‘Weird and scary stuff’: Diverse spiritual experiences about death in Australia— Steve Rose

Rich opportunities await the narrative therapist when space is opened in narrative re-membering practices to incorporate those experiences of death and dying that are often thought of as too ‘weird and scary’ ‒ or simply as just ‘a bit too strange or mystical’ to be treated as privileged experiences. This paper suggests that far from deserving to be avoided or totally ignored, these stories offer rich opportunities for exploration. Using a narrative lens, and drawing on the already known practices of narrative re-membering, the author unpacks some of his own stories privileging unusual and, at times, transcendent experiences. The article then outlines how such stories fit within a narrative framework. Finally, a number of suggestions are canvassed for how narrative questions related to these ‘weird and scary stories’ may be framed.