A groundbreaking international research initiative, the Program in the Study of Mysticism (PRISM) is bringing renewed scholarly attention to one of humanity’s most profound yet historically understudied phenomena: mystical experience.
For centuries, mystical experiences — often described as moments of deep unity, transcendence of time and space, or connection to a greater reality — have profoundly influenced religious thought, artistic expression, and social movements. Mysticism can be thought of as the science of the soul, which lies at the heart of spirituality and centers around direct experience with the divine. Yet despite its historical and cultural significance, mysticism has frequently remained at the margins of mainstream academic inquiry.
Funded by Templeton Religion Trust (TRT), PRISM is a five-year, multi-disciplinary research initiative based at Tampere University in Finland that seeks to re-center mysticism within the academic study of religion by applying rigorous, cross-disciplinary methods to examine how mystical experiences shape belief, identity, culture, and community across traditions.
PRISM has now distributed approximately $4.4 million (€3.8 million) across 18 research and communications projects at universities and research teams around the world, with TRT planning an additional approximately $5.6 million (€4.8 million) in funding for the study of mysticism from 2027–2029 making it largest investment ever made in academic research on mysticism.
Together, the projects are examining some of the most enduring questions about mystical experience from its relationship to mystical consciousness and human flourishing to its role in art, peacebuilding and society, and whether there are common threads in mystical expression across the world’s major religious traditions.
“PRISM was implemented to address the gap in mysticism studies, as too often, mystical experience has been treated as either purely private or beyond the reach of careful scholarship,” said Ali Qadir, Professor of Sociology at Tampere University and Program Director of PRISM. “For thousands of years, the major traditions of the world have believed in an experience of the divine, and many of us in our day-to-day lives believe we have connected with something beyond ourselves.
“But what feels ‘beyond us’ need not be beyond us, and that’s what the PRISM project aims to shed light on. By studying mysticism comparatively and empirically, we can better understand how it shapes individuals and societies – and why it continues to matter in the modern world.”
The initiative convenes an international network of scholars from sociology, psychology, theology, religious studies, philosophy, and related fields. They will investigate how mystical experiences are interpreted across cultures, what common features they share, how they influence moral and social life, and what they reveal about human consciousness.
“By supporting PRISM, we are helping to foster a new generation of rigorous, interdisciplinary research that treats mystical experience as a vital dimension of religious life worthy of serious academic attention,” said Kimon Sargeant, Ph.D., Vice President of Strategy & Programs at Templeton Religion Trust. “Mystical experiences have played a central role in shaping religious traditions and cultural history, and we’re eager to dissect these phenomena in new ways.”
Over its five-year term, PRISM will support collaborative research projects, scholarly publications, public engagement initiatives, and academic convenings designed to elevate the study of mysticism globally. The program also seeks to create a lasting scholarly infrastructure that will position mysticism as a central and enduring area within the academic study of religion.
For more information, visit: https://studyingmysticism.com.
About PRISM
The Program in the Study of Mysticism (PRISM) is a five-year, international research initiative based at Tampere University and funded by Templeton Religion Trust. Bringing together leading scholars across sociology, psychology, theology, philosophy, and religious studies, PRISM advances rigorous, cross-disciplinary research on mysticism across cultures and traditions. By combining empirical investigation with conceptual and comparative analysis, PRISM seeks to establish mysticism as a central and enduring field within the academic study of religion and to deepen understanding of how transformative experiences shape individuals and societies worldwide.
About Templeton Religion Trust
Templeton Religion Trust (TRT) is a global philanthropic organization that supports innovative research and public engagement projects at the intersection of religion, science, and society. Through strategic grantmaking, TRT advances interdisciplinary scholarship that deepens understanding of religious thought and practice, fosters intellectual humility, and promotes constructive dialogue on the role of religion in shaping human life and flourishing.
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