The Relationship Between Reports of Mystical Experiences and Gestalt Resistance Processes

This study investigated the relationship between measures of mystical experiences and the six traditional Gestalt resistance processes (i.e., confluence, desensitization, introjection, projection, retroflection, and deflection). A group of 152 adults completed the Mysticism Scale (Hood, 1975) and the Gestalt Contact Styles Questionnaire—Revised (GCSQ-R; Woldt and Kepner, 1993). Significant negative correlations were found between the Mysticism Scale and four of the six Gestalt resistance scales.