Skip to content

Psychedelic-induced mystical experiences: An interdisciplinary discussion and critique

Sharday Mosurinjohn, Leor Roseman, Manesh Girn

Frontiers in Psychiatry April 5, 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1077311 (opens in new tab)

Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Mysticism Mystical experience
Keywords Psychotherapist Psychoanalysis Epistemology Engineering ethics
Citations 54
Key points Argues that the operationalization of 'mystical experiences' in psychedelic research is historically biased and insufficiently contextualized, and proposes more culturally-sensitive and non-mystical approaches.

Abstract

Contemporary research on serotonergic psychedelic compounds has been rife with references to so-called ‘mystical’ subjective effects. Several psychometric assessments have been used to assess such effects, and clinical studies have found quantitative associations between ‘mystical experiences’ and positive mental health outcomes. The nascent study of psychedelic-induced mystical experiences, however, has only minimally intersected with relevant contemporary scholarship from disciplines within the social sciences and humanities, such as religious studies and anthropology. Viewed from the perspective of these disciplines—which feature rich historical and cultural literatures on mysticism, religion, and related topics—‘mysticism’ as used in psychedelic research is fraught with limitations and intrinsic biases that are seldom acknowledged. Most notably, existing operationalizations of mystical experiences in psychedelic science fail to historicize the concept and therefore fail to acknowledge its perennialist and specifically Christian bias. Here, we trace the historical genesis of the mystical in psychedelic research in order to illuminate such biases, and also offer suggestions toward more nuanced and culturally-sensitive operationalizations of this phenomenon. In addition, we argue for the value of, and outline, complementary ‘non-mystical’ approaches to understanding putative mystical-type phenomena that may help facilitate empirical investigation and create linkages to existing neuro-psychological constructs. It is our hope that the present paper helps build interdisciplinary bridges that motivate fruitful paths toward stronger theoretical and empirical approaches in the study of psychedelic-induced mystical experiences.

Comparable studies

Other theoretical and historical papers on mystical experience, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis 1983 Theoretical or philosophical paper
The Psychedelic Mystical Experience in the Human Encounter with Death 1969 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Vectorial Cerebral Hemisphericity as Differential Sources for the Sensed Presence, Mystical Experiences and Religious Conversions 1993 Theoretical or philosophical paper
The epistemic innocence of psychedelic states. 2016 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Mystical Experience and Religious Doctrine 1982 Theoretical or philosophical paper

Citations in the library

Cited by 47

and 42 more in the library

Cites 49

and 44 more in the library

Related reading

Explore topics

Mysticism Mystical experience Serotonin