Open MIND
July 20, 2026
Numan Ahmad
This is the a priori protocol for a scoping review (JBI methodology; PRISMA-ScR reporting) mapping evidence on (1) the measurement of psychedelic-occasioned mystical/spiritual experience and its association with clinical outcomes, and (2) classic serotonergic psychedelics for body dysmorphic disorder and obsessive-compulsive-spectrum conditions, interpreted through the osteopathic...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
July 3, 2026
Miguel Joaquim Soares Teles Couceiro, Victor José da Conceição Teixeira Amorim Rodrigues, Nuno Manuel Correia Torres
This case study explores the potential role of mystical-type experiences in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP). A patient with generalized anxiety disorder and migraines underwent four intramuscular KAP sessions (0.5-0.9 mg/kg). Outcomes were assessed using the Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45), the Hood Mysticism Scale (HMS), and interviews. Greater therapeutic gains followed sessions with...
July 2, 2026
Michael Nazir-Ali
Mystical experience in Rumi is compared to the directness of sight. It is not just about words. It is about knowing the Beloved. It is also compared to smelling a delightful aroma, and its interior or ‘heart’ aspect is emphasised. The Sufi’s pilgrimage is not merely an external destination but a journey inwards. It is there that God is found. In the Mathnawi , at least, he does not completely...
Transactions on Social Science Education and Humanities Research
July 2, 2026
Daniel Zhu
This study investigates how mystical experiences are articulated in digital environments, especially in religion-focused communities (“subreddits”) on Reddit, a popular social media platform. Classical theorists like William James argued that mystical experiences resist linguistic expression; in other words, according to the traditional scholarly view, these phenomena are inherently...
Open MIND
July 1, 2026
Michiel van Elk
This project investigates how the context of a live concert — including prior expectations, personality, and acute psychoactive substance use — shapes intense emotional and altered-state responses to music, specifically feelings of awe and wonder, mystical-type experiences, and aesthetic chills. The study is part of an ongoing programme of research at the Leiden University PRSM Lab into peak...
Spiritual Psychology and Counseling
June 30, 2026
Samuel Bendeck Sotillos
The idea of a psychology of mysticism is thought provoking, but it is often carried out by reducing spiritual realities to the level of the psyche and the psychological order, which radically compromises the scope of this endeavor. It needs to be clearly stated that the bringing together of mysticism with psychology is not a novel initiative; this integration is, in fact, embodied in the...
Verbum Vitae
June 25, 2026
Marta Kowalczyk
This study aims to describe the experiences of a Polish mystic who lived in the 19th and late 20th centuries, based on her writings. Through research involving comparisons, analyses, and a synthesis of her revelations, it has been possible to identify and highlight the diversity of Blessed Marcelina Darowska’s (1827–1911) inner life and achievements, which place her among contemplative and...
ادبیات عرفانی
June 19, 2026
Neda Shahani, Esmaeil Bani Ardalan
Mystical language, unlike scientific language, which is based on logical reasoning and conceptual clarity, is rich in metaphors whose primary function is to express ineffable spiritual experiences. The central concern of this study is how classical metaphors operate as cognitive tools in Iranian–Islamic mystical texts, rendering transcendent experiences intelligible to the reader. The aim of...
June 18, 2026
Stephanos Euthymiadis
Salta al contenuto principale Byzantine Studies Collana | Byzantine Studies Miscellanea | Holy Mountain(s) in Byzantium and Beyond Capitolo | Holy mountains of the Byzantine East and mystical experience (ninth-fourteenth c.) Holy mountains of the Byzantine East and mystical experience (ninth-fourteenth c.) + Stephanos Euthymiadis Stephanos Euthymiadis - Open University of Cyprus - email open...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
June 2, 2026
Brandon Reynante, Jack H Buchanan
Abstract Background and Aims Music has been associated with psychedelic experiences throughout human history, from ancient shamanic healing rituals to contemporary psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), and is considered integral for positive therapeutic outcomes. Yet optimized protocols and best practice standards for the use of music in PAT are lacking. Methods This interdisciplinary literature...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
July 12, 2022
Kwonmok Ko, Gemma Knight, James Rucker et al.
296 citations
The mystical experience is a potential psychological mechanism to influence outcome in psychedelic therapy. It includes features such as oceanic boundlessness, ego dissolution, and universal interconnectedness, which have been closely linked to both symptom reduction and improved quality of life. In this review, 12 studies of psychedelic therapy utilizing psilocybin, ayahuasca, or ketamine were...
Pharmacology & Therapeutics
May 1, 2019
Matthew W Johnson, Peter S. Hendricks, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
520 citations
The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative review and offer novel insights regarding human research with classic psychedelics (classic hallucinogens), which are serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonists such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin. Classic psychedelics have been administered as sacraments since ancient times. They were of prominent interest...
