SEEKING God’s Presence

J. Hunter
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Abstract

There is evidence that dopaminergic excitation contributes to certain religious experiences however, a natural mechanism by which hyperdopaminergia may be elicited in normative Christian contexts remains elusive. Panksepp’s dopamine-mediated “SEEKING system” offers a plausible endogenous defense against psychological stress, and is activated by rewarding stimuli, so it was hypothesized that significant psychological stress followed by social reward would prompt SEEKING arousal in most healthy individuals. Through a review of 121 data sources describing a prevalent “personal development” seminar – using deductive thematic analysis – it was found that participants endure significant psychological stress for days before it is replaced with love/acceptance/affirmation and that most participants experience a powerful affective state, with effects consistent with SEEKING arousal. Because contemplating one’s sinfulness may elicit acute psychological stress, and Christian salvation may provide a sense of love/acceptance/affirmation, a natural mechanism for stimulating SEEKING arousal, and inducing a religious experience, in a Christian context is conceived.
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寻求神的同在
有证据表明多巴胺能激发有助于某些宗教体验,然而,在规范的基督教背景下引发高多巴胺能的自然机制仍然难以捉摸。Panksepp的多巴胺介导的“寻求系统”提供了一种似是而非的内源性防御心理压力,并被奖励刺激激活,因此假设在大多数健康个体中,显著的心理压力之后的社会奖励会促进寻求唤醒。通过对描述一个流行的“个人发展”研讨会的121个数据来源的回顾-使用演绎主题分析-发现参与者在被爱/接受/肯定取代之前几天承受着巨大的心理压力,并且大多数参与者经历了一种强大的情感状态,其效果与寻求唤醒一致。因为思考一个人的罪恶可能会引起严重的心理压力,而基督教的救赎可能会提供一种爱/接受/肯定的感觉,所以在基督教的背景下,一种刺激寻求觉醒和诱导宗教体验的自然机制被设想出来。
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1.70
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