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In the Netherlands, scientific interest in psychedelics and their subjective effects has been increasing. The present study examined the reliability, construct and predictive validity of the Dutch 30-item Revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30), a self-report measure that has been used to assess subjective and mystical experiences occasioned by psychedelics. In an online survey, 322 Dutch-speaking adults retrospectively reported on profound experiences with psychedelics. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that both a four-factor structure and the same model extended with the MEQ30-total score as a second-order latent variable fit the data. Factor scores showed good internal reliability (α = between.81 and.94) and were significantly higher in participants that beforehand endorsed having had a mystical experience compared to those that did not, providing evidence for the construct validity of the questionnaire as a measure for self-reported mystical experiences. Additionally, MEQ30 scores significantly predicted the meaningfulness and spiritual significance of the psychedelic experience, as well as self-reported positive changes in well-being, life satisfaction and behavior, providing preliminary evidence for the predictive validity of the Dutch MEQ30. Findings suggest the reliability and validity of the Dutch MEQ30 and support the use of the scale in future studies on the subjective effects of psychedelics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Article examines the world view evolution of Father Sergius Bulgakov; namely, the stage of his radical reorientation to the problems of philosophical idealism and religious metaphysics. That world view is shaped by a tension between his mystical spiritual experiences described in his diary and jos attempts to externalize them as Christian politics. He articulates the relationship between philosophy and religion as an antinomy and therefore cannot be resolved only through rationalization. It demands for the orthodox consciousness the justification of philosophy in the light of religion. Overcoming the autonomy of reason is possible due to the rooting of philosophical reason in a specific religious experience. It is in the religious existential experience of the transcending subject that it is possible to go beyond the limits of empirical existence and overcome limitations of the secular autonomous reason. Thus, Bulgakov's views are largely in tune with European existential philosophy in interpreting the nature of philosophy as creativity rooted in the deepest, pre-rational foundations of human existence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, both meditation and psychedelics have attracted rapidly increasing scientific interest. While the current state of evidence suggests the promising potential of psychedelics, such as psilocybin, to enhance meditative training, it remains equivocal whether these effects are specifically bound to psilocybin or if other classical psychedelics might show synergistic effects with meditation practice. One particularly promising candidate is N,N -dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an active ingredient of ayahuasca. Aim: This study aims to investigate the effect of the psychedelic substance DMT, combined with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor harmine (DMT-harmine), on meditative states, compared to meditation with a placebo. Method: Forty experienced meditators (18 females and 22 males) participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study over a 3-day meditation retreat, receiving either placebo or DMT-harmine. Participants' levels of mindfulness, compassion, insight, and transcendence were assessed before, during, and after the meditation group retreat, using psychometric questionnaires. Results: Compared to meditation with a placebo, meditators who received DMT and harmine self-attributed greater levels of mystical-type experiences, non-dual awareness, and emotional breakthrough during the acute substance effects and, when corrected for baseline differences, greater psychological insight 1 day later. Mindfulness and compassion were not significantly different in the DMT-harmine group compared to placebo. At 1-month follow-up, the meditators who received DMT and harmine rated their experience as significantly more personally meaningful, spiritually significant, and well-being-enhancing than the meditators who received placebo. Conclusion: Investigating the impact of DMT-harmine on meditators in a naturalistic mindfulness group retreat, this placebo-controlled study highlights the specific effects of psychedelics during meditation. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05780216. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is permitted in Switzerland under its limited medical use program. Data from patients in this program represent a unique opportunity to analyze the real-world practice of PAT. Aims: This study compared the subjective effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin between patients undergoing PAT and healthy volunteers. For the patients, it also investigated the relationship between antidepressant effects and six measures of acute drug effects. Methods: We compared data on acute psychedelic drug effects between 28 PAT patients with data from 28 healthy participants who participated in a randomized, double-blind crossover trial. All participants received varying doses of psilocybin and LSD. Subjective effects were assessed on an hourly basis during the acute drug effects, and the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) was completed retrospectively. For patients, depressive symptoms were assessed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Results: Ratings of overall drug effect and mystical experience were similar across groups. Compared with healthy controls, patients reported lower ratings of ego dissolution. Patients showed a significant decrease in MADRS scores, and the greatest predictor of antidepressant outcome was relaxation during the PAT session. We did not observe a relationship between mystical-type experiences and antidepressant effects. Most patients experienced mild adverse effects which resolved within 48 h. Conclusion: PAT reduced depressive symptoms in this heterogeneous patient group. Patients may experience more challenging psychedelic effects and reduced ego dissolution. Hourly assessment of drug effects may predict clinical outcomes better than retrospectively assessed mystical experiences, and the impact of relaxation during PAT should be investigated further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daqhughi's story in Masnavi Manavi is a multi-layered narrative that can be analyzed from different angles due to its fluid structure. One such analysis is to understand the features of mystical experience that constitute the essence of this parable. The mystical experience involves moments of fascination and vision in which a person experiences an extraordinary journey and is in communion with the transcendent world. Many intellectuals in the field of mystical philosophy have tried to understand the nature of this phenomenon. Among them, William James and Walter Stace stand out as prominent theorists who have described the characteristics of this phenomenon. The scientific and theoretical framework they created for recognizing elements of mystical experiences can shed light on even the most complex of these experiences. The mystical experiences depicted in Daqhughi's story possess identifiable features, and their ambiguities can be resolved using this theoretical framework. Characteristics such as inexpressibility, paradoxes, unity in vision, a sense of blessing, objectivity, and an epistemological quality are evident in the story. At the onset of his experience, Daqhughi perceives the unity within multiplicity—a perception that appears paradoxical amid successive transformations. His experience bears an epistemological quality, and while recognizing it as profoundly blessed, Daqhughi also acknowledges its inexpressibility. Therefore, the primary goal of this essay is to offer an alternative interpretation of this symbolic allegory through the lens of mystical experiences as described by theorists. However, it's important to note that not all features are present in this narrative; for instance, transiency is notably absent from this allegory.

