Mystic Mind, The

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.

Table of Contents:
Preface. Acknowledgments. Part I Psychology and Biology 1. Introduction 2. Heroic Asceticism and Self-Injurious Behavior 3. Mysticism and Altered States of Consciousness 4. Pain and Laceration of the Flesh 5. Sleep Deprivation 6. Fasting and Starvation Part II History. 7. Historical Methods: Selecting a Data Base 8. Pathways to Holiness 9. Radegund 10. Beatrice of Nazareth 11. Beatrice of Ornacieux 12. Henry Suso 13. Mental Illness, Hysteria, and Mysticism 14. Appendix: Statistical Analyses 15. Conclusion Notes. Bibliography.