Epileptic seizures causing orgasmic bliss

Ecstatic epilepsy is a rarely occurring medical condition. Its symptoms are similar to ordinary epileptic seizures but with a twist - this uncommon disease gives people an intense feeling of indescribable bliss. Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky was famous for having this condition and some historians assume that ecstatic seizures were responsible for the divine visions of Joan of Arc as well.

In this state of mind one can experience overwhelming insight, the feeling of hyperreality, tranquility, harmony with the world, and leaving behind their own self for a few moments. These experiences show striking similarities to those undertaken by meditators and psychedelic drug users.

Yesterday the NewScientist reported the story of a young woman who had this condition. She described the general psychological symptoms mentioned above but she also recalled a case when she was trapped into this pleasant state and felt that she could not escape. The feeling of helplessness made her panic. Beginner meditators occasionally have the same experience when the feeling of egolessness reaches them too early and unprepared. Artists who draw inspiration from beauty and sensory impressions can also suffer from the same kind of overexcitement. Does it mean that eternal bliss can be too much of a good thing? If it is so, it seems that those joyful moments that we constantly seek in life can only have value if they do not last too long.