Alexander Moreira-Almeida
Biographic Data
| ID | 138837 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alexander Moreira-Almeida |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alexander |
| FAMILY NAME | Moreira-Almeida |
| SIGNATURE | MOREIRA-ALMEIDA A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9135-2532 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 33 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 21 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 33 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Exploring the unseen
Religiousness/spirituality, Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, Hope, and Happiness in Children and Adolescents in Institutional Care
There are 34 thousand children living in institutions in Brazil, a context that poses a risk to mental health, raising the need to investigate protective factors. Objective: investigate the prevalence of religiosity/spirituality and mental health (depressive and anxiety symptoms, hope, and happiness) in children and adolescents in institutions. Method: A cross-sectional quantitative study that invited all children aged 7 to 17 years in institutio…
Religiosity and spirituality in coping with suicide grief
BACKGROUND: Although religiosity and spirituality are recognized as important protective factors against suicide, little research has explored their role in the grief process following suicide loss. AIMS: To investigate the existing evidence about the impact of religiosity and spirituality on suicide grief. METHOD: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and PsycInfo databases for original empirical studies examining the associat…
Allan Kardec’s theories and methods to investigate the nature of psychical experiences
The French educator Allan Kardec (1804–1869) was one of the first researchers to propose the scientific investigation of psychical experiences and was an influential scholar in Europe during the second half of the 19th Century. However, his life and the outcome of his research in this field are currently little known and often misconstrued. This paper briefly presents Kardec’s biography and his first steps in the investigation of psychical phenom…
Spiritual experiences hallucination phenomenology associated with spiritual experiences in a non-clinical population
Objective Studies show a high prevalence of psychotic experiences in the population, not associated with mental disorders, called anomalous experiences. The aim of the study was to explore the phenomenology of anomalous experiences in mentally healthy mediums. Method Six mediums undergoing these experiences with high frequency were interviewed about their sensory experiences and the content categorized as predictability (trance-mediumship/non-tra…
Views on the mind-brain problem do matter
Who Does Report Past-Life Memories? Claimers’ Profile, Religiosity/Spirituality and Impact on Happiness and Mental Health
Investigation of mediumistic letter
Mediumship is a well-accepted spiritual practice in Brazil relating to the grief process and beliefs in the afterlife. For this reason, there is considerable interest among Brazilians in trying to determine whether mediums can obtain information beyond what can be obtained through conventional means (Anomalous Information Reception - AIR). However, there is a dearth of in-depth qualitative studies about these issues. This study aimed to investiga…
Prevalence of spiritual and religious experiences in the general population
Spiritual and religious experiences (SREs) are common subjective phenomena related to the awareness of transcendence, which transforms one's perception of life, death and suffering. Despite the high prevalence of SREs worldwide, not enough studies have been conducted beyond Europe and North America. To fill this gap, this study investigates the prevalence of SREs in Brazil and their association with socio-demographic variables. This online cross-…
Existential meaning, spiritual unconscious and spirituality in Viktor Frankl
Methodological Exclusion of the Transcendent? Implications for Theory and Research in Religion, Spirituality and Health
The Role of Spiritual and Religious Experiences in Religious Switching
The epistemologies of research on the survival of consciousness after death in the golden era of the Society for Psychical Research (1882–1930)
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) of London was founded in 1882 with the purpose of investigating psychical phenomena, especially the theme of survival, with scientific rigour. Despite the recognized importance of the SPR for dynamic psychiatry in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there are few studies of its epistemological contributions to the theme of survival and its implications to science. In order to fill this gap, we have con…
Science of Life After Death
Religion-Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Systematic reviews have shown the efficacy of religion-adapted cognitive behavioral therapy (R-CBT); however, many clinicians lack practical knowledge of these protocols. We describe here the techniques of religious adaptation to CBT that have proved effective. We selected randomized clinical trials comparing R-CBT with control conditions in clients with a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder and extracted the information from their adapted manual…
Science of Life after Death
Percepção de docentes brasileiros sobre as relações entre saúde, religião, espiritualidade e seu ensino
Apesar do maior reconhecimento da importância das relações entre saúde, religião e espiritualidade no cuidado em saúde, as universidades brasileiras ainda não fornecem treinamento adequado nesse âmbito. O objetivo desse artigo é compreender como docentes de uma universidade pública brasileira percebem as relações entre saúde, religião, espiritualidade e seu ensino. 10 professores foram submetidos à entrevista semiestruturada e os dados foram anal…
Alister Hardy
