The Peak Experience

The Peak Experience or Peak Experiences are terms coined by the late psychologist Abraham Maslow. Peak experiences are experiences characterised by intense pleasure, euphoria, interconnectedness, oneness, extreme awareness, clarity, absence of all negativity and so-called higher levels of consciousness.

For many hundreds or even thousands of years people have discussed these mystical, spiritual and divine experiences. Quite often it comes from the point of view of a mystic, a religious figure or some other such divine person. The experience is most often explained by a magical and philosophical perspective relating to communication with a higher power or God.

The Shamans of various cultures would experience what they called “Shamanic Ectasy”. This is a state where the individual experiences intense pleasure and apparently communicates with spirits or Gods. Sometimes peak experiences are brought about by the use of mind-altering drugs such as “magic mushrooms”, LSD, peyote, ketamine, marijuana or one of the other many mind-altering psychadelic drugs. This is also experienced by the youth drug culture and referred to as “peaking” or “pinging”.

The peak experience is often scoffed at by sceptics, who see it as a mystical fantasy that exists in the mind and not in reality itself. I am of the personal belief that reality in itself is transient and subjective anyway. If someone experiences something, whether real or imagined, it is real because it exists as an experience, even if nothing else.

Peak experiences are often fleeting moments that occur very rapidly as a result of drugs, meditation or other self-realisation methods. For many people these experiences are once in a lifetime and the individual will spend the rest of their life trying to repeat it, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Everyone is capable of peak experiences, that’s not to say that everyone will have them. Drug addicts often have peak experiences the first time they take their drug of choice. They then spend the rest of their drug-addicted days trying to repeat that “high”, which leads to a self-perpetuating cycle that can never be resolved until other experiences can replace the void. This is also true of individuals who experience other divine moments or times of intense pleasure and excitement. This is why gambling addicts exist and why those involved in activities such as base jumping risk their lives constantly.

The peak experience is something that can be replicated and even sustained long-term through a lifelong process of self-realisation and actualisation. Many long-term meditators have a steady state of interconnectedness that is considered a peak experience.

The Peak Experience and Supernatural Ability

Peak experiences are believed by some to bring on supernatural abilities. These abilities range from clairvoyance to levitation or even spiritual journeys to other realms or realities. For this reason it is understandable why some believe it to be a load of hoo hah and mystical psychobabble. For one thing, most people have not witnessed and therefore have no reference for anything of a supernatural nature. Without evidence it is hard, or even impossible to fully believe something is true.

Peak experiences are thought to manifest supernatural abilities due to the individual’s connectedness with God and other higher powers. This in turn is believed to be true because when a person experiences something divine and inexplicable, the brain must find a reason for it. You then unconsciously insert something that already existed, at least in part, as a belief and manifested it in current awareness.

Remember, what you look for you are likely to find.

In modern times we have been able to validate and explain many things that we couldn’t fully comprehend many hundreds or thousands of years ago. Back then little was known about how the brain worked and people only had the explanation of God or some other higher power. That’s not say God does not exist and spirits aren’t real. The only difference is that now days we are able to explain how the mind works, we can explain neurotransmitters, hormones, brain wave activity etc.

Many years ago when a person had a peak experience they would believe that God was speaking to them or it was some kind of spiritual awakening. This extreme focus and tranquillity seemed to activate parts of the human brain that normally remain fairly dormant. Due to the awakening of dormant aspects of the brain, people are able to function more efficiently in various tasks. Basically there are parts of the brain and neurological patterns of thought and behaviour that remain dormant for most people. These patterns are likely thought patterns that the person never experienced in the past. Once someone has a peak experience they are altered forever. The brain is able think in many more dimensions and hence solve problems and deal with just about anything else more effectively. Sometimes this leads to well and truly above average results in many things and can hence appear supernatural or magical.

Take a person who meditates regularly, is extremely disciplined, has undergone training for martial arts or someone who seems incredibly centred and you will notice they are almost superhuman at certain things. These are people that have had peak experiences that awaken aspects of the brain that most people are not even aware of.

Seemingly supernatural ability is possible through the peak experience. Supernatural feats such as levitating are not the goal here, neither is the peak experience itself. What is the goal is complete connectedness and self-realisation so that life becomes more open to possibility. Most people are so wrapped up in obligations and stresses and conditioned thinking patterns that they never move beyond the level of ordinary.

So what is supernatural ability? Here, I am referring to abilities that far exceed that of the average, hard-working person. Take a look at someone who possesses skills that seem impossible like the magician and illusionist Criss Angel. To learn what he does would seem to take a lifetime. It’s all just so complex, naturally flowing, confident and flawless. This is due to him having peak experiences in his life that awaken him to greater possibilities that are rarely even considered by the average person. The same is true for anyone that is a genius or a master at what they do. This is developed by great dedication, passion, focus and consistency.

Real or Illusion?

The placebo effect is a phenomenon often used to explain medical marvels where changes occur using methods with no apparent therapeutic qualities. Placebo is also experienced in techniques such as hypnosis, where an individual essentially thinks themselves into certain states, which then manifest themselves in reality.

