The question of prenatal and perinatal underpinnings of God images
Helen Bequaert Holmes
May 20, 2020 DOI: 10.4324/9780429273490-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that prenatal and perinatal experience may shape God representations, drawing on Stanislav Grof's experiential work linking religious experience to birth-related phenomena and on neurological research the author says shows memory traces back to early cellular life. |
Abstract
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 religious experience to a variety of birth-related phenomena, and his system of thinking is outlined. If it is possible to trace memory back to early cellular life, and current neurological research is showing that it is, then this storage of experience is evidence for early prenatal pre-dispositional formations of God representations.