Mystical Experiences

A young man heard a voice inside his head, “Get outta the car. Get outta the car.” He jumped out and, seconds later, the car was destroyed. This story of a supernatural warning is one of many mystical encounters Dr. Farrell heard in twenty-three years working as a prison psychologist. Men in solitary confinement have nowhere to go, so some go out of body. Prisons are ghost-laden, and some murderers are confronted by the ghost of their victim asking, “Why?” Other men are comforted by visitations. Some men learn to put themselves into a trance where they contact dead relatives for advice or to relieve loneliness. Many drug dealers tell of dead former comrades telling them, “Get off the street. Get out of the drug game.” Dr. Farrell heard similar stories from his middle-class patients representing a variety of professions including teachers, nurses, construction workers, firefighters, veterans and others who had mystical experiences. People who have these encounters are transformed. After most mystical experiences people become more centered and less distracted by superficial excitements such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, or uncommitted sex. For this reason the final section of the book presents a variety of paths, including meditation, which induce spiritual experiences.