Are Mystical Experiences “Real”? Exploring Entheogens, Consciousness, and the Nature of Human Experience

In discussions about consciousness and spirituality, one question continues to surface: Do we need psychedelics to experience mystical or exceptional human states, or can these mo

ments arise naturally?

As someone studying transpersonal psychology and immersed in the world of consciousness studies, I find this question both fascinating and challenging. The nature of mystical experiences makes them nearly impossible to quantify. Neuroscientists can observe what happens in the brain during psychedelic states, such as the slowing down or alteration of typical activity (Carhart-Harris & Nutt, 2017). People frequently report profound feelings of unity, insight, and transcendence while under the influence of psychedelics (Barrett & Griffiths, 2017).

Yet countless individuals experience moments that are equally profound without any substances at all.

The Problem With Measuring the Mystical

Exceptional Human Experiences (EHEs) emerge in meditation, breathwork, deep prayer, trance states, near-death experiences, and even everyday moments of clarity or insight. These experiences are meaningful and transformative, yet they remain difficult to study. The very act of trying to measure a mystical experience can shift the experience itself, much like the Stroop Effect demonstrates how observation affects outcome (Stroop, 1935).

This leads us to a larger question about definition. How do we even describe something so deeply internal and subjective?

Alan Watts once described mystical experiences as states in which a person discovers themselves to be continuous with God, the Universe, or the Ground of Being (Watts, 1970). It is a state of merging, of dissolving the boundaries of the self. But even this poetic description is shaped by personal and cultural filters, which vary endlessly from person to person.

The Limits of a Materialist Lens

Researchers such as Taves (2009) and Kastrup (2019) point out that science’s traditional frameworks are rooted in materialism. This worldview assumes that consciousness arises from the brain, and therefore anything non-ordinary must also be brain-based. But what if consciousness is not produced by the brain? What if the brain is more like a receiver or a filter?

If this is the case, then mystical states, visionary moments, dreams, and near-death experiences might not be hallucinations. They might be glimpses into a broader field of awareness.

Near-death experiences, intuitive breakthroughs, and profound moments of awe fall into the same category of EHEs (Greyson, 2003). They happen across all cultures and circumstances. Because we are not under scientific observation every minute of the day, our only evidence comes from personal accounts, each shaped by the unique lens through which someone experiences life.

What Counts as “Real”?

This brings us to the heart of the discussion. If a person has a transformative experience that shifts their perceptions or behaviour, does it matter whether it was induced by meditation or psilocybin? Is one more “real” than the other?

History shows us that some of humanity’s greatest innovators were deeply connected to non-ordinary states of consciousness. Tesla, Einstein, and Jung openly acknowledged that their most groundbreaking ideas arose not from rational thought alone, but from intuitive or imaginal states (Tesla, 2007; Jung, 1964; Einstein, 1954). Their insights suggest that the boundary between science and spirituality is far more porous than we often assume.

Philosopher David Chalmers (1995) argues that consciousness cannot be reduced to physical processes alone. It is fundamentally subjective, which means that mystical experiences are as real as the person experiencing them. If consciousness is foundational to reality, then these experiences might not be anomalies at all. They might be glimpses into the deeper fabric of existence.

Bringing It All Together

So what does it mean that psychedelics can induce experiences similar to those reached through meditation, prayer, or spontaneous insight?

Perhaps it means that mystical experiences are part of our human potential. Psychedelics may amplify or accelerate them, but they do not own them. They are simply one doorway among many.

In the end, our understanding of what is “real” is shaped not only by external facts but by the inner landscapes we inhabit. As research continues to evolve, one thing becomes increasingly clear: Exceptional Human Experiences are not mere curiosities. They may be invitations to rethink our assumptions about consciousness, meaning, and the nature of reality itself.

References

• Barrett, F. S., & Griffiths, R. R. (2017). Classic hallucinogens and mystical experiences: Phenomenology and neural correlates. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, 36, 393–430. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2017_474

• Carhart-Harris, R. L., & Nutt, D. J. (2017). Serotonin and brain function: A tale of two receptors. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 31(9), 1091–1120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881117725915

• Chalmers, D. J. (1995). Facing up to the problem of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2(3), 200–219.

• Einstein, A. (1954). Ideas and opinions. Crown Publishing Group.

• Greyson, B. (2003). Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit. General Hospital Psychiatry, 25(4), 269–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0163-8343(03)00044-3

• Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology, 187(3), 268–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5

• Haramein, N. (2009). The Schwarzschild proton. American Institute of Physics Conference Proceedings, 1208(1), 18-30. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3292561 

• Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and his symbols. Doubleday.

• Kastrup, B. (2019). The idea of the world: A multi-disciplinary argument for the mental nature of reality. Iff Books.

• Newberg, A., D’Aquili, E., & Rause, V. (2001). Why God won’t go away: Brain science and the biology of belief. Ballantine Books.

• Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18(6), 643–662. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054651 

• Taves, A. (2009). Religious experience reconsidered: A building-block approach to the study of religion and other special things. Princeton University Press.

• Tesla, N. (2007). My inventions: The autobiography of Nikola Tesla. Cosimo Classics.

• Watts, A. (1970). Psychedelics and religious experience. In B. Aaronson & H. Osmond (Eds.), Psychedelics: The uses and implications of hallucinogenic drugs (pp. 131–144). Anchor Books.