Mengjiao Yin
This study investigates whether artificial intelligence can emulate human mystical experiences through algorithmic rationality, focusing specifically on the generative mechanisms of “Perceived Sacredness” within AI-assisted tarot divination. Grounded in the original “Triadic Framework for Human-AI Spiritual Interaction,” three sequential experiments systematically examine how sacredness...
Mike Sosteric
Since Marx first declared religion to be the opiate of the masses, institutions of religion and spirituality have often been resisted by scholars. The assumption of many seems to always be that religion is either a reactionary response to difficult realities or a mere illusion, delusion, or epiphenomenon of brain/social function. This paper looks at the "authentic core" of religious...
PsyArXiv Preprints
October 11, 2026
preprint
Free will is one of the most enduring problems in philosophy and cognitive science, yet what, exactly, requires explanation remains unclear. The most tractable target is the experience of free will – the vivid sense of self-authorship, control, and a felt capacity to have done otherwise. As with the scientific study of mystical experiences, this phenomenology can be investigated without...
Journal of Religion and Health
September 13, 2026
Rohman Hikmat, Muntazhar Nur Syabana, Ade Kosasih et al.
The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday life has created new intersections among digital technology, spirituality, mystical experience, and psychopathology. This scoping review aimed to map evidence on how AI mediates, reinforces, detects, predicts, or interprets religious and spiritual experiences at the boundary with psychosis and dissociation. PubMed, Web of...
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...
Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science
May 25, 2026
Shogo Tanaka
This paper offers a theoretical re-situating of extreme experiences in response to Dominik Mihalits' (2025) multidimensional model. While acknowledging the value of Mihalits' effort to de-pathologize extreme experiences, it is argued that many of the phenomena he seeks to conceptualize have long been addressed within earlier traditions of psychological and existential thought. Drawing on Karl...
Journal of Religion and Health
April 16, 2026
Glenn J Mccullough
Anton Boisen (1876-1965) was a pioneering figure in the psychology of religion and pastoral psychology, yet scholars have largely overlooked his most important theoretical contributions. His unique corpus emerged from his own experience of psychosis in 1920 and his subsequent incarceration in the psychiatric system. I argued in an earlier article that Boisen was a prophet, ahead of his time,...
Psychiatry Research
February 2, 2026
Tatiana Aboulafia Brakha, Albert Buchard, Cédric Mabilais et al.
1 citation
Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin show promising antidepressant effects in controlled trials, but real-world data from routine clinical care remain limited. This study retrospectively analysed routine data from adults with treatment-resistant depressive and/or anxiety disorders who received a first standardized Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) cycle with 100...
Epilepsy & Behavior
January 22, 2026
Fredrik K Andersson, Bisrat Ezra, Kenney Roy Roodakker et al.
Ecstatic seizures (EcS) have captured scientific interest due to their potential origin in anterior insular networks, emphasizing the insula's role in self-processing. Their frequency in epilepsy or insular pathology has not been systematically studied. Present study aimed to examine the frequency and clinical characteristics of EcS in epilepsy patients, and the potential occurrence of ecstatic...
Pizhūhish/hā-yi Falsafī- Kalāmī
November 18, 2025
Yaser Hashemi, Ahmad Valiee, Mohammad Javad Asghari
Atheists have long advanced arguments against the existence of God, challenging the claims of theists. Among these, John L. Schellenberg has proposed an argument known as “divine hiddenness,” which has garnered significant attention from philosophers of religion. Therefore, the subject of this paper is to critique and examine this argument based on the ontological foundations of Avicenna, one...