March 2026
Mysticism
What March 2026's 10 new studies found, synthesized from the papers below. All Mysticism research →
The synthesis
Synthesized from 10 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below
Found by searching the library for Mysticism, mystical tradition, contemplative mysticism, apophatic, then ranked by relevance.
In March 2026, empirical research on mysticism found that mystical oneness experiences induced by psychedelics are strongly correlated with luminous light, renewal, and ego disintegration in a dose-dependent manner, supporting a dynamic model of mystical experience. Other studies explored mysticism through literary, theological, and comparative frameworks, but these were qualitative or theoretical and did not provide empirical evidence on the nature or effects of mystical experiences. The evidence is limited to one large controlled study on psychedelic-induced mysticism, with the remainder being non-empirical, so conclusions about mysticism broadly are tentative.
Evidence by study
Direction is which way each study's own result points, not our rating of the study.
What the directions mean
- Supports:
- the study found the intervention worked, or its hypothesis held.
- Opposes:
- it found the opposite, no benefit or a harm.
- No effect:
- no significant difference either way.
- Mixed:
- effects in both directions within the same study.
- Unclear:
- the abstract does not report a direction.
| Study | Design | Sample size | Direction | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystical dynamics: renewal, luminous light, and ego disintegration as key features associated with mystical oneness—a psychometric analysis using the PES100 in controlled psychedelic studies 2026 | Observational (pooled analysis of controlled studies) | 386 | Supports | Mystical oneness showed dose-sensitive strong correlations with luminous light and renewal, and moderate-to-strong correlation with ego disintegration, supporting a dynamic model of mystical experience. |
| Intellectual mysticism as a possible personal continuation of scientism 2026 | Theoretical | Unclear | The abstract is incomplete and does not provide a clear finding on mysticism. | |
| Longing as Devotion: Spiritual Desire and Hallajian Fanâ in the Ghani Khan’s poems The World and Heaven, and the Pious Priest and Madman 2026 | Qualitative | Unclear | The study identifies longing as a form of devotion leading to self-annihilation in Ghani Khan's poetry, but does not provide empirical data on mysticism. | |
| The Divine Names: A Mystical Theology of the Names of God in the Qurʾan 2026 | Theoretical | Unclear | This is a book review or introduction to a theological work on divine names in Sufi tradition, with no empirical findings. | |
| Heavenly Mother, If You Exist, Read this: Mormonism as a Mystical Atheism 2026 | Theoretical | Unclear | The article argues for a mystical atheist interpretation of Mormonism, but does not present empirical research. | |
| Dissolving the Self: Hallajian Fanā and the Poetics of Self-Negation in Ghani Khan’s The Fairy Princess and Question or Answer 2026 | Qualitative | Unclear | The study examines self-negation in Ghani Khan's poetry through Hallajian fanā, but provides no empirical data on mysticism. | |
| Comparative Mysticism: Tamil Bhakti Saints and Global Mystical Traditions 2026 | Qualitative | Unclear | The paper compares Tamil Bhakti mysticism with Sufi, Christian, and Zen traditions, but does not report empirical findings. | |
| Śrīmad Rājcandra’s Spiritual Biophilia from a Jain Perspective 2026 | Theoretical | Unclear | The study expands biophilia to include spiritual biophilia through Jain philosophy, but does not provide empirical data on mysticism. | |
| Embodied Rituals and Healing Practices in Turkish Health Culture: Implications for Contemporary Healthcare Environments 2026 | Theoretical/Review | Unclear | The paper examines historical healing practices in Turkish culture, including mystical rituals, but does not present empirical findings on mysticism. | |
| The Mystical Unconscious: Holding the Sublime, the Spectral, and the Sacred in Psychoanalysis 2026 | Theoretical | Unclear | The paper explores the mystical unconscious in psychoanalysis, but does not provide empirical evidence. |
Mystical oneness showed dose-sensitive strong correlations with luminous light and renewal, and moderate-to-strong correlation with ego disintegration, supporting a dynamic model of mystical experience.
Observational (pooled analysis of controlled studies) Sample size: 386
The abstract is incomplete and does not provide a clear finding on mysticism.
Theoretical
The study identifies longing as a form of devotion leading to self-annihilation in Ghani Khan's poetry, but does not provide empirical data on mysticism.
Qualitative
This is a book review or introduction to a theological work on divine names in Sufi tradition, with no empirical findings.
Theoretical
The article argues for a mystical atheist interpretation of Mormonism, but does not present empirical research.
Theoretical
The study examines self-negation in Ghani Khan's poetry through Hallajian fanā, but provides no empirical data on mysticism.
Qualitative
The paper compares Tamil Bhakti mysticism with Sufi, Christian, and Zen traditions, but does not report empirical findings.
Qualitative
The study expands biophilia to include spiritual biophilia through Jain philosophy, but does not provide empirical data on mysticism.
Theoretical
The paper examines historical healing practices in Turkish culture, including mystical rituals, but does not present empirical findings on mysticism.
Theoretical/Review
The paper explores the mystical unconscious in psychoanalysis, but does not provide empirical evidence.
Theoretical
Points of agreement
- Multiple qualitative studies (30654, 30454, 30655) converge on the theme of self-annihilation or ego dissolution as a core aspect of mystical experience across traditions.
- The empirical study (28039) and some theoretical works (30654, 30454) both highlight ego disintegration as a key feature of mystical states.
Conflicts
- No direct conflicts are evident, as the empirical study (28039) focuses on psychedelic-induced mysticism while the qualitative studies address literary and theological traditions, making them not directly comparable.
Gaps
- Durability of mystical experiences and their long-term effects are not addressed in any study.
- Blinding and placebo controls are not discussed in the empirical study (28039), which pooled data from multiple studies.
- Populations are limited to healthy participants in the empirical study; clinical populations or diverse cultural groups are not examined.
- Dose-response relationships are only explored for psychedelics, not for other mystical practices.
- No studies compare different mystical traditions empirically or examine non-drug-induced mysticism in controlled settings.