mysticism and hallucinations

mysticism and hallucinations
   The term mysticism comes from the Greek noun mustèrion, which means secret. It refers to a wide range of practices directed at grasping or attaining the ultimate reality of things, and/or at experiencing a direct form of communication or unity with 'the highest'. Mysticism is based on the premise that it is possible to establish a direct relationship with God or the Deity through introspection, meditation, and self-purification rather than through prayer. It is not associated exclusively with any particular religion. The term apophatic mysticism refers to a strand of mysticism characterized by the emptying of the subject's awareness of all stimuli. The term kataphatic (or imagistic) mysticism refers to the opposite approach, i.e., the filling of the subject's awareness with imagis-tic percepts. These imagistic percepts can occur in any of the sensory modalities. Throughout human history, kataphatic mystics have been aided by * entheogens to attain their desired spiritual experiences. The ensuing mental state is often referred to as * ecstasy. The group headed by the American-Canadian neuropsychologist Michael A. Persinger (b. 1945) claims that mystical experiences, including * sensed presence and hallucinatory experiences, can also be evoked experimentally with the aid of a *Koren helmet. On the basis of experiments such as these it has been suggested that religious and mystic experiences have an exclusively neural basis, associated with aberrant neurophysiological activity in the temporo-parietal lobes.
   References
   Forman, R.K.C. (1998). What does mysticism have to teach us about consciousness? Journal of Consciousness Studies, 5, 185-201.
   Melton, J.G., ed. (1996). Encyclopedia of occultism and parapsychology. Volume 2. Fourth edition. Detroit, MI: Gale.
   Persinger, M.A. (1987). Neuropsychological bases of God beliefs. New York, NY: Praeger.

Dictionary of Hallucinations. . 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ecstasy, mysticism, and hallucinations —    The term ecstasy comes from the Greek noun ekstasis, which has a variety of meanings and connotations, including departure, dismissal, mental derangement, and poignancy. In the present context it translates loosely as being outside oneself .… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • hallucinogen —    Also known as hallucinogenic drug, hallucinogenic substance, magicum, pseudohallucinogen, illusinogen, mysticomimetic, phanerothyme, *psychedelic, psychedelic drug, psychedelic substance, psychotic, psychotomimetic, *phantasticum, and… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • phantasticum —    Also known as hallucinogen, hallucinogenic drug, hallucinogenic substance, magicum, phanerothyme, pseudohallucinogen, illusinogen, mysticomimetic, psychotic, psychotomimetic, eideticum, psychedelic, psychedelic drug, and psychedelic substance …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • psychedelic —    Also referred to as psychedelic drug, psychedelic substance, hallucinogen, hallucinogenic drug, hallucinogenic substance, magicum, pseudo hallucinogen, illusinogen, mysticomimetic, phanerothyme, psychotic, psychotomimetic, phantasticum, and… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • eideticum —    Also known as hallucinogen, hallucinogenic drug, hallucinogenic substance, magicum, phanerothyme, pseudohallucinogen, illusinogen, mysticomimetic, psychedelic, psychedelic drug, psychedelic substance, psychotic, psychotomimetic, and… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • psychotomimetic —    Also known as psychotic, hallucinogen, hallucinogenic drug, hallucinogenic substance, magicum, pseudohallucinogen, illusinogen, mysticomimetic, phanerothyme, phantasticum, eideticum, psychedelic, psychedelic drug, and psychedelic substance.… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • Charles Bonnet syndrome — (CBS)    The eponym Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) refers to the Swiss naturalist and philosopher Charles Bonnet (1720 1792). It was introduced in 1936 by the Swiss neurologist Georges de Mor sier (1894 1982) to denote a hallucinatory state or… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • psychonaut —    The term psychonaut comes from the Greek words psuchè (life breath, spirit, soul, mind) and nautès (sailor, navigator). It translates as sailor of the mind or navigator of the psyche . Its origin is commonly attributed to the German author and …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • Eastern epistemology — Jain EpistemologyAccording to Jain epistemology, reality is multifaceted ( anekanta , or non one sided ), such that no finite set of statements can capture the entire truth about the objects they describe. The Jain list of pramanas (valid sources …   Wikipedia

  • Views on Ramakrishna — Ramakrishna (1836 1886) was a famous nineteenth century Indian mystic. His personality and religious experiences have been studied by many notable scholars. Academic studies have also been carried out on the influence of Ramakrishna s personality …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”