What the bleep just happened to my brain? I wrote in my journal. Something drastic had changed. I was no longer the person I was before. My brain was literally rewired. Who was this new person? Where had my old self gone?

TRANSFORMATIVE EFFECTS OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES

I wrote that journal entry on 27th August 2019. On 15th April 2018 I’d had a mystical experience. It was the second mystical experience I’d had that year. But this second mystical experience was different. While the first one lasted just moments, the second was ongoing. It was an extended mystical experience.

And when I wrote that in my journal I could not say whether the mystical experience had finished or not. You see, while brief mystical experiences seem to end as abruptly as they started, extended mystical experiences don’t seem to have a definitive end.

Either way, both my brief mystical experience and my extended mystical experience had a positive effect on me with lasting benefits. It’s fair to say they also came with their fair share of challenges.

But today, we’re focusing on the therapeutic effects, and probably the most informative research into the therapeutic benefits of mystical experiences comes from psychedelic research.

 

PSYCHEDELIC ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has received a lot of attention in the media in recent years. Everybody seems to have heard of the miraculous therapeutic potential of psychedelics. However, few seem to know that it’s the mystical experiences they engender that are responsible for much of the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.

I can mention psychedelic therapy; no one bats an eyelid. But if I mention that it’s actually the mystical experience they engender that is responsible, they all look at me like I’ve just landed from Mars.

 

JOHN HOPKINS CENTRE FOR PSYCHEDELIC RESEARCH

But it’s a well-known fact at the Johns Hopkins Centre for Psychedelic Research that the bigger the psychedelic dose, the more likely it is that participants have a mystical experience. And the stronger the mystical experience, the stronger the therapeutic and positive effects.

That’s why, at Johns Hopkins, the team set out with the intention of helping their participants have a psychedelic mystical experience. And they’re good at it. Over 70% of their participants report having a complete mystical experience.

At Johns Hopkins Centre for Psychedelic Research, they’ve been investigating the therapeutic effects of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy since 2005. Over the last 20 years, their research has consistently shown that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has the potential to help people overcome all sorts of problems.

Initial studies showed that psychedelic-engendered mystical experiences help terminally ill patients suffering from existential crises overcome their fear of death. Other studies have demonstrated that psychedelic mystical experiences can reduce depression and anxiety and help with addictions.

But, at Johns Hopkins, they’re not just interested in big pathologies and problems. They’re interested in the persisting positive effects of psychedelic mystical experiences. In other words, how people change in positive ways after a psychedelic mystical experience.

 

PERSISTING POSITIVE EFFECTS OF PSYCHEDELIC MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES

To understand the more enduring positive effects of psychedelic mystical experiences, the team used a survey that measured changes in attitudes, mood, social effects, and behaviour. The survey has 60 questions that investigate both positive and negative effect. The questions are things like;

·  Your appreciation for life has increased.

·  You have a greater sense of inner authority in your life.

·  You have more enthusiasm for life in general.

·  You have less optimism.

·  Your self-confidence/self-assurance has decreased.

·  Feelings of depression have decreased.

·  Feelings of anxiety have increased.

·  Your expression of positive emotions (e.g. love, joy, appreciation) has increased.

·  You are less tolerant toward others.

·  Your negative expression of anger (e.g. ridicule, irritability toward others) has decreased.

 

The team at Johns Hopkins ask their participants to fill out this questionnaire, but they also ask friends and relatives to fill out the questionnaire for the participants. They’re interested not just in what the participant thinks but what their friends and family notice.

 

Overwhelmingly, the results show positive persisting effects. People are better off for having had a mystical experience. They experience benefits in their attitudes, moods, relationships and behaviour.

 

It’s easy to see that the persisting positive effects of mystical experiences are closely related to well-being and how we engage in the world.

While I looked the same on the outside. And most people wouldn’t know that I had a mystical experience, everything had changed on the inside.  And some observant people definitely noticed a change in me. Though they couldn’t put their finger on what it was.

