Empirically Distinguishing the Annihilational and Relational Components of Self-Transcendent Experiences and their Downstream Effects

Abstract

Self-transcendent experiences (STEs) such as those elicited during meditation, psychedelic use, and experiences of awe, have been conceptualised as having two components: (1) annihilation (a diminished or dissolved sense of self) and (2) relation (an increased sense of interpersonal connectedness or embeddedness within a larger whole) (Yaden et al., 2017). While it is believed that STEs may occur with more of one component than another, or perhaps with only one component (Yaden et al. 2017), this is yet to be empirically tested. Thus, the purpose of the present study is to empirically evaluate the theorised dissociation between the two components. A between-subjects design will be employed, wherein Participants will be randomly allocated to either a relation condition, an annihilation condition or an active control. While those in the relation condition will partake in a short loving-kindness meditation designed to induce self-transcendence with an “emphasis on connectedness” (Christov-Moore, 2026, p2), those in the annihilation condition will partake in a matched decentering-style meditation designed to induce self-transcendence with an emphasis on ‘disidentification’ with the internal experience of the 'self' (Hanley at al, 2023). By comparing predominantly relational versus annihilational experiences of self-transcendence, this study aims to examine the degree to which the two components are phenomenologically dissociable. Lastly, this study will explore the relative contribution of each component in predicting downstream outcomes commonly associated with meditative STEs — namely, prosocial intentions and fear of death. This study aims to provide new insights into the nature of STEs, bearing implications for theoretical models of self-transcendence and applied contexts in which STEs are used therapeutically.