Journal of Psychoactive Drugs • July 3, 2026 • Miguel Joaquim Soares Teles Couceiro, Victor José da Conceição Teixeira Amorim Rodrigues, Nuno Manuel Correia Torres
In a patient with generalized anxiety disorder and migraines, mystical-type experiences during ketamine-assisted psychotherapy appeared to contribute to therapeutic improvements. After four intramuscular sessions (0.5-0.9 mg/kg), greater gains followed sessions with higher scores on the Hood Mysticism Scale. The patient attributed progress to the psychological and spiritual impact of the experiences, highlighting the importance of the therapeutic relationship and integration process. This case suggests that subjective mystical experiences may play a meaningful role in therapeutic change during ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Transactions on Social Science Education and Humanities Research • July 2, 2026 • Daniel Zhu
Mystical experiences, long considered ineffable by scholars like William James, are frequently and richly articulated on social media. Analyzing posts from five religion-focused subreddits using computational and qualitative methods, the work shows that users share detailed narratives through metaphor and emotion. The framing of these experiences varies by community: Buddhist subreddits emphasize meditative mechanics, Christian subreddits rely on scriptural language, and atheist subreddits focus on epistemology. The findings suggest that ineffability may stem from social constraints rather than an inherent quality of the experience, as digital anonymity and community-specific scripts enable detailed, socially negotiated expression.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) • June 24, 2026 • Enkhamgalan Nasanjargal
The text provided is a fragment consisting only of a period, which is insufficient to describe any study, argument, or finding. It cannot be summarized.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies • June 2, 2026 • Brandon Reynante, Jack Buchanan
Music has been integral to psychedelic experiences across history, from shamanic rituals to modern psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), yet standardized protocols for its use are lacking. This interdisciplinary review compared musical features in three contexts: modern PAT, traditional entheogenic rituals, and musically-induced peak experiences. Conflicting features emerged: PAT music peaks with simplicity, consistency, and slow tempo; ritual music uses simple forms with rhythmic complexity, subtle variations, and fast tempo; peak-experience music is complex, surprising with large dynamic changes, and fast. These differences likely stem from music's assumed role and the associated non-ordinary state of consciousness.
International journal of methods in psychiatric research • June 1, 2026 • Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S Barrett et al.
The eight-factor structure of the Psychedelic Experience Scale (PES48), which includes the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) and additional factors for paradoxicality, connectedness, visual experience, and distressing experience, is valid for use in English. Analysis of 280 measurements from 145 healthy participants in four placebo-controlled psilocybin studies found that six subscales have high internal consistency, one good, and one acceptable. Both the MEQ30 and MEQ40 models show acceptable to good model fits, with better fits in English than in German. All six MEQ40 scale means were higher in English data, suggesting that the PES48 provides a broader conceptualization of mystical and non-mystical psychedelic experiences, and that setting may influence mystical experience.
Research Square • May 20, 2026
The paper explores the relationships among DMT-induced experiences, psychosis, healing, mystical experiences, and positive emotionality. It examines how DMT can serve as a model for psychosis and as a therapeutic tool, while also considering the overlap between these models and mystical experiences. The authors discuss the potential for DMT to induce states resembling psychosis but also to facilitate healing and positive emotional outcomes, suggesting that the context and set and setting are crucial in determining whether the experience leads to distress or well-being.
Eikasía Revista de Filosofía • May 11, 2026 • Gabriel Martínez Villarreal
Mystical experiences are both noetic—providing knowledge—and ineffable, posing an epistemological puzzle. Using Wittgenstein's Tractatus, the paper argues that mystical knowledge lies beyond the limits of language and the world, occupying a liminal, negative space. Though epistemically weak from this perspective, such experiences hold pragmatic and subjective value for religious life.
Scientific reports • May 8, 2026 • Erola Pons, Julieta Galante, Nicholas T Van Dam et al.
Depersonalization and derealization (DPDR) involve feeling detached from one's body, thoughts, or emotions, typically triggered by trauma, stress, or drugs and causing high distress. Similar experiences arise during meditation, where they are often described as positive and meaningful. This cross-sectional study compared DPDR-like states triggered by meditation (60 participants) versus other triggers (61 participants). The meditation-triggered group rated their experiences as substantially more positive, though most participants in both groups described them as mixed. Meditation-induced DPDR occurred across types and experience levels. These experiences are phenomenologically similar but more welcome, pleasant, and spiritually meaningful than those from trauma or cannabis, though distress is not uncommon. Contemplative approaches may inform clinical support for DPDR, and guidance within meditation settings is needed.
Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) • April 30, 2026 • Dylan Briggs, Thomas B Sease, Ruthie Menou et al.
Mystical experiences—marked by a sense of interconnectedness and transcendence—are linked to lasting positive changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior. In a sample of 150 adults recruited online, researchers used a machine-learning technique (elastic net regression) to examine how four facets of psychological flexibility (experiential acceptance, present-moment awareness, cognitive defusion, and self-as-context) relate to self-reported mystical experiences, while also accounting for state of surrender, frequency of psychedelic use, and near-death experiences. State of Surrender, experiential acceptance, cognitive defusion, and present-moment awareness were the strongest predictors. The findings suggest that surrender-related processes and psychological flexibility play a key role in predicting mystical experiences.
