A Dose of Reason
This video dives into the science behind faith, exploring how psychological suffering, dopamine, and social reward can create the powerful illusion of encountering God.
About John Hunter:
Dr. John Hunter is a South African researcher and lecturer, based in Johannesburg. His interest in large group awareness trainings (LGATs) – and their impact on mood and psychosis – is grounded in his personal experience of bipolar disorder and his participation in an LGAT in 2010. In 2017, he completed a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, proposing a neurobiological explanation for the relationship between LGAT conditions and results. Specifically, Dr. Hunter put forward the dopaminergic defense hypothesis, offering insights into both the “transformational” experiences associated with LGAT participation, and the common claims of psychological harm and problematic behavior associated with participation. In 2022, Dr. Hunter published an article explaining the dopaminergic defense in the Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion, in July 2023 he presented this work at the annual International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and in June 2024 acted as an expert witness in a United States federal court regarding the use of LGATs in the Troubled Teen Industry. Dr. Hunter’s first book, Manufacturing Mania: The Dopamine Hypothesis of Religious Experience, is complete and is now available.
https://youtu.be/nXAl0jjCh1g?si=nl1cE7zyC6sIkvX8&sfnsn=mo
No comments:
Post a Comment