Bloomsbury Handbook of Religious Ecstasy

Globally explores the diverse experiences of ecstasy - and transformations of the mind and body – both in the past and the present.

Why do people thirst for the extraordinary or a connection to something beyond the material? Extraordinary experiences are often labelled religious, spiritual, mystical or even sacred. However, ecstasy is not extraordinary; for many people throughout the world, it is the exact opposite.

Providing case studies that highlight the diverse voices of people who have ecstatic religious experiences, this book brings together chapters on ecstasy, transformations of the mind and body, and interactions between the living and spirits.
Focusing on ecstatic contexts across North and South America, Africa, Japan and beyond, this book utilises intersectional analysis to uncover the links among racial, social, and gendered political margins.

Using a wealth of research from both past and present, this book explores how ecstasy can be experienced during trance, possession, prayer, and even through the use of psychotropic substances. This book uncovers group interactions between people and gods, saints, angels, and demons by interrogating institutional contexts of possession and exorcism.
Approaching ecstasy from both emic and etic perspectives, the book shines light on the transformative power of ecstatic religious experience for people who often live in the shadows of dominant society.