The perinatal period of birth is examined through a psychoanalytic lens, namely through Freud’s depiction of the ‘oceanic feelings’, the source of religious energy in this view and a possible perceived connection with a deity by the foetus. Khamsi supports the possibility of such a foetal experience but also proposes its contrary, namely that the traditional opinion denies that neonates are...
This chapter addresses Freud’s point about the unknowability of aspects of existence, such as dreaming and life in the womb. The chapter asks whether this is any evidence to support prenatal and perinatal origins of the formation of our God representations. The experiential work of the Freudian psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Stanislav Grof is discussed, linking the deepening of experiential...