Numinous-like symptoms in epilepsy and/or insular tumors: A hospital cohort study.
Fredrik K Andersson, Bisrat Ezra, Kenney Roy Roodakker, Shala Berntsson, Maria Zetterling, Helena Gauffin, A-M Landtblom
Epilepsy & Behavior January 22, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2026.110901 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey with in-person interviews Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 106 |
| Population | Epilepsy patients and patients with resected insular tumors |
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Ecstatic seizures Epilepsy Numinous Out-of-body experience Sensed presence |
| Key findings | Numinous-like seizure experiences are not uncommon, with 6.0% of epilepsy respondents and 8.7% of tumor respondents reporting such symptoms. |
Abstract
Ecstatic seizures (EcS) have captured scientific interest due to their potential origin in anterior insular networks, emphasizing the insula's role in self-processing. Their frequency in epilepsy or insular pathology has not been systematically studied. Present study aimed to examine the frequency and clinical characteristics of EcS in epilepsy patients, and the potential occurrence of ecstatic symptoms in insula tumor patients. Preformatted questionnaires on symptom reporting were sent to 200 epilepsy patients and 40 with resected insular tumors. Patients reporting EcS-related symptoms underwent in-person interviews. Hospital records, including EEG and imaging, were analyzed. Seizure-related experiences with supernatural, religious, spiritual, mystical, or ecstatic features were referred to as "numinous-like symptoms" throughout the article. Interestingly, a variety of rare, numinous-like ictal experiences were found, all of which are discussed in this study. In the epilepsy cohort, 83 patients responded, five (6.0 %) reported symptoms that qualified them for interview and final analysis. In the tumor cohort, 23 patients responded, two (8.7 %) reported relevant symptoms, both with pre-existing epilepsy. During the interviews, we identified EcS (n = 1), ictal out-of-body experiences (OBE) (n = 2), and ictal sensed presence (SenP) (n = 5); one patient experienced both SenP and OBE. Three SenP patients had seizure origin in the right hemisphere: two had resected tumors in the temporo-insular region and one had mesial temporal sclerosis. The EcS patient had aphasia as an early seizure symptom and left-sided temporal interictal epileptiform activity. The remaining patients had less distinct investigational results. Our findings indicate that seizure-related numinous-like experiences are not uncommon and should be actively assessed, given the difficulty and reluctance of patients to speak about them, and their relevance for evaluating seizure freedom and differential diagnoses. Neuroscientifically, these phenomena offer insight into consciousness: EcS and OBE occupy distinct nodes in self-processing networks, whereas SenP requires further cognitive, psychological, and phenomenological analysis to guide future neurobiological research.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The nature of peak experience in wilderness. Participants who had visited wilderness areas in Victoria, Australia, recruited via a... | 2009 | Qualitative study | n = 39 |
| Qualitative and Quantitative Features of Music Reported to Support Peak Mystical Experiences during Psychedelic Therapy Sessions Individuals with extensive experience administering psilocybin or psilocybin-containing... | 2017 | Survey and qualitative/quantitative analysis | n = 10 |
| Cannabis as entheogen: survey and interview data on the spiritual use of cannabis. Participants recruited from seven online communities, median age 33, 81% male | 2020 | Mixed methods (qualitative interviews and quantitative survey) | n = 319 |
| Clarifying and measuring the characteristics of experiences that involve a loss of self or a dissolution of its boundaries. Adults who reported an experience involving dissolution of self-boundaries or loss of... | 2024 | Cross-sectional survey with confirmatory factor analysis and qualitative thematic analysis | n = 386 |
| The developmental impact of not integrating childhood peak experiences Adults recalling their childhood peak experiences | 2007 | Qualitative study | n = 12 |
Citations in the library
Cites 21
- Out‐of‐body experience and autoscopy of neurological origin Brain January 15, 2004
- Feeling of presence in Parkinson's disease Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry May 7, 2011
- Does the arousal system contribute to near death experience? Neurology April 10, 2006
- The socialization of hallucinations: Cultural priors, social interactions, and contextual factors in the use of psychedelics. Transcultural Psychiatry October 1, 2022
- Mystical experiences associated with seizures Religion, Brain & Behavior April 8, 2014
and 16 more in the library