The common thread in spiritualists

I've been noodling around on some of the multitude of spiritual forums lately, specifically Visionary and Spiritual Forums, and I've noticed a common theme in the posters there, one that I've noticed before.  Much as with creative people, those who are attracted to alternative spiritualities tend to have... unpleasant pasts.  I've always wondered why this is true, and I have my own little theory.

We live in a world of dualities: up and down, left and right, good and evil, male and female.  The reason for this is because dualities are defined by each other.  Without right, nothing can be left. Without up, nothing can be down.  Duality is also an aspect of human experiences: we define right by what we consider wrong, good by what we define as evil.  In order for us to make any kind of value judgement, we have to have a point of reference with which to judge.

So what does this have to do with alternative spirituality?  Well, when people go through a lot of negative experiences early in life, ones that are, to their knowledge, outside the norm, it changes how they define good in their minds and their lives.  Once they work through their own traumas and emotional issues, they are still left with a definition of "bad" that is outside the norm, one based on the problems they faced as children and adolescents.  Because these people consider their experiences to be outside the norm (whether or not they are is a question for another day), they often also choose to think of their idea of "good" as outside the norm.  They develop a dim view of traditional moralities and religions and are drawn to the unusual, namely to alternative spiritualities:  Wicca, mediums, New Age, and so on.

Of course, this could be a bunch of psychobabble crap on my part, but it at least makes for interesting discussion.