The Esoteric Mind in Modern Science and Medicine
Nikhat Jahan, Mohammad Aves, Rahul Kumar
July 3, 2026 DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3373-8006-3.ch006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation Mysticism |
| Keywords | Pseudoscience Alchemy Transpersonal psychology Enlightenment Consciousness Mind–body problem Epistemology Scientific progress Convergence economics Engineering ethics Energy signal processing |
| Key points | Argues that ancient esoteric concepts of vital energy, subtle bodies, and symbolic healing are converging with modern scientific understandings of consciousness, psychosomatic health, and neuroplasticity, and advocates for an integrative paradigm that combines empirical research with these traditional ideas. |
Abstract
This chapter will discuss the relationship between the esoteric mind in modern science and medicine. The discussion will be on where ancient esoteric thought is converging with contemporary scientific understanding of the mind and body. This will include looking at how traditional concepts of vital energy, subtle bodies and symbolic healing can relate to modern theories of consciousness, psychosomatic health, and neuroplasticity. It will also show a convergence between subjective spiritual insight and objective scientific inquiry through the historical roots of alchemy and mysticism to transpersonal psychology and integrative medicine. This chapter will discuss emerging forms of energy medicine, placebo effect, meditative practices and other evidence that supports the interconnected nature of the mind and body. Finally, this chapter will also address ethical considerations and cultural perspectives to distinguish empirical research from pseudoscientific claims and advocates for an integrative paradigm, which brings together the empirically based rationale of modern medicine.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- Comparison of psychedelic and near-death or other non-ordinary experiences in changing attitudes about death and dying PLoS One August 24, 2022
- Esoteric healing traditions: a conceptual overview. Explore 2008
- Scoping review on shamanistic trances practices. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies November 4, 2024
- Meditation and interoception: a conceptual framework for the narrative and experiential self. Frontiers in Psychology October 16, 2024
- New Age Healing: Origins, Definitions, and Implications for Religion and Medicine Religions August 25, 2022
and 5 more in the library