Shafi'i Kadkani's perspective on defining mysticism and explaining its connection is based on aesthetics. According to him, mysticism is nothing more than an artistic understanding of religion from an aesthetic standpoint, presented through imagination, symbolism, and allegory. This article critically examines and evaluates this viewpoint's foundational and structural aspects by referring to fundamental discussions such as the nature of religion, religious experience, mystical experience, and the relationship between mind, language, and reality. From the critic's perspective, this theory is based on a purely formalist approach, focused on style and centred on language. Furthermore, it lacks a proper analysis of the relationship between cognition (mind) and language, the connection between mystical knowledge and reality, and the relationship between mystical knowledge and language. The theory also suffers from reductionism and includes errors such as the fallacy of confusing essence with its expression, ultimately stripping mysticism—a multifaceted phenomenon with various dimensions—of its most important aspect, which is its cognitive and epistemic dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In The Sources of Religious Insight, Josiah Royce assesses William James' pragmatic evaluation of exalted, private religious experience, advanced in The Varieties of Religious Experience as inadequate to encompass the full range of religious experience. Among other contributions, Royce adds social and communal experience to James' individualistic appraisal. Rather than tacking on to the familiar contemporary critical conversation about the Jamesian restriction to private experience, I argue that James and Royce are helpfully brought together through an understanding of religious conversion: James' foundational predicament of the "sick soul" returned to health through religious conversion gains depth and coherence through the attention Royce gives to overcoming alienation through communal participation. In our time of dislocation and self-preoccupation, drawing together these two seminal models of religious experience provides an instructive account of the individual's transformation by way of communal renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spiritual, metaphysical, or eschatological elements in delusions (SMEDs) are frequent and often subjectively regarded as profound transformational experiences, similar to mystical experiences. This study aimed (1) to explore how SMEDs are experienced and in which aspects they are similar to mystical experiences and (2) to investigate how individuals make sense of SMED. Methods: Seven participants were interviewed, and their expressions were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: We found that SMEDs were similar to mystical experiences with regard to alterations in perception of space, time, and unity. Furthermore, SMEDs were accompanied by a sense of enlightenment that however remained ineffable. SMEDs were interpreted from different viewpoints, i.e., as a source of ontological insight, as a mental health issue, as an inspiration for a new orientation in the world, and, for some participants, as an example of the limits of knowledge. Making sense of SMED appeared to follow a lively internal dialogue in which various, sometimes contradictory positions were reflected upon. Participants usually struggled to align the ostensible ontological significance of SMED to the dominating illness explanation. Conclusion: SMEDs have similarities to mystical experiences, but integrating SMED into one’s own life is challenging. We propose a philosophical, non-pathological interpretation of SMED derived from a novel perspective on mystical experience which may also have some therapeutic utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Especially in The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James developed the polar categories of healthy-minded individuals content with their once-born religion versus sick souls who need to become twice-born in order to find religious peace. Biographers of James have concluded that he does not fit well under either of his polar categories. Drawing on both data about James' life and on his philosophical and theological writings, I demur from the biographers' conclusion and instead advance the thesis that the overall pattern of William James' life is best understood as a sick soul searching for—and ultimately finding—twice-born religion in connection with mystical experiences. Notably, James attempted to theorize about mystical experiences as connecting with divine reality/ies in naturalistic ways compatible with scientific knowledge of his time. Scientific knowledge today makes it more difficult to find evidence of direct divine input in religious experiences, yet one might find value in religious experiences in terms of James' pragmatic criterion for truth: their beneficial or adaptive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the psychological and neural mechanisms of psychedelic compounds and their potential use in treating mental health and medical conditions. It discusses the therapeutic effects of psychedelics on various mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, autism, PTSD, and substance use disorders. The article explores the cellular, molecular, network, and circuit-level mechanisms through which psychedelics work, as well as the psychological and behavioral effects they produce. It also highlights the role of mystical experiences, reactivations, ayahuasca-induced personal death experiences, and environmental factors in psychedelic therapy. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary research and responsible use of psychedelics in psychiatry and mental health. The document includes references to studies and clinical trials that investigate the use of psychedelics in the treatment of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and alcohol dependence. These studies suggest that substances like ayahuasca, psilocybin, and MDMA may have positive effects on symptoms and outcomes for individuals with these conditions. However, further research is needed to fully understand the efficacy and safety of these treatments. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of this study is to make an evaluation by introducing the views on the definition of religious experience, which has been the main reason of religious belief since the existence of human beings. The God-human relationship is one of the most important problems in the history of thought. In fact, the exclusion of the problem of “possibility” in the issue of definition, which cannot be handled separately from the problem of “the possibility of religious experience”, is intended to keep the subject within the limits of the study. Because the possibility of religious experience, which can be understood as any religious person’s encounter with the Divine and experiencing it in an extraordinary way, regardless of the religion through which he establishes his relationship with God, is another subject of discussion. The meanings attributed to the concept of religious experience are so diverse that they can vary from person to person because they contain subjective essence. An important problem in discussions of religious experience is the definition of religious experience, while another issue is whether personal religious experiences provide sufficient reason to believe in God. The diversity