k 2022

Sensing the Darkness : Spiritual experiences through the lens of predictive processing and evolutionary ethology

NENADALOVÁ, Jana

Basic information

Original name

Sensing the Darkness : Spiritual experiences through the lens of predictive processing and evolutionary ethology

Authors

Edition

IACESR 2022 (International association for the cognitive and evolutionary sciences of religion), 19-21 September 2022, Aarhus University, Denmark, 2022

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Prezentace na konferencích

Field of Study

60304 Religious studies

Country of publisher

Denmark

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

Organization unit

Faculty of Arts

Keywords in English

spiritual experience; predictive processing; sensory deprivation; authority

Tags

International impact, Reviewed
Změněno: 22/3/2023 15:03, Mgr. Jana Nenadalová, Ph.D.

Abstract

V originále

Subjective religious experiences are an important part of many human traditions. But how can we study them qualitatively in the field if most of the cognitive religious experience research is experimental? Currently, the cognitive science of religion understands religious experience as a composite product of several underlying mechanisms connected by the theory of predictive processing (PPT). I focus on qualitative field research of religious experiences related specifically to the cultural context of “alternative spirituality” (i.e., on spiritual experiences), induced by the alternative-spiritual technique of “Dark therapy” (DT). DT combines the prolonged effect of sensory deprivation – participants usually spend one week in complete darkness – with the probable direct influence of authority, represented here as a DT guide, who usually consults participants’ experiences, feelings, and needs once a day. Sensory deprivation and authority priming were previously identified as variables potentially crucial for the successful induction of religious experience in general. With my paper, I aim to introduce a qualitative ethnographical approach to the field study of religious/spiritual experiences combining PPT with evolutionary theories on social dynamics and authority, present preliminary examples of gathered data and connect them to previous experimental findings.