This essay explores the metaphysical and therapeutic dimensions of human suffering, proposing a reframe in which patients are not passive recipients of misfortune but active bearers of sacred messages. Drawing on theological, mystical, psychological, and literary traditions, the paper suggests that in the absence of traditional prophets and healers, the modern patient becomes a vessel of divine...
This book is a unique attempt by historians, anthropologists and specialists of different religions and esoteric trends to investigate the mental and physical ‘techniques’ for obtaining an ‘experience’ of the Absolute or the Sacred. Cognitive techniques include prayers or litanies practised in different ways, through repetition (Sufi dhikr, Christian Hesychasm, yoga) or motion (Sufi dance),...
Russian theology of the early 20th century manifests itself as the intersection of many heterogeneous trends. Of these trends, we will highlight two: a keen interest in the legacy of St. Augustine and the problem of mystical (religious) experience, which was actualized both by the general desire to overcome “scholastic approaches” in theology, and by scientific and psychological developments of...
Apart from being hailed as the country's first UNESCO Global Geopark, Bohol is also recognized for its efforts to preserve its rich cultural heritage despite adapting to modernization. This study uses discourse analysis to analyze the dominant endemic cultural heritage featured in Bol-anon narratives using Folklore Theory and Post-Colonial Theory. The study reveals that healing arts are...
Brazilian Journal of ScienceSeptember 29, 2025Pinelopi Vlotinou, Konstantinos Christodoulou, Anna Tsiakiri et al.
Classical psychedelics encompass psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and mescaline and are psychoactive substances that primarily function as agonists at the serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors (5-HT). In the immediate term, they modify perception, cognition, emotional state, social processing, and introspection, leading to a subjective mystical...
BMC PsychologySeptember 26, 2025Mahir Akbudak, Hasan Belli, Hasan Gökçay
This study is concerned with relationships between childhood trauma history, dissociative experiences, clinical phenomenology of Jinn-Possession Psychosis (JPP), and schizophrenia in an Islamic cultural context. Researchers have contacted local traditional and spiritual healers based in a city in the Southeast region of the Republic of Turkey. Traditional healers have contacted us with patients...
ABSTRACT This essay explores the conceptual and philosophical complexities surrounding ayahuasca use, focusing on its ability to reveal ghosts through the lens of hauntology. Ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew traditionally used in shamanic rituals, is known to evoke profound experiences involving spirits, mystical entities, and transformative states of consciousness. The brew's active compound,...
This essay discusses the unique interplay between mushrooms and Russian Conceptualism, situating the mycological theme within the broader framework of Second Avant-garde aesthetics and socio-political critique. Russian artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Ilya Kabakov, Andrei Monastyrsky, and others embedded mushroom imagery into their works as a metaphorical device transcending mere visual...
I take “neo-perennialists” to share the following, minimal claim: there exists a cross-cultural category of experiences that can be defined as “mystical”. I first clarify the neo-perennialist project and defend its overall feasibility. I then criticize the narrow focus on mystical experiences that has characterized much neo-perennialist research, and research based on the above-mentioned core...
Introduction Aesthetic experiences under psychedelics are often described as vivid, emotionally powerful, and meaningful, yet they remain under-measured in psychometric research. This study aimed to refine and validate the Psychedelic Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire (PAEQ), a novel instrument designed to assess the aesthetic dimensions of acute psychedelic experiences. Methods A total of 365...