Reasons for Not Reporting Peak Experiences
John Davis, Linda Lockwood, Charles W. Wright
Journal of Humanistic Psychology 1991 DOI: 10.1177/0022167891311008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 246 |
| Population | Survey respondents |
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Citations | 33 |
| Key findings | Of 246 respondents, 79% reported having had a peak experience, but most had told only a few people. The most common reasons for not discussing it were that it was a special and intimate personal experience they did not want to discuss, that they felt it might be devalued or put down, and that they could not adequately describe it. |
Abstract
Respondents reported on whether they had had a peak experience, how many people they had told, and the reasons they had not told more people. Out of 246 respondents, 79% reported having had a peak experience but most had told only a few people about it. The most common reasons respondents gave for not discussing a peak experience were that it was a special and intimate personal experience which they did not want to discuss, that they felt it might be devalued or put down, and that they could not adequately describe it.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Of Roots and Fruits: A Comparison of Psychedelic and Nonpsychedelic Mystical Experiences Self-selected participants who reported a religious, spiritual, or mystical experience | 2016 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 739 |
| Illicit Use of LSD or Psilocybin, but not MDMA or Nonpsychedelic Drugs, is Associated with Mystical Experiences in a Dose-Dependent Manner Adults recruited from the MAPS website and newsletter, most reporting use of various... | 2012 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 337 |
| Peak Experiences: Some Empirical Tests Random sample of adults in the San Francisco Bay Area | 1978 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| Peak Experience Tendencies | 1982 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| Rhythmic Chanting and Mystical States across Traditions. Regular chanters across 33 countries | 2021 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 464 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience Review of General Psychology May 1, 2017
- The nature of peak experience in wilderness. The Humanistic Psychologist October 1, 2009
- ‘Most people think you're a fruit loop’: Clients’ experiences of seeking support for anomalous experiences Counselling and Psychotherapy Research April 18, 2016
- The developmental impact of not integrating childhood peak experiences International Journal of Children's Spirituality November 23, 2007
- The Transformational Processing of Peak and Nadir Experiences and their Relationship to Eudaimonic and Hedonic Well-being August 1, 2016
and 1 more in the library