Living with an Unintentional, Unexpected Mystical Encounter

How do people interpret and find meaning in an§unintentional, unexpected mystical encounter? This §interpretive study investigates this type of§experience with people who were not searching for§such an experience when it occurred.§ The study focused on: 1) specific elements of§the experience(s), 2) the meaning-making processes in§which participants engaged to interpret the§experience(s), 3) the dynamics of self-disclosure and§potential for stigmatization, and 4) the effect the§experience(s) had on the participants beliefs as§well as career and lifestyle choices. § The literatures from diverse disciplines such as§mysticism, embodied knowing and meaning-making as§well as self-disclosure were explored. The emerging§findings on self-redefinition, embodied knowing and§stigmatization expanded the literatures to include§the early Christian mystics and stigmatization. § A generic meaning-making process that included§participant self-redefinitions evolved from the§initial thematic analysis. Other findings included §the interplay between embodied knowing and§articulating felt knowledge, and unique insights§into the phenomenon of stigmatization in light of the§experience.