John Horgan, author of the best-selling The End of Science, chronicles the most advanced research into the mechanics--and meaning--of mystical experiences. How do trances, visions, prayer, satori, and other mystical experiences work What induces and defines them Is there a scientific explanation for religious mysteries and transcendent meditation John Horgan investigates a wide range of fields -- chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, theology, and more -- to narrow the gap between reason and mystical phenomena. As both a seeker and an award-winning journalist, Horgan consulted a wide range of experts, including theologian Huston Smith, spiritual heir to Joseph Campbell Andrew Newberg, the scientist whose quest for the God module was the focus of a Newsweek cover story Ken Wilber, prominent transpersonal psychologist Alexander Shulgin, legendary psychedelic drug chemist and Susan Blackmore, Oxford-educated psychologist, parapsychology debunker, and Zen practitioner. Horgan