Pain and Ecstatic Religious Experience
Oxford Handbook Topics in Religion May 5, 2015 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935420.013.38 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that ecstatic mystical experience has two fundamental dimensions, self-transcendence and extremely high positive affect, and that pain is instrumental in promoting both, making it pervasive among mystics reporting ecstatic states. Contends that mystics' use of pain cannot be fully understood without accounting for the scientific and phenomenological terrain of positive affect. |
Abstract
Abstract: This article considers a broad selection of mystical writings to identify in ecstatic mystical experience two fundamental dimensions: a feeling of self-transcendence and an extremely high level of positive affect. The article argues that pain is instrumental in promoting both experiences and is therefore extremely pervasive among mystics who report ecstatic states of consciousness. A brief critical survey looks at scholarly literature that has touched on the subject of pain in religious experience. A number of neuroscientific theories are examined as ways of explaining the role of pain in the production of transcendent states of consciousness, and a phenomenological approach is used for exploring the role of pain in the production of positive affect. The article argues that the mystics’ use of pain cannot be fully understood without taking into account the scientific and phenomenological terrain of positive affect.