The placebo effect is quite often given a bad reputation because it completely negates the efficacy of a therapeutic model or an expected result. For this reason, anything that works due to the placebo effect is not considered real or valid.

The peak experience is blurred between lines of placebo and reality. In reality it is only a transient experience that exists solely in the mind of the person experiencing it. This is given no credit by sceptics because it is not seen as something real, tangible and measurable. However reality is debatable. Reality is subjective in nature and no two people experience the exact same reality, ever. One person’s reality is another person’s fantasy.

In saying that, the peak experience is just a manifestation of an individual reality. One person’s peak experience is different from anyone else’s. These experiences are created and manifested in the individual’s own mind and can be elevated or suppressed at will.

Having Peak Experiences and Sustaining Them

It is difficult to entirely explain peak experiences and provide concrete, tangible guidelines on how to obtain them. However many individuals experience them using similar concepts and methodologies. For some it is stumbled upon and is gone faster than it came. For others peak experiences are consciously brought about through a process of self-realisation, meditation or another mind altering activity that moves a person beyond their current realm of thinking and perceiving.

One may have a peak experience through a variety of methods. Drugs can be used to illuminate parts of the brain that are never normally used in that way. However this is not recommended as it can permanently alter a person’s thoughts and behaviours in unfavourable ways. Others use meditation and mindfulness to completely immerse themselves in what they believe are alternate realities and higher levels of consciousness.

What we will look at here is a completely different way of thinking and a process to awaken to different parts of the brain for entirely illuminating personal experiences. This may lead to complete focus and ability to see things with absolute clarity. This in turn leads to those seemingly superhuman abilities we discussed earlier.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is the form of meditation used in Zen Buddhism. It involves being completely in the present moment and gently favouring an empty mind without forcing thoughts in or out. It is about seeing things for what they are, content free. Things are as they are and the meaning attached to them is only our own interpretation of it.

So first find a quiet place to sit or lie down. Begin by regulating your breathing until it is slow and rhythmic. Then begin relaxing each part of your body progressively. Once you are totally relaxed begin letting thoughts come and go from your mind without focussing on them. Pass no judgement as to the meaning of anything. Just completely experience the present moment and enjoy each thought that enters your head.

This is a very simplified explanation of mindfulness meditation. This is a great tool for the peak experience to occur. What this does is detach you from conditioned beliefs and behaviours so you basically have a clean slate to work with. This should be practiced daily for 10-30 minutes.

Vary Life’s Experiences

Doing the same thing every day will lead to the same experiences and hence the same outcomes in life. It is only when you have different experiences that your life changes. You will continue to maintain a steady emotional range that is identical to the one you are currently experiencing if every day is the same. Have you seen the movie “Groundhog Day“?

The peak experience is a completely awakened sense of consciousness that opens you up to a world of clarity and possibility that you never even thought of before. In order for this to happen you need to have new experiences regularly.

It is your choice how you do this but make the experiences meaningful and ensure they alter your current state radically. If you’re normally a play it safe kind of person then go sky diving or rock climbing. If you are switched off to the cultures and belief systems of others then attend a religious service of another culture, maybe a mosque if you were raised Catholic. Whatever it is make it count.

Engage in the Creative

Certain personalities are just not creative types. I bet if you’re a business person, an accountant or a scientist that you see things only in the logical sense. Rarely will you see things emotionally or creatively. Maybe it’s time to engage your creative side. This will awaken parts of the brain that have been asleep for a long time.

Paint an abstract picture, create a film, write a poem, whatever. If you’re already one of those creative people, like maybe a musician or a writer then try engaging in another creative activity, one you normally don’t do.

Engage The Physical

The peak experience, or peak experiences in general are felt throughout the entire body, it is not just a thought or a mood. When you engage your physiology your mind tends to take notice.

Begin exercising, start dancing, do a yoga class, learn acrobatics and generally just engage yourself physically in the things that you do.

Help and Be Helped

In order for the peak experience to occur you cannot live entirely within your own head. By help and be helped I mean contribute beyond yourself and be social. Engage in conversation and experiences with people, do charity work, read books to sick children, whatever. Donations don’t entirely count in this section because they are not experience related.

The Peak Experience is Not Definable

The peak experience is not a definable state that is suddenly realised and uniformly explained as a set of symptoms. It cannot be ticked off a checklist.

The peak experience is a real occurrence, which is a phenomenon of the human mind and can be obtained by everyone. Most people have a peak experience at some point in their life but it is often very brief and rarely repeated.

Make it a regular habit to engage in the activities mentioned in this article. By making it regular you will have the opportunity to have peak experiences and a sustained state over the course of your life.

As a final thought, consider your reasons for wanting the peak experience. Immature minds want to experience some kind of supernatural realisation where suddenly you can levitate off the ground or some other kind of magic. If this is what you’re searching for then you have already read too far. The peak experience is simply a higher state of consciousness where the mind experiences great clarity and hence great focus. As a result your life becomes more meaningful and effective. This is what provides the seemingly superhuman ability, it is simply laser-focus combined with optimal emotional states. When these are combined with skill-acquisition and the undertaking of any task, it is no wonder why a person exceeds the ability of those around them.

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