Mystical experience has stronger relationships with spiritual intelligence than schizotypal personality traits and psychotic symptoms

There are two conflicting notions about the mystical experience (ME) in the scientific literature. Some authors see it as a sign of mental illness, while others see it as a part of one's psychospiritual growth and maturity and an important turning point in life that can positively affect one’s value system, suggest changes in personality, behavior, emotions, and their outlook on life. Conflicting notions about the nature of ME create confusion not only in society but also among professionals that encounter patients who reflect on ME. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between ME and spiritual intelligence as a concept related to mental health and schizotypal personality traits, and psychotic disorders as pathological concepts in psychology. This paper explores several hypotheses about ME relationship with spiritual intelligence, schizotypal personality traits, and psychotic symptoms on one sample of 299 non-clinical Latvian women.  The data was collected using four self-report questionaries – Mysticism Scale, Spiritual Intelligence Survey, Latvian Clinical Personality inventory, and sociodemographic data survey. Results suggest that ME has stronger relationships with spiritual intelligence than schizotypal personality traits and psychotic symptoms. Results also indicate the relationship between spiritual intelligence and individual schizotypal personality traits, largely explained by the moderation of ME. The results of the study help to remove ambiguity and gain a clearer picture of the nature of the ME.