It is notable that epilepsy has been called “the sacred disease.” Some traits associated with epilepsy include excessive orderliness and concern with detail, increased engagement in repetitious activities and rituals, increased dependency, viewing events as being divinely controlled with deep personal significance, strong moral convictions, and a tendency towards guilt. Behaviorally speaking, because most religious systems are highly structured, repetitious, and ritualistic, they readily lend themselves to and reward these very traits.
Yet, it is known that people with epilepsy tend to display a conflicted sense of piety. Some early researchers noted that those experiencing epilepsy are likely to get caught up in the mechanics of religion. Hence, those humans who experience epilepsy are predisposed to become connected to the rules and activities of religion and remain disconnected from their deeper significance. In addition, it is not uncommon for the religious practices of those experiencing epilepsy to include sadistic impulses with sexual agitation. This results in the view that they are hypocrites in that they frequently take on religious roles, but miss the mark when it comes to fulfilling deeper spiritual expectations.
It has been suggested that shamans have epilepsy; however, it has also been noted that many cultures make a distinction between shamans and those experiencing epilepsy. Some people who experience epilepsy see auras prior to an episode of seizures and loss of consciousness. In times past, and in some current places, this pre-attack aura provided evidence that a spirit entered the person. This belief may have resulted from the fact that the epileptic episode tends to cause the person to be injured. In some cases, the person does not lose consciousness but undergoes a profound shift in what is commonly viewed as reality. This is accompanied by confusion, erratic emotional states, and powerfully authentic spiritual experiences. Some authorities debate that certain religious figures, such as the Christian apostle of the gentiles, Saint Paul, or the Muslim prophet, Mohammad, may have experienced epilepsy.
It is not uncommon for those with epilepsy to report that they were taken into heaven during the epileptic episode. Some individuals recall detailed conversations with various religious figures. Such an experience can take place at any point of the episode and may last for several days after.
Whereas some people account the episodes as joyous and blissful, others have a truly horrifying and torturous experience. These people testify to being visited by demons who seek to do them, or those they know, harm, or how they helplessly witness the world perishing. With such accounts and witnessing a person fall to the ground in violent shakings, it is easy to understand how it gets viewed as demonic possession.
Because of the link between epilepsy and the brain, and spirituality and the brain, it seems reasonable that that we would discover how certain events that trigger epileptic episodes would also be devices used in certain spiritual practices. For example, exotic drum playing is used in many cultures to unite with the divine. In connection to this, researchers have discovered that a rhythm of 7-10 beats per second will, in some with epilepsy, bring forth epileptic episodes.
It should be noted here that, historically, spiritual studies on people experiencing epilepsy have taken place with individuals found in the files of those under psychiatric care. Because of this, the information in this article cannot, and should not, readily be generalized to all people who experience epilepsy. In my practice I do not view epilepsy as an illness or disease. Although most people with epilepsy would rather not have it, I recognize the person who experiences epilepsy simply represents but one of the many different ways that people appear in life.
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