Ecstatic Experience in Religion: A Psychological and Cross-Cultural Approach

This study examines ecstatic experience as a multidimensional phenomenon within religious and mystical consciousness. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining theology, philosophy, anthropology, and the psychology of religion, the paper analyzes the main forms of ecstasy across various religious traditions, including Christianity, Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and shamanic practices. Particular attention is given to the distinction between mystical experience and pathological conditions, as well as to the role of altered states of consciousness in shaping religious experience. In addition, phenomena such as possession and glossolalia are discussed from the perspective of contemporary psychology and neuroscience. The analysis highlights the universality of ecstatic experience as an anthropological phenomenon expressing the human quest to transcend the ego and achieve union with the sacred or the absolute. Ultimately, the study argues that understanding ecstatic experience requires an integrative framework that takes into account both the cultural and psychological dimensions of human consciousness.