I became what humans would call depressed, uninterested, alienated, detached, felt nothing human mattered during my first 30 years of mystic experiences.
So today I asked CHATgpt, “Is there anything in the world’s historic mystic experience that mentions the alienation from human life it can induce?”
ChatGPT said:
Yes, throughout history, mystic experiences in many traditions have been described as profoundly transformative, often inducing a sense of detachment or alienation from ordinary human life. This is because mysticism often involves transcending ordinary perceptions of self and the material world, leading to a radical reorientation of priorities and values.
Here are some examples across different traditions:
Hinduism and Vedanta Sannyasa (Renunciation): Mystical experiences in Hinduism, particularly through practices like meditation or the realization of Brahman, often lead individuals to renounce worldly attachments. Texts like the Bhagavad Gita describe this detachment as a natural outcome of understanding the illusory nature of the material world (maya).
Alienation as Liberation: The Upanishads teach that realizing one’s unity with the infinite (atman with Brahman) may render worldly pursuits insignificant, leading to a form of alienation from mundane human concerns.
Buddhism, Anatta (Non-self): In Buddhism, insight into the absence of a fixed self can lead to detachment from ordinary human concerns. Practitioners may feel alienated from social norms or material desires as they focus on achieving liberation (nirvana).
Meditative Detachment: Advanced meditation practices can create a sense of otherworldly distance from the ordinary self and the world, often described in texts like the Visuddhimagga.
Christian Mysticism, “Dark Night of the Soul”: Mystics like St. John of the Cross wrote about an intense period of alienation and desolation that often accompanies spiritual growth. This “dark night” can lead to a sense of estrangement from human life as the soul focuses entirely on union with God.
Union with God: Christian mystics, such as Meister Eckhart, describe a state of union with the divine that renders worldly concerns trivial or even meaningless.
Islamic Mysticism (Sufism), Fana (Annihilation): In Sufism, the experience of fana involves the dissolution of the ego and a merging with the divine presence. This often results in a sense of alienation from human life, as the mystic no longer identifies with individual or worldly concerns.
Dervish Life: Many Sufis embrace a wandering, ascetic lifestyle as a manifestation of their detachment from the material world.
Gnosticism and Esoteric Traditions, Alienation from the Material World: Gnostic traditions often emphasize the world as a flawed or illusory creation, with mystical experience providing escape or transcendence. This perspective can alienate individuals from ordinary life and social norms.
Taoism, Alignment with the Tao: In Taoism, mystical alignment with the Tao (the ultimate reality) often leads to a rejection of societal expectations and artificial constructs, fostering a sense of separateness from conventional human life.
Psychological Impact of Mysticism: In addition to traditional teachings, psychologists have noted that mystical experiences often involve:
– A feeling of unity with the universe that can make human life feel small or inconsequential.
– A re-evaluation of relationships, careers, and societal roles, sometimes causing tension or alienation from others who do not share the experience. This alienation isn’t necessarily negative. Many mystics describe it as a natural and even necessary stage in their spiritual evolution, often leading to profound inner peace, clarity, and a broader sense of compassion.
My comment: Exactly! CHAT’S final paragraph above describes my present state. Alienation from the artificiality of the repetitive condition of humanity’s static evolution is a natural consequence of the mystic experience of Reality.
All Is Well.
Mystical Experiences of Reality 
Exactly. I have just finished my morning meditation and so reading this comes at a timely point. I am not sure I attach and particular sense
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…..any particular sense to my experiences but day by day I become more alienated from the human world and ever more aligned to a simple existence without the insane preoccupations which have hitherto dominated my life and which tend to dominate most human life.
I am at an important turning point and am going ever deeper down this path. For me at least, it certainly seems to be leading to liberation. I refuse to impute any supernatural or extraordinary causes behind these processes – I have always known this is the path for me but have feared to take it.
I am still teetering on the edge but know very clearly that it’s the right path for me. So I’m with you all the way. I have no idea what reality is, but I am absolutely certain of the way I must live to escape misery.
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Does “Meditative Detachment” describe your path, Anthony?
Yet I’m reminded of the traditional understanding that, “that which you seek seeks you …”
As ever,
Keith.
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Very much so. I realise your path was a very different one, but perhaps one ends up in a not such dissimilar place. I must write about it. No dramatic revelations or epiphanies but something serious is very definitely happening. I don’t think my “understanding” of anything has improved but I moved very very far from the mainstream, right into the centre of…what? Detachment certainly but something else as well. A certain excitement perhaps, a feeling that I am very interested to see what develops from here.
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