Jerusalem Syndrome is a mental phenomenon where visitors to Jerusalem develop religious delusions, believing they may be God or a famous person from the Bible. It affects only members of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with Jews and Christians accounting for the majority of cases. Many patients have pre-existing mental disorders, but some arrive completely sane and are treated and released within a week. The cause is speculated to be a religious culture shock or powerful emotions from a holy pilgrimage. Jerusalem Syndrome is not the only example of Voyager Syndrome.
Jerusalem Syndrome is a term used to describe a mental phenomenon whereby visitors to Jerusalem develop religious delusions, believing they may be God or a famous person from the Bible. Such individuals have believed themselves to be famous biblical characters such as John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, the Virgin Mary, or even the Messiah. The syndrome affects only members of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, with Jews and Christians accounting for the majority of cases. The theory was developed by Dr. Yair Bar-El, a former director of the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center in Jerusalem, who said he treats an average of one or two Jerusalem syndrome patients a month.
A large number of Jerusalem syndrome patients have histories of pre-existing mental disorders, but not all. According to Bar-El and fellow Kfar Shaul psychiatrist Gregory Katz, many afflicted people had no mental disorders prior to their visit to Jerusalem. They arrived completely sane, wandered through the city one hour, and the desert the next like John the Baptist in search of converts. Most of these individuals are treated in Kfar Shaul and released within a week, after which they return to normal life without a trace of their religious fantasies.
Psychiatrists have speculated that perhaps these formerly normal people — most of them Protestant Christians from the United States — are experiencing some sort of religious culture shock. The reality that Jerusalem resembles many other modern cities, with frenetic traffic, businessmen scurrying to and fro on cell phones, and rampant commercial advertisements, is in violent conflict with one’s idea of an old-time cobblestone city, traveled by citizens in dresses and sandals. In response to such irreconcilable ideas, some say their minds experience a temporary breakdown. Another factor could be that many people go to Jerusalem on a holy pilgrimage and upon their arrival believe and feel that they are closer to God than ever before. Such powerful emotions could also lead to strange psychological reactions.
There have, of course, been many cases where patients have developed Jerusalem syndrome not because of an intense religious experience, but because of a pre-existing mental disorder. A man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia developed Jerusalem Syndrome while in the United States and traveled to Jerusalem as a result. He was an American bodybuilder who believed he was Samson, the biblical strongman. He has traveled to Jerusalem on a delusional holy mission to move part of the Western Wall. Some speculate that David Koresh, the leader of the fallen Branch Davidians cult, had a Messiah complex caused, in part, by a trip to Jerusalem.
While many in the medical community are skeptical of the legitimacy of Jerusalem Syndrome, many take it seriously, nowhere more so than in Jerusalem. Tour guides, security personnel, and doctors in Jerusalem keep an eye out for Jerusalem syndrome symptoms. Once a person suffering from symptoms has reached the stage of wrapping himself in white sheets and proselytizing in the desert, many doctors are trained to play with delusions so as not to further agitate the patient. With the help of time, medical treatment, and medication, the delusion often wears off.
Jerusalem Syndrome isn’t the only example of Voyager Syndrome, where a traveler falls under a bizarre, temporary psychological spell in reaction to a particular location. Many who have traveled to Paris, especially Japanese tourists, have experienced agitated states of mind and have experienced hallucinations, as well as feelings of anguished hostility. This has been called the Paris syndrome and is thought to be caused by a mixture of travel fatigue and culture shock. There is also the Florence Syndrome, or Stendhal, in which travelers become dizzy, disoriented, and experience hallucinations in response to seeing exquisite Florentine art.
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