A reappraisal of Teresa of Avila's supposed hysteria.
Journal of religion and health December 1, 1985 C M Bache 18 citations
Teresa of Avila's severe seizures, long considered a hallmark of her mysticism, are reassessed. The traditional diagnosis of hysteria is no longer viable because clinicians have abandoned that category. By comparing Teresa's seizures phenomenologically to experiences reported by subjects in LSD-assisted psychotherapy, and using Stanislav Grof's categories, the essay argues that the seizures are perinatal symptoms. They represent the emergence and reintegration of primitive psychological systems, described as the growing pains of transpersonal consciousness. Rather than indicating degenerative psychopathology, the seizures reflect progressive movement toward higher states of consciousness.