Enriching the Common Core of Mystical Experience: A Qualitative Analysis of Interviews with Daoist Monks and Nuns
The international journal for the psychology of religion October 2, 2023 Z. Chen, Shuozhi Guo, R. Cowden
Mystical experiences among Daoist monks and nuns include both features common across traditions and unique elements tied to Daoist practice. Interviews with 19 highly experienced Daoist practitioners revealed two clusters of experience: one involving dissolution of self, unity, and bodily sensations, and another involving egress of spirit and resonance with divinities. These findings support parts of the common core thesis of mysticism, which posits universal features like ego loss and unity, but also extend it with culturally specific themes—bodily sensations and spirit egress—that bridge introvertive, extrovertive, and interpretive mysticisms. The results suggest that incorporating diverse cultural perspectives can enrich understanding of psychedelic, religious, spiritual, and mystical experiences.