Can drugs induce a mystical experience?
Absolutely, drugs can induce spiritual experiences. They trigger chemical reactions in the brain that make a person feel like her or she is in the presence of God, or at least swimming in another, non-physical dimension. Johns Hopkins University is conducting some fascinating research in this area. But the question is – and this is a theme throughout the book – does the fact that a physical thing like LSD or psilocybin triggers a numinous experience mean that the experience is merely brain chemistry in action? Or do drugs open the window to a spiritual realm that is there all along, but goes unnoticed (like a person who suddenly has a dog’s ability to hear a whistle that is pitched too high for a normal human being to hear)? The fascinating result of some early drug studies is that when people with terminal cancer were given LSD, they had a profound spiritual experience, and were deeply changed. First, they often came back convinced that life does not end when their bodies die, but tha
