Holy Spirit or Holy Psyche? Energy-Like Somatic Experiences in Contemporary Abrahamic Meditative Traditions
Religions November 10, 2025 Nathan E. Fisher, Elisabeth Irvine, Michael Z. Yonkovig et al.
Energy-like somatic sensations in the body are commonly reported across Abrahamic contemplative traditions, not only in Buddhist and Yogic contexts. In interviews with 30 practitioners and 30 teachers from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, 40% of practitioners and 43% of teachers reported such experiences. These sensations varied widely in intensity and emotional tone, interpreted either as expected signs of spiritual progress or as surprising events. Participants blended metaphors from multiple traditions and mixed spiritual with psychological explanations. Compared to earlier research on Western Buddhists, both commonalities and differences emerged. The findings suggest these experiences arise from a complex interplay of cultural frameworks, attention, and bodily processes.