Dr. David Lukoff: Diagnosing Spirituality and Spiritual Competency

In this episode of Waking Up Bipolar, Chris Cole speaks with David Lukoff, PhD about the overlap of mystical experiences and psychotic disorders. Dr. Lukoff draws from decades of research and training in the overlap of psychological disturbances and spiritual realization.

David Lukoff, PhD has been active with the mental health consumer movement for 20 years and worked with the California Mental Health Spirituality Initiative since its inception in fall 2006. He helped design, administer, and analyze the data from the surveys and interviews. He has been an active proponent of spiritual competency in the field of psychology with 80 articles and chapters on spiritual issues and mental health, including spirituality and recovery from mental problems. He is a Professor Emeritus in Psychology at Sofia Institute and a licensed psychologist in California. He is co-author of the DSM-IV category "Religious or Spiritual Problem" and has been an active workshop presenter providing training in spiritual competencies in areas such as spiritual assessment, loss and grief, death and illness, spiritual problems and struggles.

Read the article mentioned in this episode, "The Diagnosis of Mystical Experiences with Psychotic Features," watch Dr. David Lukoff tell his own story of awakening, and learn more about his work at spiritualcompetency.com

I have personally benefited tremendously from David's research and writing. Much of my confusion around my own spirituality was feeling as if I needed to choose either mental health or spiritual teachings. Dr. Lukoff's work helped me bridge two worlds that often felt light years apart. May we all find greater freedom having listened to his words.

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Chris Cole hosts the Waking Up Bipolar podcast, focused on the intersection of bipolar disorder and spiritual awakening. He is the author of The Body of Chris: A Memoir of Obsession, Addiction, and Madness, inspired by his own journey of spiritual unfolding and mental health challenges. Chris Cole offers life coaching for any number of mental health conditions, specializing in bipolar disorder and spiritual emergence. Chris’s experience with addiction, disordered eating, body dysmorphia, psychosis, and spiritual emergency allows him to relate to a wide range of clients. He utilizes a holistic approach to mental health which views wellness in physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual domains. Learn more about Chris and his work at colecoaching.com.

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