 

BEING IN THE MYSTICAL STATE

I could. Because I was witnessing it every day. Being in a mystical state for an extended period of time meant that much of my life was spent in a sort of altered state of consciousness.

I had more clarity and more awareness and lived in the now. My baggage, beliefs and expectations were no longer muddying my life and my experience. My perception seemed to be as sharp as a razor. Old triggers seemed to have disappeared, anger no longer overwhelmed me, I stopped taking things personally, and my relationships improved. I responded instead of reacting. The world around me seemed richer and more beautiful, and I was filled with gratitude and looked upon the world in awe. Effortless joy permeated my being. Every morning, I woke up with a smile on my face. I no longer suffered from sensations like cold and pain; they ceased to overwhelm me as I laid witness to their visits. I was an objective observer of the miracle of life.

 

MY MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE CHANGED MY BRAIN

Being in the mystical state was glorious. But I gradually witnessed the pull of the ego back into a more egoic state. And alas to say that my egoic state is quite different. Nevertheless, I was changed. And changed for good.

Something happened to my brain. My neurons took new neural pathways. In my journal, I pondered what had happened to my old neural pathways. To my tried and tested triggers and reactions. Had they been exterminated? Did I get a brain reboot or reprogram? I’m not sure.

If we take anger for an example, it’s fair to say I had a bit of an anger problem behind closed doors. Anger would fire up in me faster than I could contain it. And sometimes, it would get the better of me for days. Festering. It’s not a pretty site, but it’s true.

And now, I feel anger, but it doesn’t overwhelm me. Sometimes, I express it as anger. Sometimes, it needs to be expressed in that way. But at other times, I express it with laughter and lightheartedness. Anger itself is not a problem, but when it is uncontrollable, it is.

And it changed me in smaller ways. More subtle ways that are difficult to put into words. I imagine that if they put me in an fMR scanner, my brain might resemble that of a monk or advanced meditator more than that of someone suffering from anxiety and depression.

 

MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES AND QUANTUM CHANGE

The therapeutic effects and persistent positive effects of mystical experiences are so fundamental to the experience that there is a concept in psychology that refers to both the mystical experience and its effects. The term quantum change points to a sudden, profound and benevolent experience that results in personal transformation.

Psychologist William R. Miller found that following a mystical type quantum change experience, our self-concept can have such a radical and fundamental shift that not only do behaviours change, but addictive behaviour can be instantly eradicated.

This is fascinating because behaviour change is usually only accomplished with small incremental steps. And addictions are notoriously difficult to overcome.

 

MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES AND PERSONALITY

I’m not sure if increases in the personality trait of openness can strictly be classified as a therapeutic effect, but I think it's worth mentioning anyway. Researchers at Johns Hopkins found that participants who had a mystical experience significantly increased their trait openness which remained higher one year later.

While not necessarily a therapeutic effect, openness is linked with creativity, innovation, intellectual curiosity, appreciation for diversity, adaptability, improved ability to problem solve and enhanced emotional intelligence.

Naturally, these qualities are linked with increased well-being levels.

 

THE POWER OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES TO TRANSFORM

It’s undeniable that mystical experiences have the power to transform people’s lives in a positive and benevolent way. Mahatma Gandhi reminded us to “be the change you wish to see in the world”. Having a mystical experience has the potential to help us to be the change we wish to see in the world.

With increases in trait openness, emotional regulation, present-moment self-awareness, pro-social behaviour and inner peace, having a mystical experience can help each one of us to be a positive change in the world.

 

CREATING MORE MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES

Without reducing mystical experiences to neurological activity, I do believe we can prime our brains to have mystical experiences. After all, that is what meditation does, and we know that the most common trigger for a mystical experience is spiritual practice.

Let’s increase the likelihood of having a mystical experience and enjoying the wonderful therapeutic effects. Not only can we benefit and enjoy the fruits, but those around us will benefit, too.