Philosophical Psychology • April 27, 2026 • Michiel van Elk
Mystical experiences are characterized by ineffability, noetic quality, transiency, and passivity, as outlined by William James. The abstract discusses the long-standing scholarly interest in these experiences within religious studies, noting that they have been a focus of research since James's foundational work. The text describes the key features of such experiences but does not present new empirical findings or a specific argument beyond acknowledging the historical and ongoing academic attention to the topic.
Frontiers in Psychiatry • July 12, 2022 • Kwonmok Ko, Gemma Knight, James Rucker et al. • 296 citations
Mystical experience—characterized by oceanic boundlessness, ego dissolution, and universal interconnectedness—may be a psychological mechanism influencing outcomes in psychedelic therapy. A review of 12 studies using psilocybin, ayahuasca, or ketamine found that 10 reported a significant association (correlation, mediation, or prediction) between mystical experience and symptom reduction across cancer-related distress, substance use disorder, and depressive disorders including treatment-resistant depression. However, most studies had small, non-diverse samples, and half were open-label, introducing potential bias. Future research needs larger, more diverse randomized designs and deeper exploration of mystical experience's nature and predictors to maximize therapeutic benefits while minimizing anxiety.
Pharmacology & therapeutics • May 1, 2019 • Matthew W Johnson, Peter S Hendricks, Frederick S Barrett et al. • 520 citations
Classic psychedelics like LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin are serotonin 2A receptor agonists with a long history of sacramental use and a resurgence in research. Epidemiological studies suggest naturalistic nonmedical use may be linked to positive mental health and prosocial outcomes, though some individuals are harmed in unsupervised settings. Recent therapeutic studies indicate efficacy in treating psychological distress from life-threatening diseases, depression, and nicotine and alcohol addictions. These compounds fairly reliably occasion mystical experiences, which are associated with improved psychological outcomes in healthy volunteers and patients. Neuroimaging studies reveal neurobiological mechanisms, broadening understanding of the brain, serotonin system, and consciousness. Overall, classic psychedelics show strong therapeutic potential and as tools for investigating mystical experiences and brain function.
Curr Top Behav Neurosci • January 1, 2018 • 268 citations
Classic hallucinogens such as psilocybin and LSD can induce profound mystical experiences characterized by feelings of unity, sacredness, and ineffability. These subjective states are linked to specific changes in brain activity, including decreased activity in the default mode network, which is associated with self-referential thought, and altered connectivity across brain networks. The phenomenology of these experiences often includes a sense of encountering ultimate reality and can lead to lasting improvements in personal well-being. The neural correlates suggest that these compounds temporarily disrupt usual brain organization, enabling a state of heightened plasticity and insight.
Journal of Psychopharmacology • October 11, 2017 • Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson, William A. Richards et al. • 528 citations
A double-blind trial compared a high dose of psilocybin (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) with a very low dose (1 mg/70 kg) in healthy adults who also undertook a program of meditation and spiritual practices. At six months, the high-dose groups, compared with the low-dose group, showed large, significant positive changes in interpersonal closeness, gratitude, life meaning, forgiveness, death transcendence, daily spiritual experiences, religious faith and coping, and community observer ratings. The enduring trait-level increases in prosocial attitudes and healthy psychological functioning were linked to the mystical-type experience occasioned by psilocybin and the rate of meditation or spiritual practices.
Neuroscience of Consciousness • January 1, 2017 • Chris Letheby, Philip Gerrans • 280 citations
Psychedelic-induced ego dissolution—where the sense of being a distinct self disappears—is best explained by predictive processing models of self-awareness. Self-awareness arises from hierarchical predictive models that posit a stable, enduring entity to which representations are bound. The self-model functions as a useful Cartesian fiction: a false representation of a simple substance that integrates cognitive processing across levels and domains. Unlike narrative accounts, this self-model has a robust cognitive function, but it does not qualify as a real self. Ego dissolution reveals the self-model's binding role in cognition, yet the self itself does not exist.
Journal of Psychopharmacology • November 30, 2016 • Stephen Ross, Anthony Bossis, Jeffrey Guss et al. • 1,699 citations
A single moderate dose of psilocybin (0.3 mg/kg), combined with psychotherapy, produced immediate and sustained improvements in anxiety and depression among 29 patients with cancer-related psychological distress. At the 6.5-month follow-up, approximately 60–80% of participants continued to show clinically significant reductions in depression or anxiety. Psilocybin also decreased demoralization and hopelessness, improved spiritual wellbeing, quality of life, and attitudes toward death. The therapeutic effects on anxiety and depression were mediated by the psilocybin-induced mystical experience.
Curr Biol • April 13, 2016 • 531 citations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) increases global functional connectivity in the brain, and this neural change correlates with the experience of ego dissolution—a temporary loss of the sense of self. The more the brain's networks became globally interconnected under LSD, the more participants reported a diminished or dissolved sense of self. This suggests that the subjective feeling of ego dissolution is linked to a breakdown of the normal modular organization of brain connectivity.
