A Mixed Methods Exploratory Analysis of Gender, Gender Traits, and the Mystical Experience

Mystical experiences—feelings of unity, heightened connection, positive mood, transcendence of time and space, and ineffability—are common and impactful, and research in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy shows they can have enduring positive effects in psychiatric disorders. Gender differences in these experiences are under-researched, with evidence pointing to roles for femininity and masculinity. Using network analysis, Study A found that heightened femininity during mystical experiences linked gender and mystical communities through the connectedness community. Thematic analysis in Study B revealed that participants saw femininity as compatible with mystical experience but viewed typical masculine traits as a barrier. Together, the studies suggest femininity is best conceptualized as the absence of masculinity, and through this absence femininity correlates with mystical experience, indicating a significant role for both femininity and masculinity at quantitative and qualitative levels.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A mystical experience typically includes feelings of unity and heightened connection, an enhanced positive mood, the sensation of transcending time and space, and ineffability. They are understood as both common, significantly impactful for individuals who have them and can occur under several circumstances. The rise of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has seen an increased understanding of mystical experiences, with research showing that they can have enduring positive effects in a variety of psychiatric disorders. With the mystical experience gaining popularity in clinical settings, it is crucial that our understanding is whole: the vast majority of mystical experiences occur in non-clinical scenarios and, importantly, the effects of gender have been vastly under-researched. Studies show not only gender differences, but also differences based on femininity and masculinity. The current study sought to explore the interplay between gender, gender traits (femininity and masculinity) and the mystical experience through an exploratory mixed-methods approach. Using a network analysis, Study A found that heightened femininity during the mystical connected the gender and mystical communities, through the connectedness community. Through a thematic analysis, Study B found that participants viewed femininity as compatible with the mystical experience, but viewed typical masculine traits as a barrier. Together, these studies showed that femininity was best conceptualised as the absence of masculinity, and it is through this absence that femininity and the mystical experience correlate. These results suggest that femininity and masculinity play a significant role in the mystical experience at both a quantitative and qualitative level.