Tumor Caused Woman To Hear God Telling Her To Harm Herself

The tumor affected the brain areas responsible for sound processing

A 48-year-old Swiss woman who claimed God spoke to her was found to suffer from a brain tumor. This led her to stab herself a number of times in her chest. According to her, the divine voices demanded this as a form of religious sacrifice. Doctors have determined a more earthly cause: the slow-growing tumor in her brain. This directly resulted in religious delusions.

Tumor Caused Woman To Hear God Telling Her To Harm Herself[/tweetthis]

According to Dr. Sebastian Walther of University Hospital of Psychiatry, cases of this nature are few and far between. The psychiatrist from Bern, Switzerland, said the case can be termed unique as there is clearly a link between the location of the brain tumor and the consequent disruption of many brain networks. The result of all this is that the woman thought she could hear God’s voice.

The woman, whose actual identity cannot be disclosed for privacy reasons, had auditory hallucinations. Her case showed exactly how fragile the auditory input of the brain could be. This case offers a window into how perceptual processes function. They also show how such processes can be confused.

Doctors tried to solve the woman’s mysterious behavior by knowing and comprehending her past. That she was interested in religion was nothing new. The woman had spells of fundamentalist religious thought from an early age. Her first bout of religiosity was at 13 years. This phase would intermittently return, but it was not long lasting.

A subsequent brain scan revealed a tumor. Walther found out the brain network was “disturbed” in an extremely critical spot. This affects the experiencing of sounds. It can be surmised that the tumor was present during her early years and thus the religiosity.

The tumor was found to grow at a glacial pace in the thalamus. This caused a number of symptoms which were similar to schizophrenia. Disembodied voices and other auditory hallucinations are quite common among psychiatric patients. Academics hope that this case will help to comprehend the condition. They view the complete problem as proof of schizophrenic symptoms not getting triggered over all parts of the brain, but only a few particular disruptions in a few areas.

The tumor affected the areas of the brain responsible for the processing of sound. This is probably the reason she heard “divine” voices. It also affected the networks which may influence the emotions of a person.

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