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Does Psychological Flexibility Correlate with Mystical Experiences: A Machine Learning Approach Including State of
Dylan Briggs1, Thomas B Sease2, Ruthie Menou1
1Department of Psychology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Psychological flexibility, including acceptance and present-moment awareness, significantly predicts mystical experiences. These findings highlight the role of surrender and mindfulness in profound spiritual experiences.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Spirituality Studies
Background:
- Mystical experiences involve profound interconnectedness and transcendence.
- These experiences correlate with positive changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
- Psychological flexibility, encompassing mindfulness facets, is a key area of investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between psychological flexibility facets and self-reported mystical experiences.
- To control for established covariates in the analysis.
- To identify robust predictors of mystical experiences.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 150 individuals was recruited online.
- Regularized regression with an elastic net was employed.
- Key variables included mystical experiences, State of Surrender, psychedelic use, near-death experiences, and psychological flexibility facets.
Main Results:
- State of Surrender, experiential acceptance, cognitive defusion, and present-moment awareness were significant predictors.
- These mindfulness facets demonstrated robust associations with mystical experiences.
- The elastic net model identified key psychological predictors.
Conclusions:
- Psychological processes, particularly surrender and mindfulness facets, play a crucial role in predicting mystical experiences.
- Findings underscore the importance of experiential acceptance, cognitive defusion, and present-moment awareness.
- This research contributes to understanding the psychological underpinnings of profound spiritual or transcendent experiences.
Keywords:
mystical experiencesnear death experiencespsychedelic usepsychological flexibilitystate of surrenderMore Related Videos
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