In their book, Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century, Edward Kelly et al., explain that “[I]t is an incontrovertible and empirically grounded fact that the mystical domain comprises large numbers of real human experiences – experiences, moreover, which are often uniquely powerful and transformative – and that experiences of this sort lie at or near the foundation of religions generally and thus even of civilization itself [emphasis ours]….”
Mysticism assigns to consciousness a central and even supreme reality. Its fundamental lesson is that there are experiences, forms of consciousness, and modes of being with characteristics not mechanical, physical, or computational….
Mystical and transpersonal experience is a real and vitally important facet of human psychology, and we must somehow come to terms with it. Restoring the mystical to its proper place will go far toward restoring the humanity of our science. The mystical roots of conscious experience also reveal a deep human identity, transcending all national, racial, personal, and theological differences. What better reason to investigate these remarkable, transformative experiences?”