Mysticism... deception or truth? What is the secret experience? Is it authentic, reliable, valid? Why is it studied in major universities and research centers? What are its characteristics? What is its relationship with brain processes?

Satori, Nirvana, Kensho, enlightenment, Acton Light, yoga, Mount Athos monks, Buddha: For millennia, the secret experience has been the exclusive privilege of the chosen ones: shamans, magician-healers, zealous seekers of the Divine, and those philosophers who sought extralogical knowledge of ultimate reality. Today, with relatively easy access to psychoactive substances, almost anyone has the ability to acquire this experience, and this fact raises suspicion that secret knowledge is nothing more than an illusion.

Andreas K. Papanikolaou, a globally renowned neuroscientist, goes beyond traditional philosophical and theological interpretations of mystical phenomena and, scientifically approaching the relevant testimonies and experimental results, highlights the common elements of mystical experiences, examining whether they are subjective constructs-products of irregular neurochemical, neurophysiological, or psychopathological factors, or sources of authentic knowledge.