) 259
Appendix 3: 3.1 Group work (field notes) 269

Appendix 4: 4.1 Informed consent form 274
Appendix 5: 5.1 Interview guide 275
Appendix 6: 6.1 Key Participants 278

List of references 284

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List of Figures

Figure
Chapter Three
3.1 SEER stages of data collection 81

3.2 Summary of Dataset 84

Chapter Four
4.1 A visual summary of the timeline of 122
the research process
4.2 The three stages of researchers 123
emotion management

Chapter Five
5.1 Course Programme 128

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Acknowledgements

I would first like to express my gratitude to my supervisors Dr Merran Toerien and
Professor Stevi Jackson for their continuous support and guidance. Merran you have
been amazing, thank you for the encouragement and laughs but for also inspiring me
to have a wider perspective on a subject I feel so passionately about. It is because of
you that I enjoy research again.

I express my deepest appreciation to the participants of the study that welcomed me
into their magical world and freely gave their time and hospitality to make sure I
understood their experiences. I have never laughed so much; I have seen parts of the
world and had occurrences I never thought possible. I now truly believe that
everything happens for a reason.

I extend this appreciation to the Economic Social Research Council for funding this
research awarding me with a three-year fee and maintenance grant.

I would like to thank all fellow sociology colleagues old and new who have supported
me. Thank you to Professor Robin Wooffitt for inspiring my interest in the Sociology of
Anomalous Experiences. Thank you also to Dr. Claire Jackson for your valuable
feedback and support. I would also like to thank Dr Anne Akeroyd for sharing her
knowledge and references. Thank you to Phillip Stanworth for believing in me.

Much love and appreciation goes to my friends and family. Karen Ashurst for
introducing me to fresh coffee and tarot cards all those years ago, as well as showing
me that going to university and being a parent were both possible. Linda Armstrong
for all the years of free babysitting, advice and cooked dinners. Catherine Robson,
Rachael Tordraighen and Kathryn Ball for keeping me upbeat and focused. Steve
Brown who poured tomato sauce on my head when we were teenagers and has been
my rock ever since. Thank you for all believing in me.

A special thanks goes to my mother Kathleen and father Roy who have always wanted
the best for me. All those struggles, cleaning and extra tuition has finally paid off mam.
Cheers dad for teaching me an important lesson in life to never be scared of anyone or
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anything. It has come in useful. Thanks to my brother Steve for the years of sarcasm
about being a vegetarian and talking to dead people. I love you all. Lastly this thesis is
partly written in memory of my late grandma Jenny and granddad Bill. Both of them
instilled in me the old school values of gratitude and working hard and without them I
would not have had the funds to finish writing up.

Finally this thesis is dedicated to one very special person, my teenage son Jack William
Metcalfe, who has during my several years of studying inspired me to keep going and
never give up. Without his love, understanding and excellent coffee making skills, the
last few years would not have been possible. I love you with my heart and soul Jack
this thesis is for you.

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Declaration of Originality

In accordance with the University regulations, I hereby declare that:

1. This thesis has been composed solely by myself
2. It is entirely my own work
3. It has not been submitted in part or whole for any other degree or personal
qualification

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