Mystical Experiences
David B. Yaden, Andrew B. Newberg
The Varieties of Spiritual Experience October 15, 2022 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190665678.003.0012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Key points | Proposes that mystical experiences involve a fading sense of self and increased connectedness, supported by neuroimaging evidence showing inhibition of brain regions that differentiate self from the world. |
Abstract
Abstract Mystical experiences are among the most well-studied spiritual experience. This chapter defines mystical experience as inner experiences involving an intensely felt fading of the sense of self and/or feelings of increased connectedness, up to and including the sense of complete unity. These kinds of feelings go well beyond our normal day to day sense of self-awareness. In ordinary consciousness, there is generally the impression that there is a me on the one hand and then, on the other hand, everything else. Under some circumstances, however, this sense of self can be inverted––during such moments, one’s sense of self can fade into the background and become a part of, rather than apart from, everything else. Neuroimaging of meditators and nuns has shown that brain regions that differentiate one’s self from the rest of the world are inhibited during these kinds of experiences.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Psychedelic Mystical Experience in the Human Encounter with Death | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Vectorial Cerebral Hemisphericity as Differential Sources for the Sensed Presence, Mystical Experiences and Religious Conversions | 1993 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The epistemic innocence of psychedelic states. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mystical Experience and Religious Doctrine | 1982 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 9
- Out‐of‐body experience and autoscopy of neurological origin Brain January 15, 2004
- The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience Review of General Psychology May 1, 2017
- Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Journal of Psychopharmacology October 6, 2015
- The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics Are Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science December 10, 2020
- The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience Choice Reviews Online June 1, 2000
and 4 more in the library