During a temporal lobe epileptic seizure, a person will stare off and not respond to surrounding stimuli. A 40yearold man with history of temporal lobe epilepsy presented to the emergency department with hyperreligiosity after medication noncompliance. People have described interactions with god or a feeling of understanding the universe. Ecstatic epilepsy shares symptoms and mechanisms with orgasmic epilepsy spontaneous orgasms in. Spirituality and religion in epilepsy sciencedirect. Temporal lobe epilepsy is a type of epilepsy characterized by the. Can temporal lobe epilepsy explain the religious revelations.
Schimmels doctor told him he had developed temporal lobe epilepsy a. The answer shows that the same malady that endangered the health of these writers may also have helped their writing. Tle is the most common form of epilepsy with focal seizures. A questionnaire study in videoeeg monitoring unit use of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy and lactation. Spirituality aspects in patients with epilepsy sciencedirect. Clinical observations during the past 150 years support an association between religious experiences during ictal, after postictal, and in between interictal seizures. These are also referred to as auras and i think partial complex seizures seizures in the temporal lobe.
His epilepsy occurs in temporal lobe of the brain, that what he told me. Isolated hyperreligiosity in a patient with temporal lobe. Seized is a narrative portrait of a common brain disorder that can alter personality, illuminating the mindbody problem and the limits of free will. My family and most of my friends think its just panic, so i feel alone in my feelings and always tend to fear.
The international league against epilepsy ilae diagnostic manuals goal is to assist clinicians who look after people with epilepsy to diagnose the epilepsy syndrome and if possible the etiology of the epilepsy. I believe there is some sort of connection between temporal lobe epilepsy and god. There is now some evidence that a number of religious people, including prophets, saints, and cult founders, may have had temporal lobe seizures. Living with temporal lobe epilepsy kindle edition by powell, sharon r download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Waxman and geschwind described a group of traits in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy consisting of hyperreligiosity. Dostoevsky is a superb example of a temporal lobe personality, as described by geshwind. Because of the work connecting temporal lobe epilepsy and spiritual experiences, scientists previously believed that the temporal lobe was the only part of the brain involved in religious feelings. A colorfully illustrated book about children with disabilities for ages 48.
As an individual who experiences temporal lobe epilepsy, i found this to be a well written text, offering greater clarity. Basically im writing all of this here because i was wondering if anyone has had similar experiences, and if this could just be anxiety attacks, or if its worth seeing a neurologist for. Religious experiences have also been experienced in temporal lobe epilepsy. Additionally, the occurrence of intractable seizures in the developing. The brain during religious experiences howstuffworks. Temporal lobe epilepsy epilepsy information, support. Temporal lobe epilepsy in infants and children differs from the relatively homogeneous syndrome seen in adults in several important clinical and pathological ways.
Some experience a feeling of perfect harmony, the presence of god or a state of ecstasy. Patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis. Author links open overlay panel orrin devinsky george lai. Seizure semiology varies by age, and the ictal eeg pattern may be less clear cut than what is seen in adults. Pdf spiritual experiences in temporal lobe epilepsy. The structural and functional information serves as an important foundation for the detailed anatomical knowledge necessary for the. Every medical student is taught that patients with epileptic seizures originating in this part of the brain can have intense, spiritual experiences during the seizures and sometimes become preoccupied with religious and moral issues even during the seizurefree of interictal periods ramachandran and blakeslee 1998, 175. Temporal lobe epilepsy as a medical, historical, and artistic phenomenon 9781504032902. I want to know if those are normal symptoms of epilepsy, and if. Why were there so many great writers with epilepsy. The god helmet experiments were also intended to validate the idea that religious and mystic experiences are artifacts of temporal lobe function. Feelings of religious ecstacy williams 1956 and double consciousness, meaning the simultaneous experience of ones ordinary consciousness and the perception of another reality are again linked to right temporal lobe epilepsy.
Insula is probably of importance for the seizure semiology. Neurology of ecstatic religious and similar experiences. One patient of mine with temporal lobe dysfunction probably inherited, as his father was a rageaholic complains of frequent, intense violent thoughts. However, after his seizures calmed down he would feel an extraordinary significance in everything he observed. Temporal lobe or psychomotor seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in one area of the brain. Explains epilepsy in a reassuring way for newly diagnosed children, their siblings and friends. Many famous prophets are believed to have suffered epilepsy.
Temporal lobe epilepsy tle is a chronic disorder of the nervous system characterized by recurrent, unprovoked focal seizures that originate in the temporal lobe of the brain and last about one or two minutes. Religious and mystical experiences as artifacts of. These experiences for me always began with a strong feeling of deja vu and a sensation a bit like falling off the edge of a roller coaster an oh no, here we go again feeling. Temporal lobe epilepsy is a predisposing factor for sleep apnea.
An invaluable resource for anyone touched by epilepsy, seized gives firsthand accounts of three ordinary patients with temporal lobe epilepsy tle, explaining what they suffer and how they cope. The occurrence of religious experiences in tlepatients may as well be explained by religious attribution, due to the background of these patients. I have told my neurologist all about this, but she seems only think it was a hallucination and i dont disagree. I found the experiences of this person eerily familiar to the religious. Scientists suspect moses and other religious figures were epileptic.
