Measurement and Incidence of Mystical Experiences: An Exploratory Study

The study explored types and incidence of intense experiences reported by normal adults. A structured question developed by Greeley (1974) and an open-ended question asking respondents to describe their experiences were completed by 302 young adults. A third of the respondents indicated on the structured item that they had had an intense spiritual experience, a percentage similar to that found by (Creeley with a national sample. Content analysis of the open-ended responses showed these to include classical mystical experiences, irrelevant or trivial experiences, psychic experiences, and Faith and Consolation experiences. The findings reaffirm the need for more careful development of measurement techniques before conclusions about the incidence of mystical experiences can be reached.