Ecstasy research in the 20th century – an introduction
Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis January 16, 2019 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.30674/scripta.67128 via DOAJ
Summary
Scholars have long studied distinctive cultural and religious phenomena such as yogis, mystics, shamans, sorcerers, and group-hysterical events, but no major collection of research covers all these phenomena together. This work introduces key technical terms and concepts used in this field: ecstasy, trance, mysticism, possession, and altered states of consciousness.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | There is no major collection of research contributions covering all phenomena related to ecstasy, trance, mysticism, possession, and altered states of consciousness. |
Abstract
Scholars have always been interested in distinctive phenomena in culture and religion. Thus the accounts and achievements of yogis and mystics received attention at an early stage. There is a similar tendency with shamans, different kinds of sorcerers and with the "group-hysterical" phenomena that have appeared from time to time. There is, on the other hand, no major collection of research contributions on all the phenomena belonging to this field. Before proceeding to discuss some of the research produced over this vast area, some of the technical terms and concepts current in this field of study need to be introduced: ecstasy, trance, mysticism, possession, and altered states of consciousness.