Does Psychological Flexibility Correlate with Mystical Experiences: A Machine Learning Approach Including State of Surrender, Near-Death Experiences, and Psilocybin Consumption.
Dylan Briggs, Thomas B Sease, Ruthie Menou, David R Perkins
Behavioral Sciences April 30, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/bs16050686 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 150 |
| Population | Adults recruited online |
| Topics | Mystical experience Near-death experience Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Mystical experiences Near death experiences Psychedelic use Psychological flexibility State of surrender |
| Key findings | State of Surrender, experiential acceptance, cognitive defusion, and present-moment awareness were the most robust predictors of mystical experiences. |
Abstract
Mystical experiences are characterized by a profound sense of interconnectedness and transcendence of ordinary reality. These experiences can facilitate feelings of connectedness with oneself and others and have been documented as leading to significant positive changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the extent to which the four mindfulness facets of psychological flexibility (i.e., experiential acceptance, present-moment awareness, cognitive defusion, and self-as-context) were associated with self-reported mystical experiences while controlling for established covariates. Using a sample of 150 individuals recruited online, a regularized regression with an elastic net-a computationally efficient machine learning algorithm-was used to model the relationships among mystical experiences, State of Surrender, frequency of psychedelic use, near-death experiences, and facets of psychological flexibility. State of Surrender, experiential acceptance, cognitive defusion, and present-moment awareness emerged as the most robust predictors of mystical experiences. Collectively, these findings underscore the role of psychological processes, including surrender-related processes and facets of psychological flexibility, in predicting mystical experiences.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands Cardiac patients successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest in ten Dutch hospitals | 2001 | Prospective cohort study | n = 344 |
| Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit Cardiac inpatients at a tertiary care center | 2003 | Observational cohort | n = 1,595 |
| Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death Patients who believed they were near death during an illness or after an injury and... | 1990 | Observational cohort | n = 58 |
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe Individuals who reported having had a near-death experience during a life-threatening... | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 20
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later Journal of Psychopharmacology May 30, 2008
- Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Journal of Psychopharmacology October 6, 2015
- Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 2020
- Psychedelics, Mystical Experience, and Therapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychiatry July 12, 2022
and 15 more in the library