Connection 100: An Auto-Ethnography of My (Mystical) Connection Experiences
Published in Religions, 2022
Abstract
This paper presents an autoethnographic record of “connection experiences” and argues that the core task is not simply having experiences, but interpreting them responsibly, integrating them psychologically, and situating them in a wider social context. It emphasizes how fear, ideology, trauma, and institutional narratives can distort spiritual interpretation—and how sustained practice can move experience toward clarity, grounding, and mature insight.
Key Points
- Documents a large corpus of connection experiences and treats them as analyzable material, not anecdotes.
- Centers interpretation and integration (including healing and cognitive development) as essential.
- Identifies risks of distortion: fear-based theology, ego inflation, and ideological interference.
- Argues that social conditions (including toxic socialization) shape what people can access and how they explain it.
Recommended citation: Sosteric, Mike. (2022). "Connection 100: An Auto-Ethnography of My (Mystical) Connection Experiences." *Religions*, 13, 993. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13100993
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