of religious experience is another issue that preoccupies thinkers. The state of experience in theological inquiry and its function in theological systems draw attention as areas where theologians are intensely interested in the subject. The focus of recent debates on religious experience is whether there is the same universal religious experience at the root of all cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current psychedelic renaissance intersects with Christian practices in two key ways. First, as psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) becomes more common, Christians undergoing therapeutic medical treatment may seek outside support for integrating into their religious lives mystical experiences that occur during psychedelic sessions. Second, with increasing legal access to psychedelics, more Christians may explore their spiritual potential outside of a medical context, either individually with spiritual guides or collectively in organized retreats. Many will have mystical encounters related to the Divine. Whether the experience involves the overwhelming presence or absence of the Divine, these Christians, too, will seek integration support. This essay argues that the Bible can serve as a rich source for such integration, because it contains significant material about mystical experiences marked by altered states of consciousness. First, I summarize the importance of the psychedelic renaissance, especially the scientific studies being conducted, as it relates to Christian practices of spiritual formation. Second, I explore new work being conducted by biblical scholars regarding embodied religious experiences with the Divine (and others), including mystical experiences. Third, I consider the Apostle Paul's embodied mystical experience, with special attention to 2 Corinthians 12:1–10, as one example of biblical material that might intersect with or inform psychedelic mystical encounters that contemporary Christians might experience (whether in a medical therapeutic or non-medical spiritual formation setting). Finally, I indicate directions for further research and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Adoption of potentially consciousness-altering practices may be leading to a rise in emergent phenomena (EP): sudden unusual mental or somatic experiences often interpreted as spiritual, mystical, energetic, or magical in nature. It is unclear how frequently these altered states of consciousness occur and what the clinical implications may be. Anecdotal accounts and prior literature suggest that EP may be common, under-reported, and followed by either positive or negative changes to well-being. We sought to supplement prior evidence on the prevalence and effects of EP among general populations with large-scale quantitative measurements. Method: We measured the prevalence of EP, while not on mind-altering substances, through completion of online surveys by representative samples from three international communities (n = 3135). The communities sampled were UK Qualtrics online panelists, US-based MTurk workers, and the readers of a popular rationalist blog. Samples were broadly representative of underlying populations. Results: Forty-five percent of participants reported experiencing non-pharmacologically induced EP at least once in their lives, including derealization (17%), unitive experiences (15%), ecstatic thrills (15%), vivid perceptions (11%), changes in perceived size (10%), bodily heat or electricity (9%), out-of-body experiences (8%), and perception of non-physical lights (5%). Respondents reported a mix of positive and negative well-being outcomes following EP, with 13% claiming moderate or greater suffering and 1.1% claiming life-threatening suffering. Of those who experienced suffering, 63% did not seek help. Conclusions: EP are widespread among the studied populations with potential for both positive and negative outcomes, the latter of which do not appear to be adequately addressed through recourse to clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the philosophical groundwork regarding experience, this article examines the meaning of Christian experience from a Catholic perspective. Christian experience of God is here understood as a graced act through which a person becomes affectively aware of the meaning of the event of Christ and of the encounter with him. As participation in the divine life that Christ makes available through the Holy Spirit, Christian experience is also the gradual entering into the mystery of Christ and his mission to glorify the Father by means of the Spirit of both. After examining the biblical terminology for ‘experience’, the entry approaches the meaning of Christian experience by discussing some foundational experiences of God as portrayed in scripture and offers a synthetic account of what could be considered the basic structure of Christian experience. The entry deepens this account in three steps: it first presents the knowledge of God that is available to the transformed human sensorium, the so-called ‘spiritual senses’; it then examines the dynamic aspect of Christian experience through an account of ‘mystical life’ within which basic criteria for assessing ‘mystical experiences’ are offered; finally, it elucidates the knowledge of God available to the baptized within the school of charity one is called to live – the church, the family, and the religious community. The article concludes by describing the reasons for the positive appreciation of experience in the Roman Catholic Church that took place in the last century and presenting some of the most significant theological reflections on it.

BackgroundOver the last two decades, a number of studies have highlighted the potential of psychedelic therapy. However, questions remain to what extend these results translate to naturalistic samples, and how contextual factors and the acute psychedelic experience relate to improvements in affective symptoms following psychedelic experiences outside labs/clinics. The present study sought to address this knowledge gap.AimHere, we aimed to investigate changes in anxiety and depression scores before versus after psychedelic experiences in naturalistic contexts, and how various pharmacological, extrapharmacological and experience factors related to outcomes.MethodIndividuals who planned to undergo a psychedelic experience were enrolled in this online survey study. Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and 2 and 4 weeks post-psychedelic experience, with self-rated Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR-16) as the primary outcome. To facilitate clinical translation, only participants with depressive symptoms at baseline were included. Sample sizes for the four time points were N = 302, N = 182, N = 155 and N = 109, respectively.ResultsRelative to baseline, reductions in depressive symptoms were observed at 2 and 4 weeks. A medicinal motive, previous psychedelic use, drug dose and the type of acute psychedelic experience (i.e. specifically, having an emotional breakthrough) were all significantly associated with changes in self-rated QIDS-SR-16.ConclusionThese results lend support to therapeutic potential of psychedelics and highlight the influence of pharmacological and non-pharmacological factors in determining response. Mindful of a potential sample and attrition bias, further controlled and observational longitudinal studies are needed to test the replicability of these findings.