Curr Top Behav Neurosci
2018
Frederick S. Barrett, Roland R. Griffiths
268 citations
This chapter begins with a brief review of descriptions and definitions of mystical-type experiences and the historical connection between classic hallucinogens and mystical experiences. The chapter then explores the empirical literature on experiences with classic hallucinogens in which claims about mystical or religious experiences have been made. A psychometrically validated questionnaire is...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 11, 2017
Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson, William A. Richards et al.
528 citations
Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences with participant-attributed increases in well-being. However, little research has examined enduring changes in traits. This study administered psilocybin to participants who undertook a program of meditation/spiritual practices. Healthy participants were randomized to three groups (25 each): (1) very low-dose (1 mg/70 kg on sessions 1 and 2)...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
November 30, 2016
Stephen Ross, Anthony P. Bossis, Jeffrey Guss et al.
1,699 citations
Background: Clinically significant anxiety and depression are common in patients with cancer, and are associated with poor psychiatric and medical outcomes. Historical and recent research suggests a role for psilocybin to treat cancer-related anxiety and depression. Methods: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 29 patients with cancer-related anxiety and depression were...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 6, 2015
Frederick S. Barrett, Matthew W Johnson, Roland R. Griffiths
634 citations
The 30-item revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) was previously developed within an online survey of mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin-containing mushrooms. The rated experiences occurred on average eight years before completion of the questionnaire. The current paper validates the MEQ30 using data from experimental studies with controlled doses of psilocybin. Data...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 9, 2015
Tomislav Majić, Timo T Schmidt, Jürgen Gallinat
267 citations
Interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances has recently resumed. During an early phase of human psychedelic research, their therapeutic application in different pathologies had been suggested, and the first evidence for efficacy was provided. The range of recent clinical applications of psychedelics spans from cluster headaches and obsessive-compulsive disorder to addiction...
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 9, 2015
Albert Garcia‐romeu, Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson
480 citations
Psilocybin-occasioned mystical experiences have been linked to persisting effects in healthy volunteers including positive changes in behavior, attitudes, and values, and increases in the personality domain of openness. In an open-label pilot-study of psilocybin-facilitated smoking addiction treatment, 15 smokers received 2 or 3 doses of psilocybin in the context of cognitive behavioral therapy...
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
December 1, 2012
Katherine A Maclean, Jeannie‐marie Leoutsakos, Matthew W. Johnson et al.
412 citations
A large body of historical evidence describes the use of hallucinogenic compounds, such as psilocybin mushrooms, for religious purposes. But few scientific studies have attempted to measure or characterize hallucinogen‐occasioned spiritual experiences. The present study examined the factor structure of the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ), a self‐report measure that has been used to...
Psychopharmacology
December 1, 2011
Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W Johnson, William A Richards et al.
938 citations
This dose-effect study extends previous observations showing that psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior. This double-blind study evaluated psilocybin (0, 5, 10, 20, 30 mg/70 kg, p.o.) administered under supportive conditions. Participants were 18 adults (17 hallucinogen-naïve). Five 8-h sessions were conducted...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
September 28, 2011
Katherine A Maclean, Matthew W Johnson, Roland R. Griffiths
907 citations
A large body of evidence, including longitudinal analyses of personality change, suggests that core personality traits are predominantly stable after age 30. To our knowledge, no study has demonstrated changes in personality in healthy adults after an experimentally manipulated discrete event. Intriguingly, double-blind controlled studies have shown that the classic hallucinogen psilocybin...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
May 30, 2008
Roland R. Griffiths, Wa Richards, Mw Johnson et al.
883 citations
Psilocybin has been used for centuries for religious purposes; however, little is known scientifically about its long-term effects. We previously reported the effects of a double-blind study evaluating the psychological effects of a high psilocybin dose. This report presents the 14-month follow-up and examines the relationship of the follow-up results to data obtained at screening and on drug...
Neuroscience Letters
July 27, 2006
Mario Beauregard, Vincent Paquette
338 citations
The main goal of this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was to identify the neural correlates of a mystical experience. The brain activity of Carmelite nuns was measured while they were subjectively in a state of union with God. This state was associated with significant loci of activation in the right medial orbitofrontal cortex, right middle temporal cortex, right inferior...
Psychopharmacology
July 7, 2006
Roland R. Griffiths, William A. Richards, U. Mccann et al.
1,684 citations
RationaleAlthough psilocybin has been used for centuries for religious purposes, little is known scientifically about its acute and persisting effects.ObjectivesThis double-blind study evaluated the acute and longer-term psychological effects of a high dose of psilocybin relative to a comparison compound administered under comfortable, supportive conditions.Materials and methodsThe participants...