Introduction: Mystical Consciousness, the Innate Capacity, and the Perennial Psychology
The Innate Capacity December 4, 1997 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780195116977.003.0001
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractNearly half of all Americans (43 percent) and 48 percent of all British people report having had one or more mystical experiences, according to large-scale studies summarized by David Hay in Religious Experience Today. Such experiences are not limited to the uneducated; more than half of all college graduates report them. The observation that many seminal religious leaders have undergone mystical experiences is common, but the widespread prevalence of these experiences among the general population is less known.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Americans and British people |
| Key finding | Nearly half of all Americans and British people report having had one or more mystical experiences, and more than half of all college graduates have had such experiences. |
Abstract
Abstract It is commonly observed that many, if not most, seminal religious leaders have undergone some form of mystical experiences. Less commonly known is how surprisingly widespread such experiences are; summarizing several large-scale studies, David Hay, in Religious Experience Today, concludes that nearly half-43 percent of all Americans and 48 percent of all British people-have had one or more mystical experiences. These experiences are not confined to the uneducated; more than half of all college graduates have had such experiences.