Alister Hardy was one of the pioneers of the scientific study of spiritual experiences (SE); however, his work and insights have not received the attention they deserve. This paper, based on an in-depth analysis of Hardy's own writings, presents his main methodological and epistemological contributions for advancing the investigation of SE. Hardy's main epistemological propositions were as follows: the transcendent as the core of spirituality and…
Who Does Believe in life After Death? Brazilian Data from Clinical and Non-clinical Samples
Religious landscape in Brazil
Although the basis of religious studies start with demographics, nation-wide data are often extracted from face-to-face interviews (leading to a social-desirability bias) and in studies not originally designed to assess religion. This study aims to understand the religious landscape in Brazil and to investigate the feasibility of carrying out a representative nation-wide survey without interviewers, comparing it with other representative face-to-…
WPA Position Statement on Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry
The WPA and the World Health Organization (WHO) have worked hard to assure that comprehensive mental health promotion and care are scientifically based and, at the same time, compassionate and culturally sensitive1, 2. In recent decades, there has been increasing public and academic awareness of the relevance of spirituality and religion to health issues. Systematic reviews of the academic literature have identified more than 3,000 empirical stud…
Panorama das pesquisas em ciência, saúde e espiritualidade
As investigações dos fenômenos psíquicos/espirituais no século XIX
No início do século XIX, investigações sobre a natureza de fenômenos psíquicos/espirituais como transes e supostas aquisições de informações indisponíveis aos canais sensoriais normais geraram grande debate no meio científico. Este artigo discute as principais explicações oferecidas pelos pesquisadores dos fenômenos psíquicos entre 1811 e 1860, concentrando-se nos dois movimentos principais no período: sonambulismo magnético e espiritualismo mode…
Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS-P) in Clinical and Non-clinical Samples
Clinical implications of spirituality to mental health
OBJECTIVE: Despite empirical evidence of a relationship between religiosity/spirituality (R/S) and mental health and recommendations by professional associations that these research findings be integrated into clinical practice, application of this knowledge in the clinic remains a challenge. This paper reviews the current state of the evidence and provides evidence-based guidelines for spiritual assessment and for integration of R/S into mental …
History of 'Spiritist madness' in Brazil
Spiritism is widely accepted in Brazil and influences psychiatric practice, especially through religious-oriented hospitals. However, during the first half of the twentieth century it was considered an important cause of mental illness. This paper first reviews opinions on 'Spiritist madness', written by the most eminent psychiatrists of the time, and then discusses the epistemological factors that have contributed to the conflict between medicin…
Panorama das pesquisas em ciência, saúde e espiritualidade
Prevalence of spiritual and religious experiences in the general population
Spiritual and religious experiences (SREs) are common subjective phenomena related to the awareness of transcendence, which transforms one's perception of life, death and suffering. Despite the high prevalence of SREs worldwide, not enough studies have been conducted beyond Europe and North America. To fill this gap, this study investigates the prevalence of SREs in Brazil and their association with socio-demographic variables. This online cross-…
Spiritist Views of Mental Disorders in Brazil
The Spiritist perspective on mental disorders exerts a great influence in Brazil. Spiritist theory supports the survival of the spirit after death with an exchange of knowledge between the incarnated and disincarnated spirits. This article reviews the texts on mental disorders and Spiritism written by four leading Spiritist authors: Allan Kardec, Bezerra de Menezes, Inácio Ferreira and Joanna de ¬ngelis. These authors advocated a model of spiritu…
Investigation of mediumistic letter
Mediumship is a well-accepted spiritual practice in Brazil relating to the grief process and beliefs in the afterlife. For this reason, there is considerable interest among Brazilians in trying to determine whether mediums can obtain information beyond what can be obtained through conventional means (Anomalous Information Reception - AIR). However, there is a dearth of in-depth qualitative studies about these issues. This study aimed to investiga…
The Role of Spiritual and Religious Experiences in Religious Switching
History of 'Spiritist madness' in Brazil
Spiritism is widely accepted in Brazil and influences psychiatric practice, especially through religious-oriented hospitals. However, during the first half of the twentieth century it was considered an important cause of mental illness. This paper first reviews opinions on 'Spiritist madness', written by the most eminent psychiatrists of the time, and then discusses the epistemological factors that have contributed to the conflict between medicin…
Spiritist Views of Mental Disorders in Brazil
The Spiritist perspective on mental disorders exerts a great influence in Brazil. Spiritist theory supports the survival of the spirit after death with an exchange of knowledge between the incarnated and disincarnated spirits. This article reviews the texts on mental disorders and Spiritism written by four leading Spiritist authors: Allan Kardec, Bezerra de Menezes, Inácio Ferreira and Joanna de ¬ngelis. These authors advocated a model of spiritu…
Religiousness and mental health
OBJECTIVE: The relationship between religiosity and mental health has been a perennial source of controversy. This paper reviews the scientific evidence available for the relationship between religion and mental health. METHOD: The authors present the main studies and conclusions of a larger systematic review of 850 studies on the religion-mental health relationship published during the 20th Century identified through several databases. The prese…
Retaining the meaning of the words religiousness and spirituality
Spirituality and Resilience in Trauma Victims
