Mysticism

Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences that were rated as among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant life experiences at 14-month follow-up, with 58% meeting criteria for complete mystical experience.

double-blind study with follow-up Sample size: 36

The MEQ30 is a reliable and valid measure of mystical-type experiences, and its scores positively predict persisting changes in attitudes, behavior, and well-being attributed to psilocybin experiences.

validation study using pooled data from five laboratory experiments Sample size: 184

Psilocybin-occasioned mystical experience, rather than overall drug intensity, was linked to biologically verified smoking abstinence at 6-month follow-up, with 80% of participants abstinent.

open-label pilot study Sample size: 15

The 30-item Mystical Experience Questionnaire has a valid four-factor structure capturing unity/noetic quality/sacredness, positive mood, transcendence of time/space, and ineffability, and distinguishes those who had a mystical experience from those who did not.

exploratory factor analysis with confirmatory factor analysis in a replication sample Sample size: 1602

Argues that specific brain structures and processes are involved in mystical and religious experiences, and that this neurophysiological understanding has implications for philosophy, science, theology, and the future of religion.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Proposes that mystical and religious experiences are caused by transient electrical microseizures in the temporal lobe, which can be triggered by existential trauma and reduce death anxiety.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Mystical-type experiences were infrequent after LSD, possibly due to set and setting; 200 μg may produce greater alterations of consciousness than 100 μg, and ego dissolution may reflect plasma LSD levels.

experimental study

Argues that there is a single type of mystical experience—'pure consciousness'—that occurs across cultural and linguistic lines, supported by reports from multiple traditions.

edited collection of essays

Argues that 'Irreducible Mind' presents a compelling case for the irreducibility of consciousness by cataloging anomalous phenomena that challenge physicalism, but contends that the philosophical arguments are not always rigorous and that the book's overall thesis remains unproven.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Proposes that structural analogies between mysticism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders implicate a specific alteration of the structure of consciousness.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Psychedelic-induced religious, spiritual, or mystical experiences are rated as more intensely mystical and associated with reduced fear of death, increased sense of purpose, and increased spirituality compared to non-psychedelically triggered experiences.

cross-sectional survey Sample size: 739

Lesions to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex causally increase mystical experiences, suggesting that executive functioning in this region normally down-regulates such experiences.

observational cohort Sample size: 148

Psychedelic users scored significantly higher on mystical beliefs and life values of spirituality and concern for others, and lower on financial prosperity, compared to other groups, regardless of culture.

cross-sectional survey Sample size: 183

Use of LSD and psilocybin was significantly positively related to mystical experience scores in a dose-related manner, whereas use of MDMA, cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and alcohol was not.

cross-sectional survey Sample size: 337

Argues that the mysticism framework for psychedelic experiences poses risks due to its supernatural associations, and proposes a demystified model as an alternative.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Proposes that psychological and contemplative states can be mapped onto a structured space using nested Markov blankets under analytic idealism, with permeability and integrative coherence as key dimensions.

theoretical or philosophical paper

This is a protocol for a scoping review, so no findings are reported. The review will map evidence on measuring psychedelic-occasioned mystical or spiritual experience and its association with clinical outcomes, and on classic serotonergic psychedelics for body dysmorphic disorder and obsessive-compulsive-spectrum conditions, interpreted through an osteopathic body-mind-spirit framework.

scoping review protocol

Argues that Shayegan's concept of visionary geography offers a framework for understanding spiritual unity that transcends modern, quantitative spatial perceptions.

qualitative study

Proposes that a human being comprises three constituents—Body, Mind, and Soul—each deconstructed by its own logic and arriving at a different destination at death, reconciling disparate accounts of death as levels of a single structure.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Argues that Franssens' Harmony of the Spheres opens a space for non-institutional, sonically mediated religion through specific musical techniques that listeners interpret in religious and spiritual terms.

case study with digital ethnography and musicological analysis

The relationship between Sufism and quantum theory is heuristic and philosophical, not empirical, and the analogy serves as a conceptual bridge between spirituality and modern science.

qualitative study with library research approach

Argues that Qureshi's anthology was foundational for global reception of Bengali mystical literature but often struggled to preserve the songs' rhythm, musicality, symbolic density, esoteric vocabulary, and performative character.

historical analysis

Argues that the term 'mysticism' in psychedelic research is outdated and misleading, and advocates replacing the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) with a Psychedelic Experience Questionnaire (PEQ) to avoid a dubious quasi-religious construct.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Argues that Möminə Xatın represents a unique synthesis of gender, spirituality, and cultural identity, demonstrating the enduring role of women as carriers of metaphysical meaning in Azerbaijani and Islamic intellectual traditions.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Argues that Thayumanavar's songs employ natural imagery and everyday objects as analogies to describe divine experience, rendering Saiva Siddhanta philosophy intelligible and meaningful to common people, and that these metaphors function in both devotional practice and philosophical discourse.

literary analysis