Does Psychological Flexibility Correlate with Mystical Experiences: A Machine Learning Approach Including State of Surrender, Near-Death Experiences, and Psilocybin Consumption.
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.