Psychedelic substances are known to facilitate mystical-type experiences which can include metaphysical beliefs about the fundamental nature of reality. Such insights have been criticized as being incompatible with naturalism and therefore false. This leads to two problems. The easy problem is to elaborate on what is meant by the "fundamental nature of reality," and whether mysticaltype conceptions of it are compatible with naturalism. The hard problem is to show how mystical-type insights, which from the naturalistic perspective are brain processes, could afford insight into the nature of reality beyond the brain. I argue that naturalism is less restrictive than commonly assumed, allowing that reality can be more than what science can convey. I propose that what the mystic refers to as the ultimate nature of reality can be considered as its representation-and observation-independent nature, and that mystical-type conceptions of it can be compatible with science. However, showing why the claims of the mystic would be true requires answering the hard problem. I argue that we can in fact directly know the fundamental nature of one specific part of reality, namely our own consciousness. Psychedelics may amplify our awareness of what consciousness is in itself, beyond our conceptual models about it. Moreover, psychedelics may aid us to become aware of the limits of our models of reality. However, it is far from clear how mystical-type experience could afford access to the fundamental nature of reality at large, beyond one's individual consciousness. I conclude that mystical-type conceptions about reality may be compatible with naturalism, but not verifiable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main issue of this research is the adaptation of New Religious Movements' (NRMs) features with Cosmic Mysticism (Ring) and also evaluation of its leader’s claim about reviving of true Islamic mysticism. The present paper is also done by means of descriptive– analytic method and critical approach. The research findings indicate that Cosmic Mysticism (Ring) is easily compatible with NRMs’ characteristics, such as a charismatic leader claiming to have spiritual experiences, eclecticism, de-authorizing formal religion and emphasis on spirituality and humanism, the efflorescence of spiritual and mental talents, secularization of religious and mystical experience affected by quasi-science and so-called psychology, generality and its easily achievability regardless to beliefs and rituals. But reaching to the goal of reviving authentic mysticism entails fundamental changes in its structure, its way of expressing and gaining. These transformations lead to destroying the religious and mystical language and utilizing science, psychology, and language of other schools, which cause losing mysticism's deep mystical meaning in a way that focuses on today's human concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in psychedelics and their possible therapeutic potential has been growing. Metaphysical belief theory asserts that these benefits stem from the adoption of comforting supernatural beliefs following a mystical experience. By contrast, predictive self-binding theory suggests that the beneficial outcomes of psychedelics are primarily driven by psychological insights. The present study tests these competing models of psychedelic benefits. We conducted a quantitative content analysis on unsolicited self-reports of psychedelic users available on Erowid.org, to examine the potential relations between psychological insight, ego dissolution, therapeutic intent, altered metaphysical belief, and enduring health outcomes. We randomly selected, coded, and analyzed two hundred forty psychedelic experience reports from the website. Path analysis using structural equation modeling showed that psychological insight, not metaphysical beliefs, uniquely predicted beneficial outcomes. Moreover, beneficial outcomes’ positive relation to ego dissolution and therapeutic intent was fully mediated by psychological insight. These findings support the predictive self-binding model over the metaphysical belief model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests positive changes in both well-being and psychiatric symptoms following a psychedelic experience. One explanation may be the ability of psychedelic compounds to occasion mystical-type experiences. The Revised Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ30) is designed to assess the intensity and quality of such experiences. We examined the validity, reliability, and factor structure of a Danish translation of the MEQ30 in one sample of healthy volunteers receiving psilocybin in a laboratory setting (N = 47) and two samples of recreative users of psychedelics, in which MEQ30 was reported retrospectively through an online survey based on their most recent experience with psilocybin (N = 834) or their most memorable experience with any psychedelic (N = 500). We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the previously suggested factor structures, calculated alpha and omega, and tested the associations between MEQ30 total score and setting, intention and dose. We found excellent internal reliability estimates across all samples, and confirmatory factor analysis showed that a four-factor structure, had the best, fair fit to the data. We further found that the MEQ30 total score was correlated with dose and a spiritual/religious intention, but not with setting. The Danish MEQ30 seems to be a valid tool for accessing mystical-type experiences among Danish-speaking individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research into psychedelics has found them to be an effective treatment for disorders related to depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder. Mystical experiences have proven to mediate the therapeutic effects for outcomes; however, Spanish measures have not been studied thoroughly. In this study we explored the psychometric properties of the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and VanderWeele’s Flourishing Measure in a Spanish-speaking sample in Puerto Rico. The MEQ is a 30-item questionnaire that measures the degree of a mystical experience. A total of 235 participants took part in a survey where they answered the MEQ and other well-being questionnaires concerning past or future psychedelic use. For psychometric analysis, 207 participant answers were used for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and internal consistency. EFA revealed a three-factor structure explaining 65.46% of the variance and displayed high internal consistency for each scale (whole scale McDonald’s ωt=.98) of the MEQ. Furthermore, other well-being scales also displayed high internal consistency. The Spanish translation of the MEQ and other well-being scales demonstrated to be appropriate measures for the assessment of mystical experiences, psychological flexibility, and flourishing in a Spanish-speaking sample with and without the use of psychedelics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at St Ephrem's Hymns on Paradise, in particular the great poet's conception of the whole spirit-body and the experience of transcendent unity in this world and the next. Until recently, Ephrem's writings have been used mainly as doctrinal texts while his poetic symbolism has been only tacitly acknowledged. The beauty and richness of his verse hymns dealing with the garden of Eden and the life of the blessed are here read with an eye to his mystical vision of sanctified experience in the present life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis