What is the 'mystical experience' in psilocybin research and why does it predict outcomes?
33 replies · Therapy & Integration
I keep seeing references in the research papers to the 'mystical experience' as a predictor of therapeutic outcomes — the Hopkins and NYU studies in particular. Can someone explain what researchers actually mean by this and why it seems to matter so much? And is it something you can 'aim for' or is it just something that happens or doesn't?
I ask because I'm preparing for a session and I'm wondering if there's something I should be doing differently in preparation to make this more likely to occur.
The mystical experience as measured in psilocybin research refers to a cluster of specific characteristics on the MEQ30 (Mystical Experience Questionnaire): sense of unity with everything, noetic quality (the sense of encountering profound truth), transcendence of time and space, deeply felt positive mood, sacredness, paradoxicality (things seeming simultaneously contradictory and true), and ineffability. Studies consistently show that higher MEQ30 scores correlate with better long-term outcomes.
The question of whether you can aim for it is subtle. Research on preparedness suggests that surrender — the willingness to let go of control and trust the experience — is predictive of mystical qualities. Preparation practices that cultivate this (meditation, breathwork, intention-setting that emphasizes openness over specific outcomes) seem to improve the probability, but you can't force it. The Griffiths lab has started investigating preparation specifically.
Important caveat: mystical experience correlating with positive outcomes doesn't mean non-mystical experiences are without value or therapeutic effect. The correlation is statistical and at the population level. Many people have meaningful, beneficial experiences without full MEQ30 scores. Try not to make 'having a mystical experience' the goal — that kind of striving often works against it.
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