Types of altered states of consciousness

When I started experiencing altered states of consciousness myself, I lacked words to describe them. So I was overjoyed when I gradually started to come across literature in which someone else had put them into words. What I read gave me the opportunity to formulate my own experiences, and also gave me an understanding of the variety of states of consciousness. What I have gathered I am giving further - in this article on different types of transpersonal experience.

Transp... what?

Transpersonal experience, transcendental experience, non-traditional experience, religious experience, spiritual experience, mystical experience, peak experience, anomalous experience, experience of self-transcendence... The names vary depending on the author writing about it. However, in general they are all names for altered states of consciousness. In modern parlance, the more common term is "spiritual awakening".

Read the next paragraph three times

The above-mentioned word combinations are understood as a state of consciousness characterised by a blurring of boundaries and a sense of oneness with other people and objects (Yaden et al., 2017). This state can also include an individual coming into contact with their deepest self while in a more emotionally negative state of self-experience (Braud, 2010). However, every transpersonal experience is a temporary blurring of subjective self-perception - the self as an isolated entity - a transient, spiritual experience (Yaden et al., 2017) that includes an element of transcendence or the supernatural (Friedman & Hartelius, 2013).

Next. Transcendence is understood as a state of being or self-perception that transcends conventional assumptions about the world (VandenBos, 2015). Self-transcendence, on the other hand, is understood as a turning point in an individual's development that is associated with the highest stages of spiritual growth and maturity (Garcia-Romeu et al., 2015). 

Simpler

In short, sleep and wakefulness are not the only states of consciousness a person can be in. There are, for example, cases when one feels, experiences, that one's personal self has no limits. One loses the sense of being a particular person, and one has the sense that all that exists is something big, unified, and this big, unified, includes also this personal Self of everyone. In the language of the Taurus, these experiences "tear the roof off", when they are over, they remain so funny and one starts to reflect, willy-nilly, on one's own life views, values and everything we know and understand about humanity. It is simply no longer possible (in my opinion) to return to a previous view of the world and of life.

Diversity of experience

Each experience is unique, but there have been some attempts to classify, sort and at least roughly shelve them. The first lady to do so was the American researcher Rhea White (1993). She documented about 100 different experiences. White's work was later continued by the American psychologist William Braud (2010), who documented around 200 different experiences and published a nine-category classification (Friedman & Hartelius, 2013). This article also draws on the classification proposed by Braud, looking at some of the categories (Braud, 2010).

The mystical and the experience of unity (mystical and unitive experience)

Includes a strong sense of community, sometimes achieving a sense of oneness with the divine, other humans and other life forms, objects, the environment and the universe. This experience is often accompanied by ecstasy and a sense of transcending the individual self and identity (Braud, 2010). Mystical experiences are brief, difficult to describe in words, surprising, seem real, and can alter the sense of time and space (Yaden et al., 2017). People choose to rank mystical experiences as some of the most significant moments in their lives (Miller & Bacag, 2001, as cited in Yaden et al., 2017).

Surface experience (peak experience)

Similar to the mystical experience, but with differences. The experience of the surface is a sudden awareness of one's wholeness and of one's fitting into the total universe, and of one's purpose within it (Garcia-Romeu et al., 2015). These are moments of self-actualisation in which the individual sees more than usual what they are capable of. These experiences are usually short-lived, yet intense, and are accompanied by a deep sense of understanding, gratitude and appreciation. The individual may experience a strong sense of elevation, fulfilment, connection to the functioning of the world and a sense of supreme happiness (Braud, 2010). 

The term "peak experience" was first used by Abraham Maslow. In his book Toward a Psychology of Being (1962). Peak experiences are rare. Today, much research includes strong positive emotions in this concept, but Maslow, in defining peak experiences, made it clear that these experiences include a dimension of transcendent oneness (Yaden et al., 2017).

Encounter experience (encounter experience)

It describes the process of being confronted with something that actually exists and appears magnificent and miraculous (e.g. a magnificent mountain peak) (Braud, 2010). Other sources refer to this type of experience as awe (awe). This state can be triggered by being in a large physical space, virtual reality, listening to music, etc. (Yaden et al., 2017). During this experience, one feels small in front of something bigger and grander, such as nature or something else (Preston & Shin, 2017). The experience of encounter brings a person into the present moment, and being in it can change one's perception of time, influence decisions, and make life feel more satisfying than at other times. (Rudd, Vohs, & Aaker, 2012). 

The other six

The other six types of experience that Brod identifies, I haven't delved into much myself, but I can name them for your information. 

Unusual death-related experiences (unusual death related experiences): in this category, Brod includes pre-death experiences, and also other specific experiences that occurred at the time of death. There is also the so-called contact with spirits. 

Psychic experiences (psychical experiences), in which people are aware of and use their abilities to influence the world. The word "capacities" does not mean the traditionally recognised senses and feelings, the use of motor systems or rational inference, where chance is excluded, but other capacities for perceiving, experiencing and influencing the world. The four most widely discussed forms of psychic experience are telepathy (telepathy) - direct influence of the mind on another mind; clairvoyance (clairvoyance) - direct mental action on objects; anticipation (precognition) - accurate prediction of future events; psychokinesis (psychokinesis) - direct influence of the mind on physical or biological systems. 

Extraordinary human achievements/feats (exceptional human performances/feats), or where a person's actions exceed the limits of their normal abilities, such as unusual strength or endurance.

Healing experiences (healing experiences) includes recoveries and cures from physical, psychological or mental illnesses that cannot be explained by traditional medical knowledge.

Destruction/lowest experience (desolation/nadir experiences) include feelings of isolation, loss of meaning, satisfaction, well-being. It can initiate a peak experience or it can be an introduction or a step towards the development of the individual and a movement towards the opposite sense - a sense of wholeness, joy and unity. The experience often involves distress and life-threatening circumstances, and involves getting in touch with the deeper self of the individual.

Dissociation experience (dissociation experiences) is a state in which an individual feels, thinks and acts in ways that seem different from his or her usual behaviour and are not characteristic of his or her identity. Experiences where 'the individual feels other to himself'.

So, here it is.

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Sources:

Braud, W. (2010). Health and Well-being Benefits of Exceptional Human Experiences. Mental Health and Anomalous Experience.

Friedman, L.H., Hartelius, G. (Ed.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology. (2013). John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Garcia-Romeu, A., Himelstein, S. P., & Kaminker, J. (2015). Self-transcendent experience: a grounded theory study. Qualitative Research, 15(5), 633-654.   

Preston, J. L., & Shin, F. (2017). Spiritual experiences evoke awe through the small self in both religious and non-religious individuals. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 70, 212-221.   

Rudd, M., Vohs, K. D., & Aaker, J. (2012). Awe Expands People's Perception of Time, Alters Decision Making, and Enhances Well-Being. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1130-1136.

Yaden, D. B., Haidt, J., Hood, R. W., Vago, D. R., & Newberg, A. B. (2017). The varieties of self-transcendent experience. Review of General Psychology, 21(2), 143-160.

VandenBos, G.R. (Ed.). (2015). APA Dictionary of Psychology (Second Edi). Washington: American Psychological Association.