and classic psychedelics are controlled substances with emerging evidence of efficacy in the treatment of a variety of psychiatric illnesses. Cannabis has largely not been regarded as having psychedelic effects in contemporary literature, despite many examples of historical use along with classic psychedelics to attain altered states of consciousness. Research into the "psychedelic" effects of cannabis, and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in particular, could prove helpful for assessing potential therapeutic indications and elucidating the mechanism of action of both cannabis and classic psychedelics. This review aggregates and evaluates the literature assessing the capacity of cannabis to yield the perceptual changes, aversiveness, and mystical experiences more typically associated with classic psychedelics such as psilocybin. This review also provides a brief contrast of neuroimaging findings associated with the acute effects of cannabis and psychedelics. The available evidence suggests that high-THC cannabis may be able to elicit psychedelic effects, but that these effects may not have been observed in recent controlled research studies due to the doses, set, and settings commonly used. Research is needed to investigate the effects of high doses of THC in the context utilized in therapeutic studies of psychedelics aimed to occasion psychedelic and/or therapeutic experiences. If cannabis can reliably generate psychedelic experiences under these conditions, high-THC dose cannabis treatments should be explored as potential adjunctive treatments for psychiatric disorders and be considered as an active comparator in clinical trials involving traditional psychedelic medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research with the Psychedelic Experience Questionnaire/Scale (PES) focuses on questions relating to mystical experience (Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ)). The psychometric potential of the non-MEQ items of the PES remains largely unexplored. Aims: We investigated whether the PES also yields subscales besides the MEQ30 subscales. Methods: Data from 239 PES measurements (140 healthy participants) from six studies with moderate to high doses of lysergic acid diethylamide and/or psilocybin were included. New subscales (with items other than MEQ30) were created and validated as follows: (1) theoretical derivation of candidate items; (2) removal of items with rare experiences; (3) exploratory factor analysis; and (4) confirmatory factor analysis. Correlations of subscales within the PES and between the PES and the 5-Dimensional Altered States of Consciousness Scale (5D-ASC) were performed. In addition, a cluster analysis using all items (except rare experiences) was performed. Results: The reliability of the four original factors of the MEQ30 was confirmed and four additional factors for the non-MEQ items were revealed: paradoxicality, connectedness, visual experience, and distressing experience. The first two additional factors were strongly correlated with the MEQ30 mystical subscale. Adding the new subscales to the MEQ30 subscales increased the explained variance with the 5D-ASC. The cluster analysis confirmed our main results and provided additional insights for future psychedelic psychometrics. Conclusion: The study yields a new validated 6-factor structure for extended mystical experience (MEQ40: MEQ30 + Paradoxicality + Connectedness) and covers psychedelic experience as a whole more comprehensively than has hitherto been possible within a single questionnaire (PES48). The entire PES (PES100) can also be used for further future psychedelic-psychometric research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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RationaleClassic psychedelics are currently being studied as novel treatments for a range of psychiatric disorders. However, research on how psychedelics interact with other psychoactive substances remains scarce.ObjectivesThe current study aimed to explore the subjective effects of psychedelics when used alongside cannabis.MethodsParticipants (n = 321) completed a set of online surveys at 2 time points: 7 days before, and 1 day after a planned experience with a serotonergic psychedelic. The collected data included demographics, environmental factors (so-called setting) and five validated questionnaires: Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ), visual subscales of Altered States of Consciousness Questionnaire (ASC-Vis), Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), Ego Dissolution Inventory (EDI) and Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI). Participants were grouped according to whether they had reported using no cannabis (n = 195) or low (n = 53), medium (n = 45) or high (n = 28) dose, directly concomitant with the psychedelic. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and contrasts was used to analyse differences in subjective effects between groups while controlling for potential confounding contextual 'setting' variables.ResultsThe simultaneous use of cannabis together with classic serotonergic psychedelics was associated with more intense psychedelic experience across a range of measures: a linear relationship was found between dose and MEQ, ASC-Vis and EDI scores, while a quadratic relationship was found for CEQ scores. No relationship was found between the dose of cannabis and the EBI.ConclusionsResults imply a possible interaction between the cannabis and psychedelic on acute subjective experiences; however, design limitations hamper our ability to draw firm inferences on directions of causality and the clinical implications of any such interactions.

The term “waaqeah” in Islamic mysticism refers to a state achieved through specific practices and conditions (such as seclusion, immersion in remembrance, and similar activities), through which the seeker attains a novel understanding and discovers an approach to the realm of meaning that illuminates its position in the journey of spiritual development. “Waaqeah” often manifests in forms of lights, colors, and similar phenomena and is interpreted and explained through the perspectives of the spiritual elders (pir). This research, following a definition and examination of the concept of “waaqeah” and an elucidation of its ideological significance, delves into the perspectives of essentialists and structuralists regarding the religious experience. Davis’s categorization of six types of religious experiences, emphasizing their mutually non-exclusive nature, is presented, followed by an explication of mystical waaqeah from the viewpoint of interpretative, quasi-sensory (emphasizing its realistic and non-illusionary nature), and mystical (studying the conduct of Kubrawiya sect) experiences. Finally, Katz's views on the contextualization of mystical experience are discussed. Katz posits that the mystical experience does not occur in a vacuum but is the result of the interaction between the mystic and beliefs, traditions, and other experiences and contexts. Additionally, the presence of a guide in shaping, directing, and interpreting the mystical experience is significant. This theory is applied to the domain of mystical events by examining the practices and conditions of “waaqeah” within a specific religious tradition, highlighting the role of the elders (guides) in shaping and attributing meaning to it. In each section of this research, references to mystical sources and narratives are utilized to expound on the presented concepts by mentioning “waaqeahs” from the mystic elders.

