Disorganized Attachment Promotes Mystical Experiences via a Propensity for Alterations in Consciousness (Absorption)
Pehr Granqvist, Berit Hagekull, T. Ivarsson
March 6, 2012 DOI: 10.1080/10508619.2012.670012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 62 |
| Population | Predominantly religious/spiritual participants |
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Key findings | Disorganized attachment predicted lifetime occurrence of mystical experiences, mediated by absorption. |
Abstract
Abstract In this article, the authors argue that mystical experiences are linked to disorganized attachment via a proposed mediator—the propensity to enter altered states of consciousness (absorption). Using a sample of predominantly religious/spiritual participants (N = 62), they report that disorganized attachment, as identified with the Adult Attachment Interview, predicted lifetime occurrence of mystical experiences and that this link was mediated by absorption. Alternative mediational models received less conclusive support. Also, more conventional aspects of religion (theistic beliefs and degree of general religiousness) were not related to disorganized attachment or absorption, supporting the discriminant validity of the mediational model. In the discussion, the authors argue that mystical experiences represent a nonpathological and potentially self-reparative "outcome" of disorganized attachment and the related propensity to experience alterations in consciousness. Notes *p < .05. **p < .01; one-tailed. 1The following six items were excluded from the absorption scale (resemblances with mystical experiences noted in parentheses): "I think I really know what some people mean when they talk about mystical experiences" (personal familiarity with mystical experiences); "Sometimes I feel as if my mind could envelop the whole world" (cf. perception of totality) and "I sometimes 'step outside' my usual self and experience an entirely different state of being" (mystical experiences exemplify altered self-states); "Sometimes I experience things as if they were doubly real" (mystical experiences include a profound sense of heightened reality); "It is sometimes possible for me to be completely immersed in nature or in art and to feel as if my whole state of consciousness has somehow been temporarily altered" (cf. nature mysticism); and "At times I somehow feel the presence of someone who is not physically there" (mystical experiences may involve perceptions of the divine). 2For purposes of comparison, 75% (six of eight) of participants assigned a disorganized classification scored above partial agreement, compared with 48% (26 of 54) of participants assigned an organized classification (odds ratio = 3.23).
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neural correlates of a mystical experience in Carmelite nuns Carmelite nuns | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| EEG activity in Carmelite nuns during a mystical experience Carmelite nuns | 2008 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
| Neural correlates of mystical experience Vietnam veterans with penetrating traumatic brain injury and matched healthy controls | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| The Peak Experience Variable in DPT-Assisted Psychotherapy with Cancer Patients Cancer patients | 1977 | Observational study | n = 128 |
| Psilocybin-Induced Mystical-Type Experiences are Related to Persisting Positive Effects: A Quantitative and Qualitative Report Healthy volunteers | 2022 | Observational cohort | n = 28 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy and Attachment: Observed Reduction in Attachment Anxiety and Influences of Attachment Insecurity on the Psilocybin Experience ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science December 9, 2020
- Mystical experiences associated with seizures Religion, Brain & Behavior April 8, 2014
- Congruence Between Near-Death and Mystical Experience International Journal for the Psychology of Religion October 1, 2013
- Childhood trauma, challenging experiences, and posttraumatic growth in ayahuasca use Drug Science, Policy and Law 2024
- Perceived attachment history predicts psychedelic experiences: A naturalistic study Journal of Psychedelic Studies March 5, 2024
and 6 more in the library
Cites 8
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later Journal of Psychopharmacology May 30, 2008
- Sensed presence and mystical experiences are predicted by suggestibility, not by the application of transcranial weak complex magnetic fields Neuroscience Letters December 10, 2004
- Contribution of religiousness in the prediction and interpretation of mystical experiences in a sensory deprivation context: activation of religious schemas. The Journal of Psychology July 1, 2006
- Disorganized attachment, absorption, and new age spirituality: a mediational model. Attachment & human development July 2009
and 3 more in the library