Is it possible for us to step outside our ordinary perception of the world? Can consciousness be explained purely in terms of the physical brain, or is it more complex? Will science ever be able to...

1. What does Shrader define as the seven characteristics of mystical experiences?
Shrader (2008) has drawn on classic studies that were conducted by William James and
F.C. Happold, and simultaneously based on his personal experiences; he has suggested seven
characteristics of mystical experiences, viz. ineffability, noetic quality, transiency, passivity,
unity of opposites, timelessness, and the feeling of encountering “the true self.” The inability of
capture an experience in simple language has been termed as ineffability while the notion that
mystical experiences provide access to inaccessible knowledge has been termed as noetic quality
(Shrader, 2008). Transiency has been defined as “the simple fact that mystical experiences lasts
for a relatively brief period of time” (Shrader, 2008). Passivity has been defined as something
that is beyond the range of human control or volition whereas a sense of completeness or oneness
or wholeness has been attributed to the notion of unity of opposites (Shrader, 2008). Mystical
experiences are beyond the confinements of time, and this has been projected to define its
characteristic of timelessness (Shrader, 2008). Finally, Shrader (2008) has suggested that
mystical experiences pave the way...