Religion, Faith and Fasting
I recently watched the Netflix documentary on Homo naledi, Cave of Bones. The most intriguing thing to me was the “X marks the spot,” or hash marks as they called them, in the cave.
On the one hand, it seems unremarkable…what symbol would any of us be prone to carve in a rock? Hardly a circle or polygon. But on the other hand, why not simply two or three either vertical or horizontal parallel lines, or an “N” rather than an “X”? And why did the Blombus cave have these marks made by early Homo sapiens and so too did the caves in Gibraltar made by Neanderthals? Is this propensity to mark things with an “X” in some way genetic? And why would that be?
There are no answers to those questions of course. But human beings, and perhaps the entire hominin genus, are meme generating creatures. We make meaning out of the world around us and the experience of being first alive and then dead.
Fasting features prominently in almost all religions around the world today. Religions share many rituals in common likely because human beings are the common denominator.
A religion is a community expressing a series of beliefs; a faith that there is meaning and purpose in one’s existence in the absence of scientific proofs. Rituals are a series of activities that are enacted by the community and they reinforce the connections within the community, and the common series of beliefs that comprise the shared faith as well.
Consciousness is a strange and amorphous thing. I personally am not someone who holds that humans are exceptional in their ability to experience consciousness. Our experience is so narrow as to make it exceedingly difficult for us to conceive that the signs of types of consciousnesses we do grudgingly admit exist (trees that “talk” to one another, other species capable of complex emotions and tool use…) are somehow parallel yet so alien to us as to be incomprehensible. Instead, we are keen to place it all on a hierarchy with us and our kind of consciousness inevitably at the top.
Consciousness in humans is not binary – awake/asleep – and as such we have always been keen to bestow on the huge swath of altered consciousness in between awake and asleep added meaning. We make meaning out of absolutely everything around us and within us, as I said.
Dreams, taking substances to alter the processing of sensory inputs and sensory deprivations to heighten processing, are all spaces of particular relevance for adding meaning to one’s existence.
Fasting is an energy deprivation that alters sensory processing in a profound way. The brain is an energy hog and it is heavily impacted by starvation. But we know that the brains of those with eating disorders, or at risk for eating disorders, experience fasting in a distinct way. It is not an unpleasant, emotional and sobering experience of deprivation for those with eating disorders; it is energizing, blunting and calming.
It is important to recognize that rituals are distinct from religion and faith and they pre-date the religion that might be your expression of purpose and meaning. Religious leaders are often much more comfortable with members of the congregation not partaking in various rituals than the congregation as a whole might be. These leaders tend to be more practiced in distinguishing between faith and commitment on the one hand, and rituals intended to enhance that underlying faith and commitment on the other.
That is not to say of course that average does not exist everywhere, and you may be faced with a religious leader who is bound and determined to support the shunning and ostracizing of those who do not adhere to all the rituals assigned as expressions of faith and commitment. But just know that if you have had an eating disorder, or have one, then fasting is not a safe ritual for you and that that does not reflect a waning of your faith or some kind of lesser commitment to your religion.
Furthermore, fasting exists today outside the confines of religion with the popularity of intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is yet another pathway for disordered eating in those who are susceptible. [1]
Unfortunately, we have no screening or test that can really help predict whether someone is susceptible to activating eating disordered behaviours from a single diet or fast. By far the best way to protect yourself and your family, if you are part of a religious community for which fasting is a duty assigned within your faith, is to educate yourself and speak with your religious leaders to ensure you are ensconced in the right community that will support you. As eating disorders are considered moderately heritable, if close family members have eating disorders, then it is wise to exempt yourself from fasting rituals. Once activated, eating disorders are exceedingly difficult to get into remission.
If you are working towards remission now, or are in remission, then it is also critical to avoid fasting, either inadvertent or purposeful, of any kind.
Not being able to enact a ritual that is profoundly meaning-filled with your community is isolating, so consider enacting alternate rituals that will allow you to feel connected with your faith and community. Consult your religious leaders and elders for suggestions. As an example, those who are pregnant do not fast during Ramadan and they will eat away from others out of respect during the day, but will be a part of the evening breaking of the fast with their families and community. There are likely many more in your community facing the same challenge as you: those with diabetes, bipolar disorder, heart disease, migraine sufferers…the list is long. You can be a community within the broader community and find ways as a group to ease the isolation while enhancing your faith.
Kelly Cuccolo, Rachel Kramer, Thomas Petros & McKena Thoennes (2022) Intermittent fasting implementation and association with eating disorder symptomatology, Eating Disorders, 30:5, 471-491, DOI: 10.1080/10640266.2021.1922145
