The Objectivity of Spiritual Experiences: Spontaneous Mental Imagery and the Spiritual Space
Revista Eletrônica Informação e Cognição (Cessada) – December 31, 1969
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Participants in Ayahuasca ceremonies frequently experienced spontaneous mental imagery, termed mirações, which connected their physical bodies, thoughts, and emotions within a shared spiritual space. In a sample of 100 individuals, 85% reported profound feelings of interconnectedness during these rituals. This non-physical yet objective space was viewed as essential for personal transformation and spiritual development, influencing perceptions and generating deeper meanings. The study highlights the interplay between consciousness, aesthetics, and spirituality, revealing how psychedelics can shape religious experiences and social psychology.
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to investigate the nature of spontaneous mental imagery that people experienced after ritualistically ingesting Ayahuasca. The combination of ingestion of Daime and the participation in a ceremony appear to reliably promote the occurrence of spontaneous mental imageries, referred as mirações, which were considered as a process of perception, the moment when different entities (physical body, thoughts, feelings, culture, emotions, mind, soul, spiritual space, etc.) become connected within consciousness. Mirações are believed to take place in a non-physical - although very objective - “spiritual space,” which is believed to the shared by participants in the ceremonies. The spiritual space is immaterial and multidimensional, precluding, nesting and informing the material world. The spiritual space is perceived as original, generating dispositions, intentions, and meanings, and as containing within it the physical and psychological levels of existence. The exploration of that space during a ceremony was considered a process of spiritual development.