Temporal Intentionality of Mystical Unions and Psychotic Experiences: A Phenomenological Perspective

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.

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Abstract

Anomalous experiences are of particular interest to phenomenology. Such experiences include both psychopathological and mystical phenomena. Phenomenological concepts serve as valuable interpretative tools in analysing these cases. In particular, intentionality proves to be a powerful analytic framework, providing promising insights into mystical unions with the divine. In this article, I present the key characteristics of mystical union experiences within the temporal context of intentionality. I provide a definition of mystical unions and an analysis of these phenomena, which allows a detailed examination of the structure of intentional temporality in mystical experiences. I identify four disturbances of temporal intentionality that may be present in mystical unions and compare them to similar experiences found in psychopathology. I argue that synthesis plays a crucial role in shaping the temporal dimension of both mystical unions and psychotic experiences, as well as anomalous experiences more broadly.