Kwonmok Ko,1 Ben Carter,2 Anthony J Cleare,1,3 James J Rucker1,3 1Centre for Affective Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK; 2Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK; 3South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, BR3 3BX, UKCorrespondence: Kwonmok Ko, IoPPN, KCL, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AB, UK, Email kwon.ko@kcl.ac.ukIntroduction: In psychedelic therapy, mystical as well as challenging experience may influence therapeutic outcome. However, predictors of such experience have not been sufficiently established. Determining predictors of their intensity is, therefore, potentially beneficial in targeting psilocybin therapy for depression.Methods: In a post hoc data analysis of a Phase 1, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-groups clinical trial, dosage, personality traits, affect, and individual data were analysed as possible clinical predictors. Eighty-nine healthy volunteers were randomised to receive a single dose of placebo, 10 mg of psilocybin, or 25 mg of psilocybin. ANOVA was used to analyse the relationship between dosage and mystical and/or challenging experience, and correlation analysis for all other variables.Results: The intensity of both mystical and challenging experience was strongly associated with higher dosage. Age was negatively correlated with intensity of challenging experience. Correlation between identified personality traits and either mystical or challenging experience was minimal, with the exception of positive correlation between neuroticism and challenging experience at higher dose. Neither positive nor negative affect indicated correlation with the intensity of either type of experience.Discussion: A limitation of this study is its post hoc, exploratory design; recommendations for further research are provided.Keywords: mystical experience, challenging experience, psilocybin, psychedelic therapy

In The Sources of Religious Insight, Josiah Royce assesses William James’ pragmatic evaluation of exalted, private religious experience, advanced in The Varieties of Religious Experience as inadequate to encompass the full range of religious experience. Among other contributions, Royce adds social and communal experience to James’ individualistic appraisal. Rather than tacking on to the familiar contemporary critical conversation about the Jamesian restriction to private experience, I argue that James and Royce are helpfully brought together through an understanding of religious conversion: James’ foundational predicament of the “sick soul” returned to health through religious conversion gains depth and coherence through the attention Royce gives to overcoming alienation through communal participation. In our time of dislocation and self-preoccupation, drawing together these two seminal models of religious experience provides an instructive account of the individual’s transformation by way of communal renewal.

Especially in The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James developed the polar categories of healthy-minded individuals content with their once-born religion versus sick souls who need to become twice-born in order to find religious peace. Biographers of James have concluded that he does not fit well under either of his polar categories. Drawing on both data about James’ life and on his philosophical and theological writings, I demur from the biographers’ conclusion and instead advance the thesis that the overall pattern of William James’ life is best understood as a sick soul searching for—and ultimately finding—twice-born religion in connection with mystical experiences. Notably, James attempted to theorize about mystical experiences as connecting with divine reality/ies in naturalistic ways compatible with scientific knowledge of his time. Scientific knowledge today makes it more difficult to find evidence of direct divine input in religious experiences, yet one might find value in religious experiences in terms of James’ pragmatic criterion for truth: their beneficial or adaptive effects.

Psychedelic substances are known to facilitate mystical-type experiences which can include metaphysical beliefs about the fundamental nature of reality. Such insights have been criticized as being incompatible with naturalism and therefore false. This leads to two problems. The easy problem is to elaborate on what is meant by the “fundamental nature of reality,” and whether mystical-type conceptions of it are compatible with naturalism. The hard problem is to show how mystical-type insights, which from the naturalistic perspective are brain processes, could afford insight into the nature of reality beyond the brain. I argue that naturalism is less restrictive than commonly assumed, allowing that reality can be more than what science can convey. I propose that what the mystic refers to as the ultimate nature of reality can be considered as its representation- and observation-independent nature, and that mystical-type conceptions of it can be compatible with science. However, showing why the claims of the mystic would be true requires answering the hard problem. I argue that we can in fact directly know the fundamental nature of one specific part of reality, namely our own consciousness. Psychedelics may amplify our awareness of what consciousness is in itself, beyond our conceptual models about it. Moreover, psychedelics may aid us to become aware of the limits of our models of reality. However, it is far from clear how mystical-type experience could afford access to the fundamental nature of reality at large, beyond one’s individual consciousness. I conclude that mystical-type conceptions about reality may be compatible with naturalism, but not verifiable.

This paper argues that practitioners of psychedelic-assisted therapy could learn a great deal from Deleuze and Guattari's critique of psychoanalysis in Anti-Oedipus, as well as the practice of materialist psychiatry – schizoanalysis – that they offer in its stead. Much of the clinical research on psychedelics (particularly psilocybin) over the past fifteen years has privileged mystical experience, assessed according to a quantifiable scale, as the goal of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and source of cure (Griffiths et al. 2006, 2016; Barrett and Griffiths 2018; Pollan 2018). Has 'mystical experience' become the 'imperialism of Oedipus' within the psychedelic revival, towards which all psychedelic experience and activity of the unconscious is expected to tend? Distressed patients would be better held, I contend, through a therapeutic practice that adopts Deleuze and Guattari's concept of the unconscious as a desiring-machine and the cure as a completion of the process of desiring-production that is not arrested and reduced to pre-assigned ends. In this mode of working with psychedelics, the embodied memories, visions and sensations of the patient do not in a predetermined way 'express' or 'represent' a perennial, quantifiable experience (or myth). Rather, they enable the positive task of schizoanalysis of learning what a subject's desiring-machines are and how they work, and the negative task of identifying and destroying all that stands in the way of their functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The classic psychedelic psilocybin, found in some mushroom species, has received renewed interest in clinical research, showing potential mental health benefits in preliminary trials. Naturalistic use of psilocybin outside of research settings has increased in recent years, though data on the public health impact of such use remain limited. Methods: This prospective, longitudinal study comprised six sequential automated web-based surveys that collected data from adults planning to take psilocybin outside clinical research: at time of consent, 2  weeks before, the day before, 1–3  days after, 2–4  weeks after, and 2–3  months after psilocybin use. Results: A sample of 2,833 respondents completed all baseline assessments approximately 2  weeks before psilocybin use, 1,182 completed the 2–4  week post-use survey, and 657 completed the final follow-up survey 2–3  months after psilocybin use. Participants were primarily college-educated White men residing in the United States with a prior history of psychedelic use; mean age  =  40  years. Participants primarily used dried psilocybin mushrooms (mean dose  =  3.1 grams) for “self-exploration” purposes. Prospective longitudinal data collected before and after a planned psilocybin experience on