What Caused the Visions?
The leading theories are: • Visions from God – A dwindling number of traditional Adventists still hold to the belief that the visions were supernatural revelations from God. • Visions were hallucinations caused by health problems – This theory was first advanced by Dr. Jackson, who examined Mrs. White and declared her a victim of hysteria. Others, including D.M. Canright, attributed the visions to hysteria and catalepsy. A century later, this theory would take an interesting turn when Dr. Delbert Hodder discovered amazing parallels between the life of Mrs. White and the lives of other victims of partial-complex seizures. Hodder’s theory was advanced further with the publication of Dr. Molleurus Couperus’ landmark article The Significance of Ellen White’s Head Injury. • Visions were due to psychological phenomena – This theory builds upon the evidence that certain highly emotional events, such as intense religious meetings, can trigger altered states of consciousness, such as trances, i
