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When Seconds Turn Into Minutes: Time Expansion Experiences in Altered States of Consciousness

Steve Taylor

Journal of Humanistic Psychology May 15, 2020 DOI: 10.1177/0022167820917484 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Pilot study Peer reviewed
Sample size 74
Population People who reported Time Expansion Experiences
Topics Mysticism Altered states of consciousness
Keywords Consciousness Altered state Calmness Phenomenology philosophy Cognition Thematic analysis Illusion Action physics Alertness Interpretative phenomenological analysis Qualitative research Recall Cognitive psychology Epistemology Social science
Citations 11
Key findings Time Expansion Experiences are most commonly triggered by accidents and are characterized by calmness, alertness, and rapid cognition, challenging the view that they are a memory illusion.

Abstract

Time Expansion Experiences (TEEs) occur when a person’s normal experience of time slows down or expands significantly. Previous research has associated them mainly with accidents but also with altered states of consciousness such as mystical experiences, psychedelic experiences, and near-death experiences. This article describes a qualitative study of 74 reports of “Time Expansion Experiences” (also a pilot study of 22 reports), which investigated the phenomenology of such experiences, using thematic analysis to highlight the main themes. The most common triggers of TEEs in the study were accidents (40 of 74), followed by spiritual states (12), and, then, psychedelic experiences and sports and games (both 7). Many participants commented on the dramatic nature of their TEEs, with themes of positive affective states (most notably calmness), alertness, the opportunity to take preventative action (related to very rapid cognition), and quietness. Interpretations of TEEs are discussed, arguing against the theory that they are an illusion created by recollection. TEEs are seen as a characteristic of altered states of consciousness, which occur when the normal self-system dissolves in exceptional circumstances. Human beings’ normal experience of time is a psychological construct, produced by the psychological structures and processes of the normal self-system.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Sensory Isolation in Flotation Tanks: Altered States of Consciousness and Effects on Well-being Patients with depression, burn-out syndrome, and chronic pain 2015 Qualitative study n = 8
A Shaman's Cure: The Relationship Between Altered States of Consciousness and Shamanic Healing1 Nepalese shamans and their patients 2009 Ethnography
Psychedelic Drugs: A Study of Drug-Induced Experiences Obtained by Illegal Drug Users in Relation to Stanislav Grof's Model of Altered States of Consciousness Anonymous former illegal drug users 2000 Qualitative study n = 16
Spiritual experiences and altered states of consciousness – Parallels between BDSM and Christianity Self-defined BDSM practitioners in Sweden 2020 Qualitative ethnographic study n = 29
Natural language analysis of the structure of altered states of consciousness Narrative reports across 12 ASC induction methods 2025 Quantitative and qualitative analysis of narrative reports n = 300

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Mysticism Altered states of consciousness Mystical experience Near-death experience Philosophy of mind