How do you explain these convulsions?

[gib65]

My question has to do with a scene from the documentary "Jesus Camp". Here's a link to a preview:

 

 

There's a brief scene in this where children appear to be having convulsions or epileptic seizures or something. You can see this between 1:40 and 1:45. I've seen this happen before with people who get all caught up in the religious experience. What is this? Do scientists know what's going on in their brains/bodies/minds to make this happen?

[insane_alien]

psychosomatic. if they expect it to happen enough then their brains will probably cause it to happen. as for scientists being able to find out, well, the sorts of people who get like that don't want a scientist within 50 meters of them.

[gib65]

psychosomatic. if they expect it to happen enough then their brains will probably cause it to happen. as for scientists being able to find out, well, the sorts of people who get like that don't want a scientist within 50 meters of them.

 

Yes, but children? Would children know to expect that?

[insane_alien]

well, if they had seen it before. monkey see, monkey do. i know i done similar(albeit less dramatic) things when i was a wee kid. it wouldn't be hard to envisage a kid thats had all this exposure to this stuff emulating it subconciously. They might even see is as 'normal' so fake it just to fit in, or for fear of their parents claiming they have 'demons'.

 

Alternatively, sermons like that could have a sort of hypnotic aspect that makes the kids suggestible. nothing heavy like in proper hypnotist shows but similar.

 

i'm not sure on the psychology of it, i'm just going with my own experiences in childhood. and what i've picked up when out drinking with psychologists, not a good idea unless your also a psychologist.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

There have been cases of mass hysteria in which entire schools act ill, without a physical cause whatsoever. Psychosomatic effects can be rather surprising.

[Glider]

Terms that are relevant to the phenomena are 'conversion hystera', 'Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures' and 'neurocardiogenic syncope'.

 

When some people are exposed to emotionally charged situations, they undergo a number of changes; elevated heart rate, elevated BP and respiration (hyperventilation) and increases in hormones such as adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol. In some cases, these changes lead to a homeostatic 'feed forward' loop where the puturbations in homeostatic baselines begin to feed on themselves and increase.

 

The results can be a number of things. For example, neurocardiogenic syncope, a temporary loss of consciousness and postural tone (falling down), sometimes accompanied by minor convulsions. Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures are also possible, but they tend to be more severe.

 

Essentially, if you take a susceptible person and excite them beyond a certain level, they will undergo seizures. The type and severity of these seizures depend on a number of factors, the psychology of the individual, the nature of the situation and type of arousal etc..

[kenshin]

I think that I don't know (but want to know) is that how 'exactly' it works,and one thing that I know is that this was not good.Giving someone,specially children, such Strong mental and emotional suggestions as to manipulate their free will and even override it to an extent that they consider the suggestions to be their will,totally sick!And that goes for all religions and societies that try to do it.

 

I wonder,can we call it mental and emotional terrorism? What do you people think? Isn't it sort of brainwash?

[gib65]

I wonder,can we call it mental and emotional terrorism? What do you people think? Isn't it sort of brainwash?

 

Of course it's brainwashing. Is it terrorism? Well, it's only terrorism if they're using terror. I guess they might be frightening these children with ideas of Hell and Satan, but I doubt you'll be able to get child services after them... or the military. A lot of these people really believe they're doing these children a whole lotta good. But whatever it is, it's abuse (IMO).