Sensing the Sacred: Religious Experience, Somatic Inversions, and the Religious Education of Attention
Sociology of religion April 2, 2021 Daniel Winchester, Michal Pagis
Somatic inversions—experiences where usually unnoticed bodily processes become the focus of awareness—can make religious phenomena feel present to the senses. Drawing on studies of Eastern Orthodox fasting and Theravada Buddhist meditation, the authors argue that such practically cultivated bodily experiences, while not inherently religious, encourage attributions of religious significance and open the door to further engagement and elaboration.