In this diploma thesis, we explored the general criteria for the authenticity of Christian spiritual experiences. The scope of our research was limited to the Catholic theological tradition. We focused on distinguishing between authentic spiritual experiences, which stem from a relationship with a personal God, and subjective or artificially induced altered states of consciousness. The research was conducted using descriptive-analytical and comparative methods, as well as an interdisciplinary approach.
We analyzed in detail Slovenian and foreign specialized theological literature, fundamental Church documents, biblical texts, and contemporary findings from the fields of psychology and psychiatry. We presented various types of experiences of the transcendent (ranging from religious, mystical, and charismatic to psychedelic) and the art of discernment of spirits (discretio spirituum). We found that the Catholic tradition offers general criteria for assessing spiritual experiences, which can be divided into theological, moral-ethical, and exclusionary criteria.
The key finding is that the authenticity of a spiritual experience in Christianity is not validated by extraordinary sensory or emotional experiences. Instead, within the Catholic tradition, it is assessed based on conformity with Church doctrine, humility, engagement in sacramental life, and an overall transformation of life.
The research also confirmed that the use of psychedelics, sensation-seeking, and sensory illusions act as exclusionary factors in the Catholic tradition and may indicate the inauthenticity of a Christian spiritual experience. Furthermore, an important finding is that certain experiences interpreted by an individual as spiritual may be related to symptoms of mental disorders and therefore require an interdisciplinary evaluation.
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