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Just saw this science bulletin on PhysOrg, thought it might be relevant, at least as far as showing how "hard"(-ish) science deals with mystical states: http://www.physorg.com/news134110402.html Headline: Spiritual effects of hallucinogens persist, researchers report Lead paragraph: >> In a follow-up to research showing that psilocybin, a substance contained in "sacred mushrooms," produces substantial spiritual effects, a Johns Hopkins team reports that those beneficial effects appear to last more than a year. << The study group consisted of 36 volunteers, who were evaluated in terms of well-being, but also (apparently) were asked to rank the mushroom experience in terms of "spiritual significance." It was usually in the top 5 spiritually significant events of the subject's life. And if you're interested, here's a pdf from the researchers' presentation at the 2007 Mid-Year Research Conference on Religion & Spirituality called "Psilocybin and the Frontier of Experimental Mysticism" : http://www.apa.org/divisions/div36/Conference/2007FactSheets/GriffithsAndRichardsFactSheet.pdf