The specificity of Indian epistemic culture is the inclusion of mystical intuition among cognitive abilities, and the absence of the concept of reason as the highest cognitive ability. In Indian traditional religio-philosophical texts intuition, often referred to as mystical experience, was used by default. In the philosophical works of Aurobindo Ghosh (1872–1950), its epistemological status is...
Recently, there has been growing scientific interest in studying states of selflessness, where there is no sense of self as the immediate subject of experience. Preliminary findings suggest that this state is associated with increased positive emotions and a sense of connection with the world and all living beings. Given its potential benefits, various practices have been developed to induce or...
Anxiety, depression, and existential distress are common symptoms in palliative care and significantly impair patients’ quality of life. Psilocybin-assisted therapy, based on preparation, therapeutic support, and psychotherapeutic integration, has emerged as a promising intervention to alleviate this complex cluster of suffering. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence...
Objective: This study aims to explore the meanings and dynamics of the religious experiences of students undertaking khalwāt at Al-Hikmah Islamic Boarding School in Gatak, Sukoharjo. Method: A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was employed. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation, and analyzed using Interpretative...
This paper explores the mystical themes in the poetry of Mirabai and Tulsidas, two of the most powerful voices of the Indian Bhakti movement. It studies how each poet expresses devotion, longing, and union with the divine in their own way. Mirabai’s poetry is emotional and fearless. She speaks of Krishna as a lover, a friend, and the only one who matters (One who is infinite: a cosmic energy)....
This article asks how the mystical dimension and spiritual experience in Certeau's work dialogue with the current challenges of Latin American spirituality and theology. The text aims to establish a critical dialogue between Michel de Certeau's analysis of mysticism and the current challenges of Latin American Spirituality (LAS) and Theology (LAT). Certeau's work highlighted the singularities...
Why brain: I was attracted to study the brain because, as a child, I saw around me a lot of emotional suffering.I then thought to myself that, if I could understand the source of such suffering in the brain, I could provide a direct solution to suffering by developing some antisuffering pill or a focal electrical stimulation to relieve the source of pain.Already, during my army service, I...
elucidate the brain dynamics of non-ordinary experiences like "non-duality" and "egodissolution" by combining phenomenological assessment with modern brain imaging technology.In this chapter, I describe (1) typical features of mystical experiences (see glossary);(2) situations, personality traits, and methods that facilitate their occurrence; and (3) recent findings regarding their pos si ble...
Meditation techniques have been identified as relating differently to mental health outcomes, challenging experiences (e.g. anxiety, somatic effects, and psychotic-like experiences) and cognitive and emotional processes. Our aim was to better understand the differential relationship between ‘low body focused’ and ‘high body focused’ meditation techniques with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs),...
This study critically examines the epistemology of mysticism in Islamic thought through Mehdi Ha’iri Yazdi’s concept of Knowledge through Presence (al-‘ilm al-huduri). The research positions Yazdi’s epistemological framework as a bridge between classical Islamic illuminationist philosophy (hikmah al-ishraq) and contemporary philosophical discourse. Employing qualitative-descriptive and...