Mystical dynamics: renewal, luminous light, and ego disintegration as key features associated with mystical oneness-a psychometric analysis using the PES100 in controlled psychedelic studies
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett, Willam Richards, Nathan D. Sepeda, Isabelle Straumann, Aaron Klaiber, Severin B Vogt, Livio Erne, Laura Ley, Anna M Becker, Patrick Vizeli, Friederike Holze, Matthias E. Liechti
Repository for Publications and Research Data 2026 DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000798382 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 386 |
| Population | Healthy participants |
| Interventions | LSD psilocybin mescaline DMT |
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Experiential learning Religious experience Dynamics music Psychoanalysis Cognitive psychology |
| Key findings | Mystical oneness correlates dose-dependently with luminous light, renewal, and ego disintegration. |
Abstract
Mystical dynamics-the notion that mystical oneness may unfold involving ego disintegration, renewal, and luminous light-has been discussed anecdotally by psychedelic researchers and therapists but has not yet been empirically examined in controlled settings. This study investigated the occurrence and dose-dependency of mystical dynamics in healthy participants after administration of psychedelics. A total of 816 mystical-dynamics measurements were collected from 386 participants across 15 studies at two sites: University Hospital Basel (Switzerland) and Johns Hopkins University (USA). Participants received low to high doses of four serotonergic psychedelics: LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT. Mystical dynamics was assessed using five corresponding constructs from the Psychedelic Experience Scale (PES100): ego disintegration, distress, renewal, luminous light, and mystical (focusing on mystical oneness, the core of mystical experience). We hypothesized strong intercorrelations of mystical oneness with ego disintegration, renewal, and luminous light, and a dose-dependent intensity pattern. Results showed dose-sensitive strong correlations of mystical oneness with luminous light and renewal, and a moderate-to-strong correlation of mystical oneness with ego disintegration. These findings support a broader, dynamic model of mystical experience and offer novel insights relevant to psychedelic-assisted therapy, while acknowledging additional experiential features that may also associate with mystical oneness.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neural correlates of mystical experience Vietnam veterans with penetrating traumatic brain injury and matched healthy controls | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| Intensity of Mystical Experiences Occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT and Comparison With a Prior Psilocybin Study Individuals at a psychospiritual retreat in Mexico | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| The language of ineffability: Linguistic analysis of mystical experiences. Participants who recounted their most significant spiritual or religious experience in... | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 777 |
| The Associations of Naturalistic Classic Psychedelic Use, Mystical Experience, and Creative Problem Solving Adults who completed a survey battery | 2016 | Observational study | n = 68 |
| Lasting increases in trait mindfulness after psilocybin correlate positively with the mystical-type experience in healthy individuals Healthy individuals | 2022 | Observational cohort | n = 39 |