Mysticism in four dimensions:Neurological, physiological, psychological, and cultural expectation-modulation

All over the world, humans engage in practices aimed at producing special experiences relating to the supernatural. People perform ritual activities believed to manipulate basic aspects of the world, and believers regularly explain personal events as a result of the intervention of superhuman or other-than-human agents. Many claim to have direct experiences with such agents. This essay will explore mystical and other types of ecstatic experiences through four dimensions, namely the neurological, physiological, psychological, and cultural expectation-modulation.