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Since the very earliest days of Christianity, saints, mystics, and regular believers have all described the experience of sudden, overwhelming visions. The history of the Church is littered with accounts of individuals seeing marching celestial armies, blinding lights, and vast heavenly cities. For many, these strange signs were clear confirmation that they had been touched by something beyond human understanding.
But scientists say that there might be a physiological explanation, which can reveal what it is really like to receive one of these visions from God. According to some neurologists, the symptoms described by those experiencing a heavenly vision closely match with a phenomenon called a 'migraine aura'. These neural storms trigger visual hallucinations, almost always featuring bright zigzags known as 'fortification patterns' due to their similarity to city walls.
In some cases, migraine sufferers can be struck by hallucinatory sounds, illusory odours, and even out-of-body experiences. Some scientists believe it may be these overwhelming and unexpected hallucinations that people describe when they report having a 'vision from God'. Since the first days of Christianity, saints and mystics have described receiving visions from God.
Now, scientists say they have an explanation for what it is like to have one of these visions Migraines are thought to affect about 10 per cent of the general population, or approximately 148 million people worldwide. For about a third of people who experience migraines, the pain is preceded by a wave of strange perceptual effects known as an aura. Although the most obvious symptom of a migraine is a pounding pain in the head, this condition is far more than just an exceptionally bad headache.
For some people, this can manifest in powerful visual effects like flashing zigzag lights, bright colours and even temporary blindness. Dr Philip Holland, a neuroscientist from King's College London, told MailOnline: 'It's..
. Wiliam Hunter.
