Edging thermodynamic equilibrium : mystical experiences as “mirror” encounters between the entropic brain and the entropic world
Philosophical Psychology October 22, 2025 Sonia de Jager 1 citation
Mystical experiences, including those induced by psychedelics, can be understood as adaptive learning events within the framework of active inference, where an agent's ordinary expectations are challenged or permanently changed. These experiences are linked to increased brain entropy, which reorganizes deep perceptual-cognitive preferences, such as the sense of self. This state may represent a significant overlap between sensory input and predictive output, leading to a reported sense of unity. The article speculates that this alignment serves as an evolutionary strategy for managing uncertainty, potentially explaining the profound nature of these experiences and their associated cognitive effects, such as higher ambiguity tolerance and death acceptance.