Altered States of Consciousness and Mystical Experiences during Sensory Isolation in Flotation Tank: Is the Highly Sensitive Personality Variable of Importance?
Imagination, Cognition and Personality October 1, 2009 DOI: 10.2190/ic.29.2.d (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Adults (20 males, 28 females) with varying levels of sensory processing sensitivity |
| Intervention | sensory isolation in flotation-tank |
| Duration | 45-minute session |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness Mystical experience |
| Key findings | Highly sensitive persons experienced significantly more mystical experiences and a higher degree of altered states of consciousness during flotation-tank sensory isolation than those with low sensitivity. |
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate if the highly sensitive personality variable affects the occurrence of mystical experiences and degree of altered states of consciousness during sensory isolation in flotation-tank. Forty-eight persons (20 males, 28 females) were included. Background variables and the Highly Sensitive Personality Scale (HSP) were assessed. The independent variable was derived from this scale, where two groups were formed: low sensitivity and high sensitivity. The treatment lasted 45 minutes in the flotation tank. Dependent variables were assessed through scales measuring mystical experiences and degree of altered states of consciousness. The group with highly sensitive persons experienced significantly more mystical experiences and higher degree of altered states of consciousness during the treatment compared to the other group. Also, the highly sensitive persons exhibited more stress and anxiety at arrival, but no differences in depression and optimism were found between the groups.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG. 6 female, 7 male human participants | 2019 | Observational cohort | n = 13 |
| Measures of entropy and complexity in altered states of consciousness Subjects during resting wakefulness, different sleep stages, and epileptic seizures | 2017 | Observational study | |
| Altered States of Consciousness and Short-Term Psychological After-Effects Induced by the First Time Ritual Use of Ayahuasca in an Urban Context in Brazil First-time ayahuasca users in Santo Daime and União do Vegetal rituals | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 28 |
| Quantifying arousal and awareness in altered states of consciousness using interpretable deep learning Healthy individuals during sleep, individuals under general anesthesia, and patients... | 2022 | Observational cohort | n = 71 |
| Subanaesthetic ketamine and altered states of consciousness in humans Human volunteers | 2018 | Observational study | n = 15 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Altered States During Shamanic Drumming: A Phenomenological Study International Journal of Transpersonal Studies July 1, 2010
- The Noetic Signature Inventory: Development, Exploration, and Initial Validation Frontiers in Psychology June 15, 2022
- Confirmatory factor analysis of Mystical Experience in Freediving as a recreative way to higher efficiency in sport performance and planet saving and money making August 7, 2020
- The Sensory Deprivation Tank – A Time Machine Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2022
- Getting absorbed in experimentally induced extraordinary experiences: Effects of placebo brain stimulation on agency detection. Consciousness and Cognition November 2018