Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction: Mystical Experiences and the Nature of RealityAt the heart of mysticism is a particular kind of altered state of consciousness, which is often referred to as a "mystical experience" (Bartocci & Dein, 2005;Griffiths, Richards, McCann, & Jesse, 2006;Hood, 1975).Mystical experiences have been called by many different names, by scientific researchers and mystics alike.Some of the names they have been given by researchers include "religious experience" (James, 1902), "religious/spiritual/mystical experience" (Beauregard & Paquette, 2006), "unitary state" (d'Aquili & Newberg, 1999, Newberg, d'Aquili, & Rause, 2002), "unitive experience" (Bartocci & Dein, 2005), and the experience of a "soulful self" (Hood, 2002).The names given to mystical experiences by mystics themselves have likewise varied widely; they include such terms as "unio mystica" (Catholic Christianity), "shamatha" (Hinduism), "absorption" (Buddhism), "Revelation" (Emerson, 1841/1992), "cosmic consciousness" (Bucke, 1901), and many others.All these names seem to refer to either a single type of experience, or to an array of related experiences, which have played a central role in the practice of mysticism the world over (James, 1902;Underhill, 1911Underhill, /1999;; White, 1995).Mystical experiences, under their various names, have several distinctive characteristics.The first may be referred to as the "transcendence of the self."This is the weakening or elimination of the usual sense one has that one is a distinct being separate from the world.When one experiences self-transcendence, one either feels a sense of union with a larger reality, or one simply loses the sense of a clear boundary between oneself and the world.In addition to the transcendence of the self, mystical experiences can have several other characteristics.Citing the philosopher W. T. Stace (1960), the
Author: Jonathan S. Miller
Institution: Bowling Green State University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1908411958