The mystic experience: a psychiatric reflection.
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie March 1, 1979 DOI: 10.1177/070674377902400206 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Mystical experiences appear in both pathological and non-pathological contexts, and psychiatrists should avoid reducing them to pathology or speculating without proper philosophical and theological grounding. |
Abstract
This paper reviews the phenomenology of the mystical experience and its varied contexts epilepsy, toxicity, organic brain syndromes, the major psychoses and hysterical dissociative states as well as in apparently normal persons. The impact of the experience on the personality is noted and its significance briefly reviewed. The author notes that two fallacies await the unwary psychiatrist: the fallacy of reductionism which defines the mystical experience in pathological terms only; and the fallacy of speculation without adequate philosophical or theological tools.