Catholicism, Psychedelics, and Mysticism: Correlations and Displacements

Comparisons between psychedelic-induced mystical experiences and Catholic mysticism are often made in the literature, but these parallels raise questions about the legitimacy of religious ways of knowing and the status of theology in academic culture. The article examines the challenge of methodological displacement, where researchers interpret material outside their discipline's boundaries through their own methodology and worldview, a problem compounded when sciences engage theological themes. Concrete examples of displacement in psychedelic and Catholic mysticism are provided, along with corrections to improve dialogue. The conclusion outlines persistent theological objections to claims of psychedelic mysticism while maintaining hope for further dialogue, focusing on whether correlations between these experiences are critically warranted.

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Abstract

This article charts some of the conversations around psychedelics, mysticism, Catholicism, and the Catholic mystics. I provide a context for the current “psychedelic renaissance” and bring the focus to psychedelics and Catholicism. The literature’s frequent comparisons of psychedelic mystical trips with Catholic mysticism raises questions about the legitimacy of religious ways of knowing, the status of the discipline of theology in Western academic cultures, and how Catholicism is often depicted in the psychedelic literature. The first part closes with a survey of the challenges of defining mysticism and some of the patterns perennial to the Catholic mystical experience. I look at the problem of methodological displacement, that is, how a researcher comes to conclusions with material that is formally outside of their discipline’s boundaries. This is a challenge for scholars of every stripe when they countenance subject matter that is beyond their expertise—and the lure to still read that material through their known methodology and worldview—but the problem of displacement is conspicuously compounded when the sciences countenance theological and religious themes. I provide concrete examples of displacement with psychedelic and Catholic mysticism, how it can be corrected, and how this would benefit dialogue. In the Conclusions, I outline persistent concerns and theological objections about some of the claims of psychedelic mysticism but hold onto the hope for further dialogue. My sustained attention is to the comparisons that are frequently made between the psychedelic and Catholic mystical experiences and whether these correlations are critically warranted.