Simulating Spiritual Experiences in the Lab - Options and Limits
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2019 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | How to induce spiritual experiences in the laboratory? I've conducted two experimental studies based on predictive coding theory and previous experimental researches in the field of “mystical experiences”. I put spiritual and non-spiritual participants into culturally anchored highly suggestive contexts – “Dark therapy” and “guided meditations”, which both meets required conditions for sensory deprivation. The aim was to find out how spiritual experiences emerged and how are participants influenced by situational and dispositional suggestibility, cultural framework (alternative spirituality) and complementary conditions such as fantasy proneness or authority priming. Results suggest a connection between main conditions, but a crucial role of authority connected to broader methodological issues and terminology appeared. My poster will try to show the limits and future options within inducing spiritual experiences in lab, based on results of my previous studies. |
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