Sudden religious conversion, together with visions, has been documented in only a small number of individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy. Automatisms are common during the seizure, and include oral andor manual automatisms. I have a form of epilepsy which results in simple partial seizures that distort my perception of reality for a few moments. In the temporal lobes, seizures and creativity the new. In contrast to the role of the temporal lobe in evoking religious experiences, alterations in frontal functions may contribute to increased religious interests as a personality trait. There may sensory auditory, emotional fear, cognitive deja vu or autonomic features epigastric sensation, tachycardia, colour change prior to onset of impaired awareness. Temporal lobe, or psychomotor, seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in an area of the brain known as the temporal lobe, which sits just above your. Focuses on the theory of vilayanur ramashandran of the university of california in san diego that somewhere in the brains temporal lobes there may be neural. Temporal lobe epilepsy looks very different than other types of epilepsy.
Mystical and religious experiences are hypothesized to be evoked by transient, electrical microseizures within deep structures of the temporal lobe. Focal epilepsy can be very hard to spot, particularly if temporal or on undersurface of the brain. Recent imaging studies, however, have shown that many parts of. After medications were resumed, he returned to baseline. Its possible that many great religious leaders had temporal lobe seizures and this predisposes them to having visions, having mystical experiences.
Religious and mystical experiences as artifacts of temporal lobe function. It refers to epilepsy that originates in the temporal lobes, the parts of brain on either side of our head, behind our ears. Doctors help you with trusted information about anger in epilepsy. A number of people with epilepsy, particularly those with temporal lobe epilepsy, have reported experiencing religious feelings during their seizures. I also know that he complains about night seizures, teeth grinding and headaches all the time.
Arriving at the correct epilepsy syndrome andor etiology allows better decisionmaking about treatment and improves patient care. Hallucination, religious experience epilepsy foundation. How the brain creates outofbody experiences and religious. Covering the detailed anatomy, physiology, and clinical aspects of the temporal lobe and the limbic system, this monograph makes a timely appearance because of the widespread interest in this subject in relation to epilepsy, alzheimers disease, and schizophrenia. In this lesson we will learn about temporal lobe epilepsy and these. Temporal lobe epilepsy tle as the reason for religious revelations is most likely the exception than the rule. All human experiences, including mystical and religious ones, are the result of brain functional activity. Secondary generalisation is much less common than in extratemporal lobe epilepsy. Some of my seizures are like entering another dimension, the closest to religious or spiritual feelings ive ever had. In this article, well take a look at an interesting and often overlooked question surrounding this seizure disorder.
Are scientists arguing that all religious experiences can be related to temporal lobe epilepsy. Profound spiritual experiences have been observed as a trait of temporal lobe epilepsy tle, as described in the geschwind syndrome. Namely, why are there so many great writers with epilepsy. Temporal lobe epilepsy and religion epilepsy foundation. We also look at some reasons why some researchers try to explain nde phenomena as simple epileptic phenomena. The author of this study proposed that such occurrences were consistent with his hypothesis that transient, focal, epilepticlike electrical discharges in the temporal lobe, without convulsions, may be associated with strong spiritual and religious experiences. Although the seizures may be undetectable to observers, they can prompt symptoms like hallucinations, powerful religious sensations, fury, fear, joy and a blessing for those in the arts an. Laplante and many other tle experts speculate that the mystical religious experiences of some of the great prophets were induced by tle because the historical. Transcendent experience and temporal lobe epilepsy. Temporal lobe seizures are characterized by behavioral arrest and impaired awareness. Temporal lobe epilepsy tle is the most frequently observed drugresistant localisationrelated epilepsy, especially in epilepsy surgery case series,, and is usually characterised by an excellent prognosis after tailored resection.
Amnesia is the rule for the blank spell and the automatism. Wiseknut, who lived in the 1800 s, is a well known example of this in norway. Temporal lobe epilepsy tle is the single most common type of partial or localization related epilepsy. Before proceeding to epilepsy surgery, it is essential to evaluate the localisation of the epileptogenic zone ez, which can be assessed by.
In addition, epileptic seizures may increase, alter, or decrease religious experience especially in a small group of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy tle. I argue that the appearance of nde phenomena in temporal lobe seizures is the result of seizures spreading into brain areas that function in the human deathprocess. Epilepsy linked to intense religious and spiritual experiences, like seeing god seizures involve areas of the brain linked to religious and spiritual. For individuals who have mystical experiences during their temporal lobe seizures, these medications and procedures threaten to prevent these.
Patients often complain of poor memory for recent events, and this may get worse as the epilepsy continues. I awoke after a couple hours of normal sleep and spent the next 45 hours fully concsious and mostly coherent, i. This gentleman, due to the damage to his temporal lobes, was suffering from seizures. Before i explain, let me just remind you that the relationship between epilepsy, cognition, and behavior is extremely complex.
Research in this area is at an early stage of development, with indications that a temporal focus is an important factor. But i have encountered several patients incorrectly diagnosed with schizophrenia who were instead suffering from undiagnosed and untreated focal epilepsy tle. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading surviving wonderland. It seems that temporal lobe damage or dysfunction makes a person more prone to irritable, angry or violent thoughts much more on this will be given in the chapter on violence.
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