Episode 002: The Science Behind Voice Hearing with T.M. Luhrmann

Are you skeptical about being able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit? Where’s the proof and what’s the difference between healthy voice hearing and pathology? Our guest, T. M. Luhrmann, an anthropologist trained in psychology and the author of “When God Talks Back”, explores her studies on prayer processes that lead to a place where God is profoundly real and His voice can be heard amid the clutter of everyday thoughts. Discover what information is out there about rational, sensible people who are able to experience the presence of a powerful yet invisible being and sustain that belief in an environment of overwhelming skepticism.

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Show Notes

Have you wondered if this practice can be validated? Are you interested in finding resources for what is known about the practice of hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit? Today’s episode lets us get our feet wet on this subject. Tonya Marie Luhrmann is a highly educated and credible researcher in psychological anthropology who has studied the phenomenon and experience of voice hearing. Here are some of the topics we cover in this episode of Working With The Voice:

Getting over tribal “us” and them” thinking
Objections to the practice and negative emotional response
Differences in research in social science
Understanding anthropology in modern worlds
Difference between healthy and unhealthy voice hearing
Questioning the experience of hearing the Holy Spirit
Spontaneity of events seen as relevant to the practice
Discernment techniques
External validation of an internal experience
Prayer as a skill that changes how we can use our minds to unlock new capacities and new solutions

Resources mentioned:
Tanya Luhrmann’s site about her research and books:
http://luhrmann.net

Stanford university site on Tanya Luhrmann:
https://anthropology.stanford.edu/people/tanya-marie-luhrmann

Gallup Poll on belief in America:
http://news.gallup.com/poll/193271/americans-believe-god.aspx

Hearing Voices Network:
https://www.hearing-voices.org/

Durham University; Hearing the Voice
https://www.dur.ac.uk/hearingthevoice/

I look forward to hearing from you after you listen to this episode!