AN EXPERIENCE BEYOND WORDS : Numinous vs Awe – a shared phenomenon 100 years apart?

Sammanfattning: Awe, an emerging topic within the field of modern psychology, has shown to have many benefits, including improved health for mind and body. This essay is trying to explore what links there are between the spiritual concept of the numinous established by the religious scholar Rudolf Otto and the definition of awe put forward by one of the most prominent and influential researchers in the field of Self-Transcendent Emotions, Dacher Keltner. Is the modern concept of awe and the numinous the same thing with similar health benefits? Through a content analysis the study will show that there are many common denominators between the two phenomena in question and that a healthy outcome of spiritual awe is not just possible but common for human beings. Yet that the concept of the numinous still has in some ways its own unique position. Suggestions are made on how further research could be done regarding how to stimulate awe and through that perhaps spirituality, for the benefit of health and the connection with others.