large group awareness trainings, peak experiences and dopamine - with John Hunter, PhD

in 2003, John Hunter had a manic episode. When he attended a Large Group Awareness Training (LGAT) in 2010, he was surprised to find that the 'transformations' promised from this intense experience lined up with the symptoms of hypomania - the euphoric state that precedes full-blown mania in bipolar disorder. John completed his PhD with a dissertation on the role of dopamine in bipolar disorder/manic depression and the cogent idea that the dopamine system is sometimes hijacked to induce peak experiences. A fascinating new hypothesis that enhances our understanding of the irrational world of cultic involvement.

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Links:

John’s doctoral dissertation

more on the Bear-Fedio index

religious figures and mania

the aberree online

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More fascinating material from John Hunter:

his journal article on the dopaminergic defense hypothesis

A short article on LGATs published by the Psychological Society of South Africa

His illustrated essay on LGATs and Fight Club

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Note (from Spike): The Temptation of St. Anthony by Hieronymus Bosch is one of my favorite paintings ever and the screencap here just doesn't do it justice. So here's a link to where you can see it in all its bizarre glory