Connection 100 – An Auto-ethnography of my (Mystical) Connection Experiences

An autoethnographic account of the author's own mystical experiences, termed connection experiences, weaves together psychological, sociological, historical, and methodological themes. The paper describes four stages of a research project that emerged from these experiences, along with the challenges of collecting and analyzing autoethnographic data using tools like MediWiki. A conceptual schema is presented to resolve nomenclature confusion and provide a basis for describing, analyzing, and discussing connection experiences. The schema's utility is demonstrated by applying it to the author's experiences and those of others. A glossary of terms is included to facilitate critical discussion.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This paper provides an autoethnographic accounting and analysis of my own mystical experiences, called connection experiences in this paper. This account, which is structured around a description of my early experiences, attempts to weave together psychological, sociological, historical, and methodological themes into a coherent contribution that advances our understanding of connection experience. The paper includes an explication of the four stages of the research project that developed as a consequence of these experiences as well as an examination of the processes, tools (i.e., MediWiki), and emotional, psychological, professional, and scholarly challenges of collecting and analyzing the autoethnographic data of mystical experiences. The denouement of the paper is the presentation of a conceptual schema aimed at overcoming nomenclature confusion and providing a basis for description, analysis, and discussion of connection and connection experiences. The utility of the schema is demonstrated when it is used to provide a clear overview of my own connection experiences, and the connection experiences of others. In order to facilitate critical discussion of the conceptual framework, a glossary of terms developed and presented in this paper is provided at the end.