When Seconds Turn Into Minutes: Time Expansion Experiences in Altered States of Consciousness
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Time Expansion Experiences (TEEs) occur when a person’s normal experience of time slows down or expands significantly. Previous research has associated them mainly with accidents but also with altered states of consciousness such as mystical experiences, psychedelic experiences, and near-death experiences. This article describes a qualitative study of 74 reports of “Time Expansion Experiences” (also a pilot study of 22 reports), which investigated the phenomenology of such experiences, using thematic analysis to highlight the main themes. The most common triggers of TEEs in the study were accidents (40 of 74), followed by spiritual states (12), and, then, psychedelic experiences and sports and games (both 7). Many participants commented on the dramatic nature of their TEEs, with themes of positive affective states (most notably calmness), alertness, the opportunity to take preventative action (related to very rapid cognition), and quietness. Interpretations of TEEs are discussed, arguing against the theory that they are an illusion created by recollection. TEEs are seen as a characteristic of altered states of consciousness, which occur when the normal self-system dissolves in exceptional circumstances. Human beings’ normal experience of time is a psychological construct, produced by the psychological structures and processes of the normal self-system.
Source: Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Author: Steve Taylor
Institution: Leeds Beckett University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3011069255