Ecstatic seizures

Ecstatic seizures, also known as ecstatic epilepsy or as Dostoevsky's epilepsy, are a rare type of epilepsy that involve seizures with an intensely blissful, euphoric, or ecstatic aura. They are a form of focal epilepsy. Symptoms include intense positive affect, physical well-being, and heightened awareness, as well as time dilation and other symptoms. They are often described as mystical, spiritual, and/or religious, and have sometimes been said to be "life-changing". Ecstatic seizures are thought to be caused by epileptic activation of an area of the brain known as the dorsal anterior insula. Electrical stimulation of this part of the brain can induce ecstatic seizures. It has been theorized that ecstatic seizures caused by activation of the insula may be due to a temporary block of prediction errors associated with uncertainty and negative affect. Conceptual and neurological parallels have been drawn between ecstatic seizures and other intensely positive or mystical experiences, for instance with drugs like MDMA ("ecstasy") and psychedelics, as well as with moving musical enjoyment and deep states of meditation. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, who himself had epilepsy and ecstatic seizures, first described these seizures in his writings in the mid-to-late 1800s. The first cases of ecstatic seizures reported in the medical literature were published in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As of 2023, around 50 cases of ecstatic seizures have been reported. The involvement of the anterior insula in ecstatic seizures was first elucidated in 2009, and ecstatic experiences were first artificially induced by stimulation of this brain area in 2013. Some leading historical religious figures, such as Saint Paul the Apostle and Joan of Arc, have been suspected as having had ecstatic seizures.