|
by
Tim Swartz
There are some places on the planet that seem almost to radiate a spiritual
power. Early man recognized this and built great monuments on these sites.
Over the centuries, Jerusalem has emerged as one of these spiritually
energetic places, which makes sense, considering that this ancient, Biblical
town has been the focal point of devotion by millions of people for thousands
of years. What is most fascinating, however, is the way that some people
react to this energy.
For centuries, pilgrims have been drawn to Jerusalem for its
rich historical and spiritual tapestry. Most return home with fond memories
of their visit but others are inexplicably filled with the burning desire
to remain in Jerusalem to publicly chant and sermonize. This strange reaction
to visiting a religious site has become so common that it has been given
its own name: the Jerusalem Syndrome.
Filled
with the Spirit
The syndrome was first described in the 1930s by Jerusalem psychiatrist
Dr. Heinz Herman, one of the founders of modern psychiatric research in
Israel, who noted in some of his patients an unusual and often temporary
mental state of sudden and intense religious delusions after visiting
or living in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Syndrome usually affects only Christians or Jews,
and interestingly, seems to favor Protestants, who account for 97 percent
of all cases. Although the syndrome affects each person differently, it
generally begins with feelings of nervousness and anxiety, with the pilgrim
feeling a gnawing need to visit various holy sites. Often, they will then
shave off body hair, cut their nails, and repeatedly bathe in an attempt
to become purified. They then suddenly have a desire to go out into the
streets to sing hymns and preach the gospel.
New Mexican resident Amanda Faks said that while visiting
Jerusalem in 2001, she suddenly felt filled with the Holy Spirit and left
her tour group to start preaching next to the Wailing Wall. “The
words just flowed from my mouth and even though I was wide awake and knew
what was going on,” she explains, “I had no control over what
I was saying.”
Faks was temporarily hospitalized and after she was sent home,
her unusual symptoms vanished just as quickly as they had emerged.
Intoxication
of the Holy City
Dr. Yair Bar El, district psychiatrist for the Ministry of Health, says
that for people suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome, the clinical picture
is always the same. Most have no past mental instabilities and they do
not see strange things, nor hear voices. They remember everything they
do, and know who they are.
For those who have been caught up in the intoxication of the
Holy City, removal from the environment is usually the fastest cure. Afterwards,
most victims of the syndrome cannot explain what happened to them. Rather,
they feel embarrassed and usually do not like to talk about the experience.
However, the district psychiatrist of Jerusalem, Dr. Moshe
Kalian, who has diagnosed many cases of Jerusalem Syndrome, disagrees
that most sufferers have had no previous mental problems. “In our
opinion, Jerusalem is a magnet for certain people who develop their ideas
before they come and act out their behavior once they are here,”
he explains.
But Jerusalem is not alone when it comes to places that can
spontaneously initiate symptoms of the syndrome in some people. Places
such as Lourdes, Fatima, and Medjugorje, where there have been appearances
of holy figures such as the Virgin Mary, are well known for sending pilgrims
into fits of religious ecstasy. Cities such as Rome and Mecca have also
seen cases of Jerusalem Syndrome.
Despite years of study, no one really knows what causes the
syndrome. Perhaps it is jarring for a serious Bible student to arrive
in modern-day Israel where, instead of prophets in sandals, he sees businessmen
on cell phones and soldiers on every corner. Or maybe in some people there
could be a physical reason for their spirituality, something that is activated
by these highly charged locales.
Interestingly, one doctor thinks that he may have discovered
a gene that could be the source of spiritual feelings, and possibly a
reason why some people are more influenced by religious centers such as
Jerusalem than others.
Locating
the God Gene
Dr. Dean Hamer, director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at
the National Cancer Institute, discovered that people with VMAT2, a vesicular
monoamine transporter that regulates the flow of mood-altering chemicals
in the brain, were more likely to develop a spiritual belief in God.
However, both the scientific and religious communities have
criticized Hamer's thesis. “God is not something that can be demonstrated
logically or rigorously,” says Neil Gillman, a professor of Jewish
philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Even so,
Hamer believes that people are born with the genetic propensity to be
spiritual while culture, history, and environment determine whether one
is a Christian, Hindu, Jew, Buddhist, or Muslim.
Additionally, Hamer suggests that all religions have similar
rituals that involve prayer and meditation, which can lead to an intuitive
sense of God’s presence. “We do not know God; we feel Him,”
he explains.
This could be the reason why some people respond so bizarrely
to holy places—instead of one’s spiritual belief being determined
by a person’s genetic make-up, perhaps the “God gene” enables
one to be more sensitive to spiritual energies. In certain focal areas,
this energy may be so strong that the victim acts almost like a radio
receiver, and begins broadcasting for all to hear the signal that is coursing
through their very being.
Even so, what causes Jerusalem Syndrome remains an enigma.
Are the symptoms the product of an unstable mind and is it a new development
or has it been around for thousands of years? If the source of the syndrome
involves energies not yet known to current science, might this suggest
that historical Biblical figures such as John the Baptist, the apostles,
and even Jesus Christ were influenced by this syndrome?
Whatever the reasons, this fascinating phenomena shows how
little is really understood about man’s need for spiritual enlightenment
and a direct relationship with the divine.
from
issue #10
|
|