Journal of Psychopharmacology • October 6, 2015 • Frederick S. Barrett, Matthew W. Johnson, Roland R. Griffiths • 634 citations
The 30-item revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) is validated using data from five controlled laboratory experiments with psilocybin. Participants (n=184) received a moderate to high oral dose of psilocybin (at least 20 mg/70 kg). Confirmatory factor analysis shows the MEQ30 is reliable and internally valid. Structural equation models demonstrate external and convergent validity: latent variable scores on the MEQ30 positively predict persisting changes in attitudes, behavior, and well-being attributed to psilocybin experiences, beyond the participant-rated intensity of drug effects. The findings support the MEQ30 as an efficient measure of individual mystical experiences. A method to score a "complete mystical experience" from previous versions is validated, and a stand-alone MEQ30 is provided.
Journal of Psychopharmacology • February 9, 2015 • 267 citations
Interest in using psychedelic substances therapeutically has revived. Early research suggested they could help with various conditions, and recent clinical applications include cluster headaches, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction, and fear and anxiety in terminal illness, pointing to possibly different therapeutic mechanisms. Psychotherapeutic approaches emphasize subjective experiences like peak experiences or afterglow phenomena as key to therapeutic action. This review re-evaluates older and newer concepts of how psychedelics may produce benefits, discussing neurophenomenological aspects and different psychotherapeutic uses. Evidence shows that while pharmacological and psychological actions are not clearly separable, they appear to contribute differently depending on the pathology.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews • January 9, 2015 • Albert Garcia‐romeu, Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson • 480 citations
In an open-label pilot study, 15 smokers received 2 or 3 doses of psilocybin alongside cognitive behavioral therapy for smoking cessation. Twelve of 15 participants (80%) had biologically verified smoking abstinence at 6-month follow-up. Those who quit scored significantly higher on a measure of psilocybin-occasioned mystical experience than those who relapsed, while general drug intensity did not differ between groups. Nine of 15 participants (60%) met criteria for a complete mystical experience. Smoking cessation outcomes correlated with measures of mystical experience on session days and with retrospective ratings of personal meaning and spiritual significance. The results suggest mystical experience may mediate psychedelic-facilitated addiction treatment.
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion • December 1, 2012 • Katherine A. Maclean, Jeannie‐marie Leoutsakos, Matthew W. Johnson et al. • 412 citations
A 30-item version of the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) reliably measures four core dimensions of mystical experiences brought on by psilocybin: unity, noetic quality, and sacredness; positive mood; transcendence of time and space; and ineffability. Over 1,600 participants who had taken psilocybin completed the original 43-item MEQ, and factor analysis retained 30 items with a clear four-factor structure. Those who reported having a mystical experience scored significantly higher on all factors, confirming the scale's construct validity. The factor structure held in a second sample of 440 people and fit better than alternative models, supporting the MEQ's use in scientific studies of hallucinogen-occasioned mysticism.
Psychopharmacology • December 1, 2011 • Roland R Griffiths, Matthew W Johnson, William A Richards et al. • 938 citations
Psilocybin can produce mystical-type experiences that lead to lasting positive changes in attitudes, mood, and behavior. In a double-blind study, 18 adults (17 with no prior hallucinogen use) received 0, 5, 10, 20, or 30 mg/70 kg psilocybin in five sessions under supportive conditions. At the two highest doses, 72% of volunteers reported a mystical-type experience, and 39% experienced extreme anxiety or fear. One month later, participants rated these sessions as having substantial personal and spiritual significance, with the ascending dose sequence showing greater positive effects. At 14 months, these positive ratings remained undiminished and were consistent with observer reports. The effects generally increased with dose.
Journal of Psychopharmacology • September 28, 2011 • Katherine A. Maclean, Matthew W. Johnson, Roland R. Griffiths • 907 citations
Core personality traits are generally stable after age 30, but a high dose of the hallucinogen psilocybin can increase Openness to experience in healthy adults. In a double-blind controlled study, participants who had a mystical experience during their psilocybin session showed significantly higher Openness than baseline, and this increase persisted for more than a year. The findings suggest that psilocybin and mystical-type experiences can produce lasting personality change in adults.
Journal of Psychopharmacology • May 30, 2008 • R. R. Griffiths, Wa Richards, Mw Johnson et al. • 883 citations
A double-blind study of 36 hallucinogen-naïve adults who regularly participated in religious or spiritual activities found that a single high dose of psilocybin (30 mg/70 kg) produced experiences that, at a 14-month follow-up, were rated among the five most personally meaningful (58%) and spiritually significant (67%) experiences of their lives. 64% reported increased well-being or life satisfaction, and 58% met criteria for a complete mystical experience. The mystical experience assessed on the session day was central to the high ratings of personal meaning and spiritual significance at follow-up. Only a scale measuring mystical experience showed a difference from screening among measures of personality, affect, quality of life, and spirituality.