Theory and Methods in the Psychological Study of Mysticism

The contemporary study of mysticism has focused upon empirical methods to test explicit theories. Included among the theoretical considerations is the possibility that mystical experiences share a common core that can be empirically identified and measured. Using empirical measures of mysticism, conditions that immediately effect the report of mystical experiences and the context in which such experiences have been reported have been identified that suggest that mystical experience can be facilitated under a wide variety of laboratory and nonlaboratory conditions. Bernie Spilka has been influential in anticipating many of the directions of the empirical study of mysticism.