Temporal Intentionality of Mystical Unions and Psychotic Experiences: A Phenomenological Perspective
Journal of Consciousness Studies August 1, 2025 Martyna Iwanicka-Kabat
Mystical union experiences, such as feeling at one with the divine, involve specific disturbances in how time is experienced through intentionality. This philosophical analysis identifies four such disturbances in mystical unions and compares them to similar temporal disruptions found in psychopathological conditions like psychosis. The author argues that the process of synthesis—how the mind combines experiences into a coherent whole—is central to shaping the temporal dimension of both mystical and psychotic anomalous experiences. Intentionality, the directedness of consciousness toward objects, provides a powerful framework for understanding these phenomena.