The Occurrence of Psychologically Profound, Meaningful, and Mystical Experiences During a Month-Long Meditation Retreat
Mindfulness January 30, 2023 A. Zanesco, Brandon G. King, Quinn A. Conklin et al.
Experienced meditators who attended a month-long insight meditation retreat reported more profound insights, powerful emotional experiences, and non-ordinary sensory or perceptual events compared to similarly experienced meditators who continued daily life. Retreat participants also scored higher on dimensions of mystical experience, including internal unity, transcendence, sacredness, noetic quality, and deeply felt positive affect. The findings suggest that intensive meditation training is associated with a range of profound and mystical-type experiences, which may contribute to psychological or spiritual development, though long-term consequences remain to be understood.