The Transformative Potential of Religious, Spiritual, and Mystical Experiences
Abstract
Religious, spiritual, and mystical experiences (RSMEs) hold the potential to bring about transformative changes in individuals, according to studies in the field of neuroscience. This essay explores the psychological and social effects of RSMEs, including the promotion of positive attitudes such as compassion, empathy, and altruism, and the modification of beliefs. Despite ongoing debates about their nature, whether they are sui generis or attributional phenomena or a combination of both, this essay adopts an integrated model. The transformative potential of RSMEs cannot be overlooked, and the recognition of their utility in this context is well warranted.
References
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20.Wintering, N.A., Yaden, D.B.,Conklin,C.J., Alizadeh, M., Mohamed,F.B., Zhong, L., Bowens, B.K., Monti, D., &Newberg, A.B. (2020). Effect of aOne-Week Spiritual Retreat onBrain Functional Connectivity: APreliminary Study. Religions.
21.Yaden, D. B., Le Nguyen, K. D.,Kern, M. L., Wintering, N. A.,Eichstaedt, J. C., Schwartz, H. A.,Buffone, A. E., Smith, L. K.,Waldman, M. R., Hood, R. W., &Newberg, A. B. (2017). The noeticquality: A multimethod exploratorystudy. Psychology ofConsciousness: Theory, Research,and Practice, 4(1), 54–62.https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000098
scientific approaches to the phenomenon / neuropsicología de la experiencia religiosa. una revisión de distintas aproximaciones científicas al fenómeno. Estudios De Psicología, 40(2), 338–362. https://doi.org/10.1080/02109395.2019.1596373
2.Azari, N. P., Nickel, J., Wunderlich,G., Niedeggen, M., Hefter, H.,Tellmann, L., Herzog, H., Stoerig,P., Birnbacher, D., & Seitz, R. J.(2001). Neural correlates ofreligious experience. EuropeanJournal of Neuroscience, 13(8),1649–1652.https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0953-816x.2001.01527.x
3.Barros, M. (2021). ON THECLAIMS OF JORDANPETERSON'S COMPLEXITYMANAGEMENT THEORY. SocialScience and Humanities Journal,5(10), 2364-2374.http://sshj.in/index.php/sshj/article/view/748/275
4.Boczkowska, M. M., & Zię a, M.(2016). Preliminary study ofreligious, spiritual and mysticalexperiences. thematic analysis of oles Adult’s narratives. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 3, 167–176. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp.2016.61484
5.Czachesz stv n. 2017). Cognitivescience and the New Testament: Anew approach to early Christianresearch. Oxford University Press.
6.Czachesz, . 2013). Jesus’ religiousexperience in the gospels: Toward acognitive neuroscienceapproach. Jesus - Gestalt UndGestaltungen, 569–596.https://doi.org/10.13109/9783666593628.569
7.Czachesz, I. (2015). Religiousexperience in mediterraneanantiquity: Introduction to the specialissue. Journal ofCognitive Historiography, 2(1),5–13. https://doi.org/10.1558/jch.v2i1.30984
8.Francis, L. J., & Village, A. (2017).Psychological type and REPORTEDreligious experience: An empiricalenquiry among Anglican clergy andlaity. Mental Health, Religion &Culture, 20(4), 367–383.https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2017.1328404
9.Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A.,McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006).Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantialand sustained personal meaning andspiritualsignificance. Psychopharmacology,187(3), 268–283.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5
10.Hood, Jr., R. W., Ghorbani, N.,Watson, P. J., Ghramaleki, A. F.,Bing, M. N., Davison, H. K.,Morris, R. J., & Williamson, W. P.(2001). Dimensions of themysticism scale: Confirming thethree‐factor structure in the United
States and Iran. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40(4), 691–705. https://doi.org/10.1111/0021-8294.00085
11.Jefsen, O. H., Elfving, B., Wegener,G., & Müller, H. K. (2020).Transcriptional regulation in the ratprefrontal cortex and hippocampusafter a single administration ofpsilocybin. Journal ofPsychopharmacology, 35(4), 483–493. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881120959614
12.Kozasa, E. H., Lacerda, S. S.,Menezes, C., Wallace, B. A.,Radvany, J., Mello, L. E., & Sato, J.R. (2015). Effects of a 9-dayshamatha buddhist meditationretreat on attention, mindfulness andself-compassion in participants witha broad range of meditationexperience. Mindfulness, 6(6),1235–1241.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0385-8
13.Peterson, J. B. (2013). THREEFORMS OF MEANING AND THEMANAGEMENT OFCOMPLEXITY. The Psychology ofMeaning (pp. 17). AmericanPsychological Association.10.2307/j.ctv1chrrc4.5
14.Piedmont, R. L. (1999). Doesspirituality represent the sixth factorof personality? spiritualtranscendence and the five-factormodel. Journal of Personality, 67(6), 985–1013. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00080
15. yysi inen lkka. 2004). Magic,miracles, and religion: A scientist's perspective. AltaMira Press.
16.Taves, A. (2008). Ascription,attribution, and cognition in thestudy of experiences deemedreligious. Religion, 38(2), 125–140.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.religion.2008.01.005
17.Vaillant G. E. (2008). Positiveemotions, spirituality and thepractice of psychiatry. Mens sanamonographs, 6(1), 48–62.https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1229.36504
18.Vaillant G. E. (2013). Psychiatry,religion, positive emotions andspirituality. Asian journal ofpsychiatry, 6(6), 590–594.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2013.08.073
19.Wildman, W. J., & McNamara, P.(2010). Evaluating reliance on
narratives in the psychological study of religious experiences. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 20(4), 223–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2010.507666
20.Wintering, N.A., Yaden, D.B.,Conklin,C.J., Alizadeh, M., Mohamed,F.B., Zhong, L., Bowens, B.K., Monti, D., &Newberg, A.B. (2020). Effect of aOne-Week Spiritual Retreat onBrain Functional Connectivity: APreliminary Study. Religions.
21.Yaden, D. B., Le Nguyen, K. D.,Kern, M. L., Wintering, N. A.,Eichstaedt, J. C., Schwartz, H. A.,Buffone, A. E., Smith, L. K.,Waldman, M. R., Hood, R. W., &Newberg, A. B. (2017). The noeticquality: A multimethod exploratorystudy. Psychology ofConsciousness: Theory, Research,and Practice, 4(1), 54–62.https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000098
Authors
[1]
“The Transformative Potential of Religious, Spiritual, and Mystical Experiences”, Soc. sci. humanities j., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 3035–3043, Feb. 2023, Accessed: Dec. 22, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://sshjournal.com/index.php/sshj/article/view/852
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