Validation of the Duke Religion Index
Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil
William James and psychical research
Traditional textbooks on the history of psychiatry and psychology fail to recognize William James’s investigations on psychic phenomena as a legitimate effort to understand the human mind. The purpose of this paper is to offer evidence of his views regarding the exploration of those phenomena as well as the radical, yet alternative, solutions that James advanced to overcome theoretical and methodological hindrances. Through an analysis of his wri…
Clinical implications of spirituality to mental health
OBJECTIVE: Despite empirical evidence of a relationship between religiosity/spirituality (R/S) and mental health and recommendations by professional associations that these research findings be integrated into clinical practice, application of this knowledge in the clinic remains a challenge. This paper reviews the current state of the evidence and provides evidence-based guidelines for spiritual assessment and for integration of R/S into mental …
Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS-P) in Clinical and Non-clinical Samples
WPA Position Statement on Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry
The WPA and the World Health Organization (WHO) have worked hard to assure that comprehensive mental health promotion and care are scientifically based and, at the same time, compassionate and culturally sensitive1, 2. In recent decades, there has been increasing public and academic awareness of the relevance of spirituality and religion to health issues. Systematic reviews of the academic literature have identified more than 3,000 empirical stud…
Panorama das pesquisas em ciência, saúde e espiritualidade
As investigações dos fenômenos psíquicos/espirituais no século XIX
No início do século XIX, investigações sobre a natureza de fenômenos psíquicos/espirituais como transes e supostas aquisições de informações indisponíveis aos canais sensoriais normais geraram grande debate no meio científico. Este artigo discute as principais explicações oferecidas pelos pesquisadores dos fenômenos psíquicos entre 1811 e 1860, concentrando-se nos dois movimentos principais no período: sonambulismo magnético e espiritualismo mode…
Religious landscape in Brazil
Although the basis of religious studies start with demographics, nation-wide data are often extracted from face-to-face interviews (leading to a social-desirability bias) and in studies not originally designed to assess religion. This study aims to understand the religious landscape in Brazil and to investigate the feasibility of carrying out a representative nation-wide survey without interviewers, comparing it with other representative face-to-…
Who Does Believe in life After Death? Brazilian Data from Clinical and Non-clinical Samples
Percepção de docentes brasileiros sobre as relações entre saúde, religião, espiritualidade e seu ensino
Apesar do maior reconhecimento da importância das relações entre saúde, religião e espiritualidade no cuidado em saúde, as universidades brasileiras ainda não fornecem treinamento adequado nesse âmbito. O objetivo desse artigo é compreender como docentes de uma universidade pública brasileira percebem as relações entre saúde, religião, espiritualidade e seu ensino. 10 professores foram submetidos à entrevista semiestruturada e os dados foram anal…
Alister Hardy
Alister Hardy was one of the pioneers of the scientific study of spiritual experiences (SE); however, his work and insights have not received the attention they deserve. This paper, based on an in-depth analysis of Hardy's own writings, presents his main methodological and epistemological contributions for advancing the investigation of SE. Hardy's main epistemological propositions were as follows: the transcendent as the core of spirituality and…
Science of Life After Death
Religion-Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Systematic reviews have shown the efficacy of religion-adapted cognitive behavioral therapy (R-CBT); however, many clinicians lack practical knowledge of these protocols. We describe here the techniques of religious adaptation to CBT that have proved effective. We selected randomized clinical trials comparing R-CBT with control conditions in clients with a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder and extracted the information from their adapted manual…
Science of Life after Death
The epistemologies of research on the survival of consciousness after death in the golden era of the Society for Psychical Research (1882–1930)
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) of London was founded in 1882 with the purpose of investigating psychical phenomena, especially the theme of survival, with scientific rigour. Despite the recognized importance of the SPR for dynamic psychiatry in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there are few studies of its epistemological contributions to the theme of survival and its implications to science. In order to fill this gap, we have con…
Existential meaning, spiritual unconscious and spirituality in Viktor Frankl
Methodological Exclusion of the Transcendent? Implications for Theory and Research in Religion, Spirituality and Health
The Role of Spiritual and Religious Experiences in Religious Switching
Religiosity and spirituality in coping with suicide grief
BACKGROUND: Although religiosity and spirituality are recognized as important protective factors against suicide, little research has explored their role in the grief process following suicide loss. AIMS: To investigate the existing evidence about the impact of religiosity and spirituality on suicide grief. METHOD: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and PsycInfo databases for original empirical studies examining the associat…
Psychology (24 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (20 works) · Medicine (18 works) · Spirituality (13 works) · Psychotherapist (12 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs (11 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Clinical Psychology (10 works) · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health (9 works)