In the middle of the last century, the psychologist Abraham Maslow set about investigating the foundations of happiness. Interviewing people about their lives, he was intrigued to find that many reported having experienced rare moments of epiphany, associated with “awe… rapture, ecstasy or bliss” in which “all separateness or distance from the world disappeared”.
Those feelings were often accompanied by a sense of great understanding, Maslow said – “the feeling that they had seen the ultimate truth, the essence of things”. He described these as “peak experiences”, and subsequent research confirms these moments can contribute to long-term well-being. Whether we…
