The Transcendent

It seems that the world’s major religions’ understanding of God and the Divine matches the description of what’s experienced during the mystical experience that often accompanies psychedelic use. Those who undergo a mystical experience (also called a religious or transcendent experience) find it difficult to put to words, but often report a feeling of loving bliss and ultimate oneness with all things, a sense of their consciousness extending beyond their physical body, and pure awareness of the ultimate reality.

The insights people gain from an encounter with a mystical experience are overwhelmingly positive, often helping one re-conceptualize their relationships, trauma, and sense of purpose. The introspective awareness of the mystical experience is what makes it so effective in the rapidly evolving field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. When coupled with professional psychotherapy in a safe and controlled setting, encountering a mystical experience has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for addiction, depression, and anxiety.

Given the subjective description of the mystical experience along with its mental and emotional benefits, is it unreasonable to speculate that the mystical experience induced by psychedelics could be an encounter with God?