A reappraisal of Teresa of Avila's supposed hysteria.

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.

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Abstract

This essay offers a reassessment of Teresa's severe seizures which were such a characteristic feature of her mysticism. The diagnosis of hysteria is no longer viable, at the very least given its abandonment by clinicians. An alternative analysis is developed by phenomenologically comparing Teresa's seizures to parallel experiences of subjects in LSD-assisted psychotherapy. Using Stanislav Grof's categories, it is argued that Teresa's seizures are perinatal symptoms. As such, they represent the emergence and reintegration of extremely primitive psychological systems and might be described as the growing pains of transpersonal consciousness. They reflect not degenerative psychopathology but progressive movement toward higher states of consciousness.