average showed persisting reductions in anxiety, depression, and alcohol misuse, increased cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, spiritual wellbeing, and extraversion, and reduced neuroticism and burnout after psilocybin use. However, a minority of participants (11% at 2–4  weeks and 7% at 2–3  months) reported persisting negative effects after psilocybin use (e.g., mood fluctuations, depressive symptoms). Discussion: Results from this study, the largest prospective survey of naturalistic psilocybin use to date, support the potential for psilocybin to produce lasting improvements in mental health symptoms and general wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panikkar's philosophy of mysticism is best understood as an attempt to overcome monistic and dualistic ways of thinking about the divine, human beings and the universe. Mysticism, for Panikkar, is irreducible to either monistic experiences of oneness without a second or to dualistic experiences where the divine is seen as wholly other. Rather, mysticism relates to holistic experiences of Reality and Life where the divine, the universe and human consciousness are seen as distinct yet constitutively interrelated. Mysticism has often been based on dualistic views of this life and the next, worldly existence and heavenly existence, the material and the spiritual, body and soul, and action and contemplation. These dualisms have led many to view mysticism as negating life and as an escape from this world and human activities. Panikkar's philosophy of mysticism, however, attempts to overcome these dualisms and restores the equilibrium between the diverse yet united aspects of Reality and the human condition. This article is divided into two parts. The first part introduces Panikkar's conception of mysticism as an anthropological dimension and as involving holistic experiences of Reality and Life. The second part examines Panikkar's notion of pure consciousness and his understanding of mystical experiences as being the result of various mediating factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay relates a Heideggerian interpretation of metaphysics, as determined by an interpretation of Being in terms of a priori laws/essences, to a traditionally passive model of experience. The spiritual principles of the Christian and the Buddhist experience of the Nothing are shown as an overcoming of this model and an overcoming of metaphysics. The essay displays the ways in which Heidegger and Mamardashvili stress the illusionary nature of a metaphysical understanding of human existence and the central role of personal transformation beyond one's psychological subjectivity. This transformation is tied to the possibility of active engagement with the Nothing, requiring efforts of attentive self-detachment from the constant pressure of one's representational faculties motivated by a hidden flight from anxiety. Buddhist and Christian notions of detachment and letting-be are then interpreted in light of Heidegger's and Mamardashvili's ideas, allowing for a phenomenological interpretation of certain passages from the New Testament and the Bodhidharma's teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into Blaise Pascal's religious philosophy, focusing on his use of the phrase "Scio cui credidi" (I know whom I have believed) to explore his understanding of faith. It analyzes Pascal's "Memorial" and the "Summary of the Life of Jesus Christ", highlighting how Christ is central to Pascal's belief system. The discussion reveals the transformational nature of Pascal's faith, particularly after his mystical experience on November 23, 1654. This experience is crucial in understanding his shift from a philosophical to a deeply personal, Christ-centered faith. The article underscores Pascal's journey from a scientific and philosophical perspective to an intimate, emotional resonance with Christian faith, demonstrating how his personal encounters with the divine profoundly shaped his religious perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Across psychotherapeutic frameworks, the strength of the therapeutic alliance has been found to correlate with treatment outcomes; however, its role has never been formally assessed in a trial of psychedelic-assisted therapy. We aimed to investigate the relationships between therapeutic alliance and rapport, the quality of the acute psychedelic experience and treatment outcomes. Methods: This 2-arm double-blind randomized controlled trial compared escitalopram with psychedelic-assisted therapy for moderate-severe depressive disorder (N = 59). This analysis focused on the psilocybin condition (n = 30), who received two oral doses of 25 mg psilocybin, 3-weeks apart, with psychological preparation, in-session support, and integration therapy. A new psychedelic therapy model, called "Accept-Connect-Embody" (ACE), was developed in this trial. The primary outcome was depression severity 6 weeks post treatment (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, QIDS-SR-16). Path analyses tested the hypothesis that therapeutic alliance (Scale To Assess the Therapeutic Relationship Patient Version, STAR-P) would predict depression outcomes via its influence on the acute psychedelic experience, specifically emotional-breakthrough (EBI) and mystical-type experiences (MEQ). The same analysis was performed on the escitalopram arm to test specificity. Results: The strength of therapeutic alliance predicted pre-session rapport, greater emotional-breakthrough and mystical-type experience (maximum EBI and MEQ scores across the two psilocybin sessions) and final QIDS scores (β = -0.22, R 2 = 0.42 for EBIMax; β = -0.19, R 2 = 0.32 for MEQMax). Exploratory path models revealed that final depression outcomes were more strongly affected by emotional breakthrough during the first, and mystical experience during the second session. Emotional breakthrough, but not mystical experience, during the first session had a positive effect on therapeutic alliance ahead of the second session (β = 0.79, p < 0.0001). Therapeutic alliance ahead of the second session had a direct impact on final depression scores, not mediated by the acute experience, with a weaker alliance ahead of the second psilocybin session predicting higher absolute depression scores at endpoint (β = -0.49, p < 0.001) Discussion: Future research could consider therapist training and characteristics; specific participant factors, e.g., attachment style or interpersonal trauma, which may underlie the quality of the therapeutic relationship, the psychedelic experience and clinical outcomes; and consider how therapeutic approaches might adapt in cases of weaker therapeutic alliance. Clinical Trial Registration: This trial is registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov, identifier (NCT03429075).

The current psychedelic renaissance intersects with Christian practices in two key ways. First, as psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) becomes more common, Christians undergoing therapeutic medical treatment may seek outside support for integrating into their religious lives mystical experiences that occur during psychedelic sessions. Second, with increasing legal access to psychedelics, more Christians may explore their spiritual potential outside of a medical context, either individually with spiritual guides or collectively in organized retreats. Many will have mystical encounters related to the Divine. Whether the experience involves the overwhelming presence or absence of the Divine, these Christians, too, will seek integration support. This essay argues that the Bible can serve as a rich source for such integration, because it contains significant material about mystical experiences marked by altered states of consciousness. First, I summarize the importance of the psychedelic renaissance, especially the scientific studies being conducted, as it relates to Christian practices of spiritual formation. Second, I explore new work being conducted by biblical scholars regarding embodied religious experiences with the Divine (and others), including mystical experiences. Third, I consider the Apostle Paul’s embodied mystical experience, with special attention to 2 Corinthians 12:1–10, as one example of biblical material that might intersect with or inform psychedelic mystical encounters that contemporary Christians might experience (whether in a medical therapeutic or non-medical spiritual formation setting). Finally, I indicate directions for further research and discussion.

