I would be thrilled to know of any articles or studies relating "mania" and mysticism. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. naomi

-- naomi kiernicki (daylily17@yahoo.com), May 09, 2004

Answers

I don't think you'll find much connection between mysticism and mania, as the manic state is the antithesis of the introspective mystical state, and does not really correspond to the ecstatic state either. Your best bet is to start by reading about mysticism in a good psychology of religion textbook. I recommend as the best overview David Wulff's Psychology of Religion: Classic and Contemporary Views (Wiley, 1991 and 1997. There are also many entries related to mysticism in my annotated bibliography, where many books in the section on religious experience include discussions of mysticism:

Vande Kemp, H. (1984). Psychology and theology in western thought, 1672-1965: A historical and annotated bibliography. In collaboration with H. N. Malony. Millwood, NY: Kraus International.

You could of course try to make your own judgment by reading William James's descriptions of mysticism in The Varieties of Religious Experience (Longmans, Green, 1902)

John Howley wrote a book on Psychology and Mystical Experience in 1920 (Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner) but he too emphasizes the introverted rather than ecstatic aspects. Perhaps the "classic" text is James Henry Leuba's The Psychology of Religious Mysticism (Kegan Pau, Trench, Trubner 1925 & Harcourt Brace.

-- Hendrika Vande Kemp (hendrika@cox.net), May 10, 2004.