Abstract:

This is a research study of transcendent sexual experiences in terms of psychological characteristics of altered states of consciousness. Based on the literature, 11 specific, limited, reoccurring qualities of altered states were identified: changes in emotional expression, alterations in thinking, altered sense of time, perceptual alterations, perceived changes in the body, unitive experiences, loss of control, changes in meaning or significance, feelings of grace and rejuvenation, noetic sense, and sense of the ineffable. Qualitative content analysis was applied to data from a 51-item questionnaire given to 13 participants. Two previously unidentified characteristics were found: experiences of a nonconsensus reality/world, and absorption. All 13 psychological characteristics were experienced by 3 of the 13 participants. Twelve of the psychological characteristics were described by 8 participants, and 9 characteristics were described by 2. The high number of characteristics described may in part be due to the direct inquiry of each of the characteristics in the questionnaire. In the literature a smaller number, usually only 3 to 5 characteristics, are mentioned for any given experience. For the first time it is clear that individuals may be experiencing far more than they report or, at first telling, even remember. The effects attributed from experiencing the transcendent sexual experiences were also examined. In this particular group of experiments, the majority claimed effects were psychological, psychospiritual, and spiritual in nature. It became apparent that there was no single transcendent sexual experience. The most important reported effect was the experience of an alternate reality. It appeared that an individual's personal beliefs and psychological and spiritual development are a greater influence on the effects and integration of the transcendent experience than the experience itself. These findings provide a greater understanding and appreciation of psychological characteristics of altered states, transcendent sexual experiences, and altered states of consciousness.