Phenomenology of Exceptional Experiences

Introduction

In conjunction with Metzinger’s theory of mental representation (1999, 2003), a phenomenological approach was developed that permits various interpretations. Metzinger assumes that the human mental system represents internally generated states of the organism in a self-model and externally stimulated states in a world-model as subcomponents of a comprehensive phenomenal model of reality. Without having to commit to its naturalistic position and reality status, ExE can be described as deviations in the phenomenal experience of self and world. With the differentiation between a phenomenal reality-model versus a cognitive reality-model, the distinction between exceptional phenomena (ExP) and exceptional beliefs is taken into account. ExE are based on phenomena that are experienced in the phenomenal reality-model and interpreted as exceptional in the cognitive reality-model.