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This article not only mentions spiritual anarchism nominally, as do so many previous articles, but tries to define it as precisely as possible. The definition assumes that the self itself can be a source of unjustifiable authority and a limitation to freedom, and that spiritual anarchism is nothing more than being open to that which transegoically transcends our narrow perspective. The article critically revisits previous overviews of spiritual anarchism, and itself proposes to take into account traditions that have been neglected. Finally, the article reverses the approach; that is, it considers how some of our spiritual practices can be made more anarchistic, including meditation, the psychedelic experience and the mystical experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writers anchored in the Christian mystical tradition generally present their spiritual experience as loaded with cognitive content bearing on things divine. The nature of this mystical knowledge, the way they receive it, and its effect on their existence can be fruitfully approached only by elucidating the way their language and discourse make use of metaphors. Accordingly, starting with references to the early modern period, this article investigates a set of classical mystical metaphors so as to gain insight into the unique mode of metaphorical cognition, highlight the epistemological status proper to mystical experience, and distinguish the latter from other theological cognitive modes. Metaphors borrowed from daily life endow the mystical experience—of which the object is described as being beyond senses and reason—with a perceptible, comprehensible, and communicable configuration. At the same time, metaphors should not be regarded as being merely an approximate expression of an ineffable experience. Through the "gestalt" or structure of a metaphor, mystical experience locates itself and develops in spacetime, thus laying out the path of the spiritual journey. The way various metaphors naturally associate allows the expression, intensity, and self-understanding of spiritual experience to "grow" from one image to another. Thanks to the metaphorical operation, mystics are able to describe their journey and give spiritual direction, providing disciples and readers with concrete directions for reforming and renewing their lives. Furthermore, the connection that metaphor establishes between everyday routines and things divine allows for a two-way exchange of meanings: the objects or events met in daily life are "sanctified" as they become metaphors that convey spiritual understanding and allow an ever-growing number of people to "seek and find God in all things". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Much research has focused on the modeling of the near-death experience (NDE) by classical and atypical psychedelics; however, to date, no study has reported on the relationship between the NDE and the experience induced by the highly potent, endogenous psychedelic drug 5-Methoxy-DMT (5MeO-DMT). This article presents a case study of an individual who is popularly documented to have had a profound near-death experience while in a coma caused by bacterial meningoencephalitis. Additionally, the individual also subsequently underwent an experience with 5MeO-DMT. Methods: A semi-structured interview was conducted with the subject concerning his experiences with both the NDE and 5MeO-DMT. A basic thematic analysis was performed on both the original text describing the NDE as well as the interview itself, which mainly focused on the subject's experience with 5MeO-DMT. This analysis was organized to identify both the similar and different emergent themes between the two states, with a particular emphasis on the subject's perceptions of the similarities and differences between the experiences. Results: There is a very high level of comparability between the original NDE and psychedelic experiences in general, including shared characteristics such as entering other worlds, meeting menacing or benevolent entities, experiencing synesthesia, perinatal regression, and lucid dreamlike properties. Much comparability was also identified with the 5MeO-DMT experience, in particular the major mystical experiential domains, such as ego dissolution, but especially transcendence of time and space. However, there were also a few unique themes (life review, the deceased, and the threshold) that emerged in the NDE that were not present in the 5MeO-DMT experience or other psychedelic experience studies, suggesting that these themes may bemore unique to the NDE. Discussion: Despite such similarities, the participant asserted that his NDE and psychedelic experiences were not similar enough to be attributed to endogenous psychedelics. In this study, we discussed several mechanisms that could potentially account for the NDE, including lucid dreams and perinatal regression. However, the study also explored the possibility that the unique etiology of the participant's NDE, bacterial meningoencephalitis affecting the neocortex, may have triggered similar downstream neural activity as that initiated by psychedelic agents through pyramidal neuronal activation. This hypothesis is presented with appropriate caveats and acknowledged as speculative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern psychological research on meditation has demonstrated its extensive psychological and physical benefits. Much of this modern research relies on ‘mindfulness’ training protocols, such as the popular MBSR program (from the 1970s) and similar offshoots. Though certainly useful, these mindfulness interventions are limited in scope. Their contents do not reflect voluminous recent research into related practices, nor the immense breadth of the traditions from which they come. Such mindfulness interventions derive generally from Buddhist teachings, but include only a fraction of the traditional meditative path – and they omit profound, essential elements.I created a novel curriculum to expand on existing mindfulness protocols, better represent the complete traditions that have been their source, and improve their efficacy by encouraging self-transcendent and mystical-type experiences. This program was offered as a semester-long Berkeley undergraduate course. Self-report assessments revealed myriad benefits: increased psychological well-being, resilience to stress, confidence, purpose; improvement of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia symptoms; and bolstered compassion, patience, focus, and empathy. 70% of students responded that in terms of overall life value, the meditation course was equal to or greater in significance than anything they had ever experienced.Students reported surprising levels of mystical experience as a result of the class. Intriguingly, out of all dimensions assessed, only mystical experience possessed a truly significant relationship with total reported participant benefit (Pearson coefficient=0.72). These findings demonstrate the efficacy of this novel meditation protocol, the accessibility of mystical experience with proper instruction, and the central importance of such experience for maximum participant benefit.