Both somatic therapy and charismatic Christianity can involve intense physical reactions in people, such as trembling, shaking, writhing, and crying. This got me thinking about whether there might be some common ground in how both practices achieve these effects. ‘Slain in the Spirit’ in Charismatic Christianity During worship, Pentecostal and charismatic Christians might fall to…
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In The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1912), the sociologist Émile Durkheim argues that religion has its origin in a feeling he calls collective effervescence. This refers to the heightened feeling of energy, euphoria, harmony, and unity that arises when we’re engaged in certain group activities, rituals, and ceremonies. This was a feeling that…
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Seconds (1966) is a sci-fi psychological thriller directed by John Frankenheimer. In my eyes, it’s a perfectly made film, and I found it to be a fascinating exploration of several existential themes: identity, choice, desire, fantasy, regret, eternal youth, and the wish to start life again. (The philosopher Slavoj Žižek analyses Seconds in his 2006 documentary…
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I recently rewatched the horror classic Hellraiser (1987), and as well as finding it better on the second watch, I was fascinated with its portrayal of the ‘ecstasy of agony’ or the ‘agony of ecstasy’ (which we could also call ‘ecstatic agony’). I’m currently working on a book on the subject of ecstasy, and despite…
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Children and young people in the UK (those aged 5-16) are taught about drugs in the non-compulsory subject known as personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). However, even though the subject is non-compulsory, the new National Curriculum does recommend that all schools teach PSHE and states that it is “an important and necessary part of…
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