I just watched this video from AsapSCIENCE about what it feels like when you are dying, and one of the things they noted that happens is "seeing light." Of course, this is also something common in mystical experiences. They explained a possible cause of this phenomenon in NDEs.
Are the benefits of ketamine therapy related to the mystical experience they produce? An anesthesiologist offers some thoughts.
The sitcom celebrity of How I Met Your Mother had an entheogenic "First Vision" experience of "Christ," and lives to tell about it.
Are faith healings real? If so, how might they work deep in our psyche?
A psychotherapist tells of her most sacred visionary experience she had back in 1969.
It seems that many people may give up on meditation or other contemplative practices because they do not provide quick results, particularly in our instant gratification culture today. It can take significant dedication and discipline in practice before we see any fruits. But there are other possibilities on the horizon that may help us along [...]
This morning I listened to a podcast conversation between neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris and bestselling journalist and author Michael Pollan about Pollan's new book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence.
"To me, mystical or spiritual experience is what happens when your ego is put aside. Spiritual experience is about a sense of merging with something larger than you. And it's your ego that stands in the way. To the extent that you can subdue it, or just put it off to the side for a few hours, amazing things happen, and you realize that you are part of a larger energy..."
I shared this account in my introductory paper about mysticism, but I think it should be shared as a stand-alone post as well. This is because it is so stunningly similar in many respects to Joseph Smith's accounts of the First Vision.