Towards peak experience - exploring the influence of wilderness on conscious awareness
Oli Purnell
BJPsych Open June 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2021.748 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Grounded theory Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Key points | Intensity of wilderness experience varies proportionally with Challenge, Immersion, Beauty, and Time, and when maximized can lead to peak experiences. |
Abstract
AimsThis study examines what effect wilderness has on our conscious awareness, and by extension of that meta-cognition; our physical, mental and spiritual health. It reviews available scientific and artistic literature and integrates this with interviews in order to generate original grounded theory. It was found that intensity of wilderness experience varied proportionally with four mediators; Challenge, Immersion, Beauty and Time. With these maximised, experiences broadly within four themes occurred; Increased Awareness, Confidence, Perspective and Connectedness. When sufficiently intense, these four experiences amalgamated to elicit what Maslow described as 'Peak Experience'. As such, this thesis unexpectedly provides a pragmatic recipie towards peak experience, and a map of one's potential psychological journey, in the context of wilderness.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The nature of peak experience in wilderness. Participants who had visited wilderness areas in Victoria, Australia, recruited via a... | 2009 | Qualitative study | n = 39 |
| Qualitative and Quantitative Features of Music Reported to Support Peak Mystical Experiences during Psychedelic Therapy Sessions Individuals with extensive experience administering psilocybin or psilocybin-containing... | 2017 | Survey and qualitative/quantitative analysis | n = 10 |
| Cannabis as entheogen: survey and interview data on the spiritual use of cannabis. Participants recruited from seven online communities, median age 33, 81% male | 2020 | Mixed methods (qualitative interviews and quantitative survey) | n = 319 |
| Clarifying and measuring the characteristics of experiences that involve a loss of self or a dissolution of its boundaries. Adults who reported an experience involving dissolution of self-boundaries or loss of... | 2024 | Cross-sectional survey with confirmatory factor analysis and qualitative thematic analysis | n = 386 |
| The developmental impact of not integrating childhood peak experiences Adults recalling their childhood peak experiences | 2007 | Qualitative study | n = 12 |