Contribution of religiousness in the prediction and interpretation of mystical experiences in a sensory deprivation context: activation of religious schemas.
Pehr Granqvist, Marcus Larsson
The Journal of Psychology July 1, 2006 DOI: 10.3200/jrlp.140.4.319-327 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Double-blind experiment with reanalysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 89 |
| Population | Participants in a double-blind experiment on transcranial magnetic stimulation and mystical experiences |
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Citations | 31 |
| Key findings | Higher religiousness predicted more mystical experiences with a religious quality, but magnetic field exposure had no effect on mystical experiences. |
Abstract
M. A. Persinger (2002) claimed that transcranial magnetic stimulation with weak, complex magnetic fields evokes mystical experiences. However, in a double-blind experiment, P. Granqvist, M. Fredrikson, P. Unge, A. Hagenfeldt, S. Valind., et al. (2005) found no effects of field exposure on mystical experiences (N = 89), though a minority of participants reported spontaneous mystical experiences. Following the conclusion of null effects from magnetic field exposure, the setup of this experiment, including pre-experimental assessments of religiousness and sensory deprivation, can be viewed as a prime/setting for such experiences. The authors analyzed subsets of experimental data from P. Granqvist and colleagues with emphasis on the contribution of religiousness in the prediction and interpretation of mystical experiences. They found that a higher degree of religiousness predicted a higher occurrence of mystical experiences with a religious quality, but not of mystical experiences without such a quality. The authors discuss findings in terms of the experimental setup serving as a prime/setting activating the religious schemas of religious participants.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on mystical experience, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Absorption and spiritual experience: A review of evidence and potential mechanisms. Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2019
- Mystical Experience in the Lab Method & Theory in the Study of Religion September 4, 2014
- The role of alcohol in expectancy-driven mystical experiences: a pre-registered field study using placebo brain stimulation Religion, Brain & Behavior December 22, 2017
- Mixed support for a causal link between single dose intranasal oxytocin and spiritual experiences: opposing effects depending on individual proclivities for absorption Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 17, 2018
- Mind-Altering Digital Technologies: A Scoping Review International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction July 10, 2026
and 5 more in the library
Cites 5
- The neural substrates of religious experience The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences August 1, 1997
- Sensed presence and mystical experiences are predicted by suggestibility, not by the application of transcranial weak complex magnetic fields Neuroscience Letters December 10, 2004
- Application of transcerebral, weak (1 microT) complex magnetic fields and mystical experiences: are they generated by field-induced dimethyltryptamine release from the pineal organ? Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 2003
- Neural correlates of religious experience. European Journal of Neuroscience April 1, 2001
- Quasi-Experimental Elicitation of the Differential Report of Religious Experience Among Intrinsic and Indiscriminately Pro-Religious Types Dimensions of Mystical Experiences June 1, 1990