Transpersonal Psychology and Fasting

Just as with other time-honored spiritual practices, fasting addresses many of the principal concerns of transpersonal psychology. The primary way it accomplishes this is by initiating transformative change through peak experiences.

As a spiritual practice, fasting provides the opportunity for releasing earthly ties, joining with the sacred, and creating feelings of deep connectedness. In a lecture titled Exceptional Human Experiences (EHEs): Their Relevance to Transpersonal Psychology, William Braud said:

The experiences serve as reminders of Something More, of our
interconnectedness with others and with all nature, and
sometimes they serve as confirmations or affirmations of
decisions made and paths taken.

One of the chief aims of transpersonal psychology is to examine the characteristics of this type of exceptional human experience. Rosemarie Anderson explained the scope of this inquiry as follows:

Whenever possible, transpersonal psychology seeks to delve deeply
into the most profound aspects of human experience, such as
mystical and unitive experiences, personal transformation,
meditative awareness, experiences of wonder and ecstasy, and
alternative and expansive states of consciousness.

As a spiritual custom, fasting addresses all of these occurrences, many of which have been classified under the umbrella of exceptional human experiences (EHEs). Fasting is often done in religio-spiritual practice as a means to gain access to other rituals or experiences, many of which involve multiple EHEs. In 1994, Rhea White created a system of classifying EHEs, the majority of which have been found to occur during periods of fasting.

Within White’s classifications are five specific categories of EHEs; mystical, psychic, encounter-type, death related, and exceptional normal.

Under the first category, “mystical experiences,” the majority of EHEs listed have been associated with fasting, including conversion, peak experiences, numinous dreams, revelations, species consciousness, stigmata, transcendental odors, transformational experiences, and wilderness experiences.

Under the category of “psychic experiences” the most common experiences related to fasting are intuition, out-of-body experience, precognition, sense of presence, shared EHEs, synchronicity, unorthodox healing, and xenoglossy (speaking in tongues).

The next category, “encounter-type experiences,” accounts for many of the experiences of the fasting Catholic saints and Native Americans. These EHEs include apparitions and encounters with angels, divine figures, and other species.

All of the occurrences under White’s category of “death-related experiences” can potentially be attributed to fasting experiences due to the fact that in some religions (most notably Jainism) adherents intentionally fast to death. These types of death-related experiences include events such as life review, past-life recall, and near-death and deathbed experiences. The last of White’s categories of EHEs are termed “exceptional normal experiences,” most of which can be readily experienced while fasting. These EHEs include aesthetic experiences, “aha” experiences, déjà vu, dreams, empathy, exceptional human performances, experience of the new, hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences, inner movement, inspiration, lucid dreaming, nostalgia, microscopic vision, and performing/witnessing noble acts.

Many of the EHEs described by White have been reported in association with fasting. The following represents some of these examples.

Individuals often experience a number of EHEs simultaneously during an ongoing experience. When Stephen Larsen discussed the healing power of fasting dreams, he indicated how the ancient Greeks would fast for three days before being healed in a dream by an apparition of God (Larsen, 2001). This set of EHEs represent—at minimum—numinous dreams and divine encounters. Visions and communication with divinity have long been a goal of fasting participants.

Donald Rothberg discussed the occurrence of visions, revelations, and divine encounters while fasting, explaining how ascetic practices bring about these experiences:

A number of different practices may induce the desired vision or
dream . . . Other means used include fasting and other ascetic
practices, community rituals, and the use of psychedelics.
Typically, these practices make possible a dream or vision in
which there are revelations from spirits, either from one’s own
guardian spirit or from other spirits.

Throughout history, visionaries have fasted in order to obtain mystical revelations.