Peak Experiences
Abraham Maslow (1998) used the term ‘peak experience’ to describe short-lived euphoric states states of consciousness, which he proposed were more commonly experienced by high-functioning 'self-actualising' people. More recent research has used the terms 'transcendent' or 'self-transcendent experience' (Garcia-Romeu, Himelstein, & Kaminker, 2015; Yaden, Haidt, Wood Jnr., Vago, & Newberg, 2017) to describe a peak experiences with the following characteristics:
- a sense of connection to something greater or outside of one’s everyday sense of self
- a sense of knowledge which seems profound and is difficult to describe in words
- feelings of awe, joy, love, surrender, vulnerability, or openness
- an intense sense of physical connectedness
These experiences might occur spontaneously, or be triggered by meditation, religious practice, breathing exercises, natural beauty, childbirth, music and dance, or other stimuli.
As we have studied in this course, Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs model arranges common human needs into five motivational levels: at the bottom are physiological or survival needs, where the individual’s sole focus is on the acquisition of life’s necessities; next are safety needs; third, belongingness and love needs, which include the person’s interaction and affiliation with others; fourth, esteem needs, where the individual strives toward achievement and seeks external recognition for these achievements; and finally, at the top of the pyramid is self-actualisation, which is the fulfillment of individual human potential. As the needs at each level are achieved by the individual, the motivation emerges to seek out and satisfy the needs of the next (Maslow, 1998).
In addition to these five motivational levels, Koltko-Rivera (2006) highlights that Maslow actually wrote a sixth level into his hierarchy: the motivation towards self-transcendence, where the self-actualised individual seeks to advance causes beyond his or her self [such as a dedication to helping others] and actively pursues self-transcendent peak experiences. Koltko-Rivera (2006) writes that this pursuit does not only occur in the lives of those who have reached the upper-levels of the hierarchy of needs, but it is the post-self-actualising individual whose motivational life is often centred around self-transcendence.
Consider the above definition of peak transcendent experience, and take part in the discussion below:
1. What times in your life have you felt most intensely connected to something beyond your sense of self?
2. How do you think these kinds of experiences are related to human growth and development?
Discussion Replies (21)
1. What times in your life have you felt most intensely connected to something beyond your sense of self?
When I have been in nature - I went on a week long horse trek with my horse in areas of NZ not publicly accessible. When it was just me, my horse, and the vast scenery I had such a sense of awe. I have also experienced it when I have been with the entire Korean side of the family visiting our deceased ancestor's grave to pray and give offerings
2. How do you think these kinds of experiences are related to human growth and development?
It provides a sense of connectedness to the world and universe outside of self
I think it was the moment when my son was born. It felt unreal, but it was happening — and in many ways, it still does.
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1. Last year, I had a big self-awareness journey and uncovered a lot of things. This was when I truly started to realise that there is something more, and through that, I found what path I need to go down in life. Very hard to explain.
2. I think these experiences give you a different point of view on life, relationships, and existence in general.
For me, it was having my babies, backpacking around Europe, or standing in awe at places like the Acropolis. That feeling of accomplishment and wonder is pretty amazing, and honestly, it makes you want to chase that high again. When you look at your newborn and realise their life means more than yours, or just stand in those ancient ruins, it’s hard to put that feeling into words.
I think once you hit a certain point in life where you’ve figured some stuff out, you want to keep growing—not just to avoid regrets but to find some peace inside and to understand others better. It’s like Maslow said—when the basics are covered, you want to reach higher and connect with something deeper.
My most common occurrence of this feeling is being in nature either on top of a mountain range or by a river, lake or sea, or deep in the bush, I feel a deep effect of connection to nature with feelings that sometimes overwhelm me in awe, joy, happiness, peace, contentment, love and like I could lay down and merge with the ground beneath me. I have also felt it with my husband when we first fell in love. I have felt it with my children in moments of love and connection like we could merge bodies. I have also felt it with my family in Finland, by the Finnish lakes, in the Finnish forests picking berries and other moments when I am travelling around the world in nature - Asturias in Spain, Picos de Europa, mountains of Norway in Tromso, bluest waters of Bonito in Brazil.
I find them to be per happiness and contentment, it provides me aspiration to continue these kinds of experiences in my life. It helps a person to feel satisfied with life in that moment and truly understand what brings them that level of peace with themselves, with life and the world around them.
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the time in my life where i felt intensely connected to something beyond myself was the time i gave birth to my daughter. i felt an out of body experience and that i transcended into another world. by that i mean i was overwhelmed by the amount of love i could give to another person and just in awe of the strength i had within myself to deliver her at home. anytime i am down se defiently gives me the strength to do better and be better so that she gets the best of me.
my identity expanded from just myself to an extension of her. i was at the peak of self-transcendence. i grew emotionally as my capacity to love grew. focusing on myself and using that experience drives me to continually grow into my purpose and gives me resilience
1. throughout my life I have always carried a sense of feeling connected to something higher. I like that I can choose what to believe in, with the knowledge that I do not know for sure what is true. there is a sense of peace in this thought for me.
2. I think growing up it is important to make the shift from an ego centrical perspective to one that includes feeling connection with all that is.
I would have to say, I experience these moments more and more as I move through my own journey of growth, my personal and professional evolution. I sense my own tiny existence within this great expanse when I can quiet my mind and I'm in nature, or when I'm holding space for others to journey with their own growth. It's in these moments that I feel everything is connected, everything is energy and we can feed into it or feed off it, either way is nourishing but there always needs to be balance.
1. What times in your life have you felt most intensely connected to something beyond your sense of self?
Unfortunately my experience has been firmly rooted in the self, with an envious longing for those that may have experienced Transcendence. I'll continue to seek it though.
2. How do you think these kinds of experiences are related to human growth and development?
I think that these experiences are an innate Drive that humans have to explore and seek experience.
I think a time in my life when I was intensely connected to something beyond my sense of self was during the birth of my daughter, It showed me how much pain I could handle as a human being, and what the womens body is capable of, which therefore helped me to evolve.
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1. What times in your life have you felt most intensely connected to something beyond your sense of self?
2. How do you think these kinds of experiences are related to human growth and development?
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