Atheists & Agnostics
Related: About this forumThe Jerusalem Syndrome: Why Some Religious Tourists Believe They Are the Messiah
Wired Magazine:Theres a joke in psychiatry: If you talk to God, its called praying; if God talks to you, youre nuts. In Jerusalem, God seems to be particularly chatty around Easter, Passover, and Christmasthe peak seasons for the syndrome. It affects an estimated 50 to 100 tourists each year, the overwhelming majority of whom are evangelical Christians. Some of these cases simply involve tourists becoming momentarily overwhelmed by the religious history of the Holy City, finding themselves discombobulated after an afternoon at the Wailing Wall or experiencing a tsunami of obsessive thoughts after walking the Stations of the Cross. But more severe cases can lead otherwise normal housewives from Dallas or healthy tool-and-die manufacturers from Toledo to hear the voices of angels or fashion the bedsheets of their hotel rooms into makeshift togas and disappear into the Old City babbling prophecy.
Lichtenberg estimates that, in two decades at Herzog, the number of false prophets and self-appointed redeemers he has treated is in the low three figures. In other words, if and when the true Messiah does return (or show up for the first time, depending on what you believe), Lichtenberg is in an ideal spot to be the guy who greets Him.
While its tempting to blame the syndrome on Israels holiest city, that wouldnt be fair. At least, not completely. Its just the trigger, says Yoram Bilu, an Israeli psychological anthropologist at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The majority of people who suffer from Jerusalem syndrome have some psychiatric history before they get here. The syndrome doesnt show up in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but it and its kissing cousins are well-known to clinicians. For example, theres Stendhal syndrome, in which visitors to Florence are overwhelmed by powerful works of art. First described in the early 19th century in Stendhals Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio, the disorder can lead to spontaneous fainting, confusion, and hallucinations. Paris syndrome, first described in 1986, is characterized by acute delusions in visitors to the City of Light and for some reason seems to preferentially affect Japanese tourists. Place, it seems, can have a profound effect on the mind.
Whats actually happening in the brain, though, isnt completely clear. Faith isnt easy to categorize or study. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, has conducted several brain-imaging studies of people in moments of extreme devotion. The limbic system, the center for our emotions, begins to show much higher activity, while the frontal lobes, which might ordinarily calm people, start to shut down. In extreme cases, that can lead to hallucinations, where someone might believe theyre seeing the face of God or hearing voices, Newberg says. Your frontal lobe isnt there to say, Hey, this doesnt sound like a good idea. And the person winds up engaging in behaviors that are not their norm.
"Thank God" I never had any religious belief to obsess over...
dimbear
(6,271 posts)It's no wonder so many of the world's delusions spring from thereabouts.
onager
(9,356 posts)I'd heard of "Jerusalem Syndrome" before, but this was another good look at it.
The L.A. TIMES once ran a travel article written by a secular Jew/agnostic, about his trip to Jerusalem. His wife was an easygoing liberal Xian who didn't go to church much. She didn't freak out or anything, but the writer was surprised that she openly wept when they visited sites like the Via Dolorosa and Jesus' alleged tomb. (Which was apparently picked at random by an early church leader, but I quibble.)
So I guess it can affect even "normal" people.
I never heard of this stuff and it was really interesting: ...Paris syndrome, first described in 1986, is characterized by acute delusions in visitors to the City of Light and for some reason seems to preferentially affect Japanese tourists.
Paris Syndrome mainly affects Japanese tourists? Weird.
Then I recommend another one, Tokyo Syndrome. Causes certain American male tourists to imagine they are reincarnated samurai (or something). They hang around Japanese bars and demand that other round-eyed tourists read this great book they just discovered, which uncovers "the real Japan." The type is especially thick in the Roppongi district, also home to that venerable Japanese institute of culture and learning, the Hard Rock Cafe.
When it comes to hallucinating and nearly passing out cold, I've only suffered from Amsterdam Syndrome. Must have been all that art in the Rijksmuseum.
Behind the Aegis
(53,956 posts)The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons' twenty-first season and the 457th episode overall. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 28, 2010 (Palm Sunday and the eve of Passover).[2] In this episode, the Simpsons vacation in Israel with Ned Flanders, but Homer does not appreciate any of the cultureuntil an Israeli tour guide named Jakob shows him around and, in a severe state of dehydration, Homer believes he is the Messiah.[3]
The episode was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Michael Polcino and guest stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Jakob and Yael Naim as Dorit and features references to films like Transformers and Veggie Tales. "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" received a 2.7/8 Nielsen Rating in the 18-49 demographic and received mixed reviews from critics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Story_Ever_D'ohed
Jokerman
(3,518 posts)Ever since my visit there I don't want do anything but hang-out at the pool bar all day wearing a bathing suit and a t-shirt.
I don't mean to make light of an actual mental disorder but if I were going to refuse to leave a tourist destination it would be someplace with a beach.
The return to reality from any vacation can be difficult.