The present work is a partial report on a piece of research which aimed to categorize and describe the experience of ecstasy from three separate discourses: a number of psychological perspectives; the views of representatives of 5 distinct religious systems; and, by using content analysis, the reports of eight individuals who have experienced the ecstasy phenomenon. The present work refers to this third discourse. The research was based on phenomenological method. It was possible to demonstrate the existence of the phenomenon and to describe it. Several distinct phases of the ecstatic experience were suggested - antecedents, contributory factors, development, characteristics and consequences. It was also our objective to try a distinction between the healthy and pathological phenomenon, with the view of informing clinical practice with modified states of consciousness.
phenomenology; religious experience; ecstasy
