ARTICLE

FindCenter AddIcon

In Murphy’s Kingdom

By Jackie Krentzman

Since the 1960s, the Esalen Institute has been at the forefront of the human potential movement. Now cofounder Michael Murphy, an ardent golfer and former frat boy, is reaching a new generation with his books on spirituality.

Read on stanfordmag.org

FindCenter Post-Image

A Nonbeliever Tries to Make Sense of the Visions She Had as a Teen

“People have these unaccountable mystic experiences,” Ehrenreich tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. “Generally they say nothing or they label it as ‘God’ and get on with their lives. I’m saying, ‘Hey, no, let’s figure out what’s going on here.’ ”

Article
Fresh Air
2014
FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Mystical Experiences Open a ‘Door of Perception’ in the Brain

It turns out, mystical experiences may stem from the brain letting go of inhibitions, opening a “door of perception,” the researchers found.

Article
Charles Q. Choi
2016
FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Study Suggests Cannabis Can Induce a Psychedelic-Like “Oceanic” Experience

Psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin and LSD can induce an experience known as oceanic boundlessness, which is characterized by a feeling of oneness with the world and a sense of awe.

Article
Eric W. Dolan
2021
FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Psychedelic Therapy Needs to Confront the Mystical

Many people have a spiritual experience on psychedelics. How they make meaning of it could be influenced by the metaphysical beliefs of their therapists.

Article
Shayla Love
2021
FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

High on Mount Sinai?

Writing in the British journal Time and Mind, Benny Shanon of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University said two plants in the Sinai desert contain the same psychoactive molecules as those found in plants from which the powerful Amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca is prepared.

Article
Reuters Staff
2008
FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Perception and Knowledge

As we search for ways of understanding the possibly infinite resources of human consciousness, I suggest that the potential of psychedelics as tools for learning should not be ignored.

Article
Francis Vaughan
FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Rick Strassman on DMT and the Mystical State

Before we claim that spiritual experiences heal, we must agree on what a spiritual experience is.

Article
Shelby Hartman
2019
FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Experiences of ‘Ultimate Reality’ or ‘God’ Confer Lasting Benefits to Mental Health

In a survey of thousands of people who reported having experienced personal encounters with God, researchers report that more than two-thirds of self-identified atheists shed that label after their encounter, regardless of whether it was spontaneous or while taking a psychedelic.

Article
Johns Hopkins Medicine
2019
FindCenter AddIcon

EXPLORE TOPIC

Human Potential