Self-Transcendent Experiences
Cognitive Feelings November 18, 2025 DOI: 10.1093/9780191976650.003.0014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that self-transcendent experiences, including feelings of unity with the world and ego-dissolution, are special instances of the cognitive feelings of familiarity and unfamiliarity, and that research on those feelings can shed light on them. The chapter also seeks to locate these experiences at a particular level of self-consciousness. |
Abstract
Abstract Both literature and science contain numerous descriptions of so-called self-transcendent experiences, which seem to deeply alter the boundaries between the self and the rest of the world. The subjects of these experiences often report feeling extended to the world, united with it, or, conversely, feeling retracted from it, as if they were tiny or insignificant. Sometimes, they report the disappearance of the very distinction between themselves and the world (ego-dissolution). This chapter aims to provide an account of self-transcendent experiences and identify the level of self-consciousness to which they belong. The main claim is that self-transcendent experiences involve special instances of the cognitive feelings of familiarity and unfamiliarity. Theoretical and empirical research on the latter can then be used to shed light on the former.