ENGLISH

The Mystic Mind: The Psychology of Medieval Mystics and Ascetics

By Jerome Kroll , Bernard Bachrach

Book information

Publisher
Routledge
Year
2005
ISBN
9780415340519, 0415340519
LCC
BL625 .K76 2005
Open Library ID
OL22621554M
Language
english
Format
DJVU
Filesize
2 MB (1978474 bytes)
Edition
New edition
Pages
289\289
Topic
History
Time added
2014-10-05 02:30:00

Description

A fascinating collaboration between a medieval historian and a professor of psychiatry, this enthralling book applies modern biological and psychological research findings to the lives of medieval mystics and ascetics. Drawing upon a database of over 1,400 medieval holy persons and in-depth studies of individual saints, this illuminating study examines the relationship between medieval mystical experiences, the religious practices of mortification; laceration of the flesh, sleep deprivation and extreme starvation, and how these actions  produced altered states of consciousness and brain function in the heroic ascetics. Examining and disputing much contemporary writing about the political and gender motivations in the medieval quest for a closeness with God, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in medieval religion or the effects of self-injurious behaviour on the mind.

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