Where the Spirit Meets the Bone: Embodied Religiospiritual Cognition from an Attachment Viewpoint
Anja L. Winter, Pehr Granqvist
Religions April 27, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/rel14040511 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Attachment Embodied cognition Psychedelic science Religion Spirituality |
| Key points | Proposes that attachment theory offers a viable framework for understanding embodied religious and spiritual cognition, and introduces the term 'religiospiritual cognition' to describe these phenomena. |
Abstract
In this conceptual paper, we suggest that attachment theory is a viable framework for understanding key aspects of embodied religious and spiritual cognition, as seen in religious and spiritual metaphors, rituals, anthropomorphisms, and more. We also discuss embodied cognition as part of mystical experiences and other altered states of consciousness that may occur both within and outside of religious contexts. Therefore, religiospiritual cognition is introduced as an alternative term to religious cognition. We review the basic tenets of attachment theory and conceptually link embodied religiospiritual cognition to attachment-related processes. Finally, we conclude with directions for future research on embodied religiospiritual cognition from an attachment viewpoint. The field of psychedelic science may be especially promising for examining links between attachment and embodied religiospiritual cognition.