Relationship of self-reported mysticism with depression and anxiety in Iranian Muslims.
Psychological Reports April 1, 2007 Nima Ghorbani, P J Watson, Reza Rostami
Among 131 Iranian Muslim undergraduates, those who reported a strong religious interpretation of mystical experiences also reported lower depression. This religious interpretation also changed the relationship between introvertive mysticism and anxiety: for people with high religious interpretation and very high introvertive mysticism, introvertive mysticism was linked to less anxiety, not more. The findings suggest that religious interpretation may help reconcile conflicting philosophical and self-report findings about introvertive mysticism.