When Wenzl Mcgowen had a mystical experience, he quickly realized that his preexisting belief system would not allow him to explain it in a way that satisfied him. And with too much knowledge of science, he was uncomfortable applying religious or other ancient belief systems in an attempt to understand. Instead, he turned to scientists—and what he learned would position his experience within a modern framework, and help him understand the effect it would have on the rest of his life.

When Wenzl Mcgowen had a mystical experience, he quickly realized that his preexisting belief system would not allow him to explain it in a way that satisfied him. And with too much knowledge of science, he was uncomfortable applying religious or other ancient belief systems in an attempt to understand. Instead, he turned to scientists—and what he learned would position his experience within a modern framework, and help him understand the effect it would have on the rest of his life. The deeper the scientific understanding, the more he trusted what he experienced. But at the same time, he noticed many people unwilling—or unable—to do the same, as modern culture pits the spiritual component of life against that which is provable. The Latent Sequence of Truths: Exploring Mystical Experiences Without Dogma aims to build a bridge between spirituality and science.

Wenzl Mcgowen is a co-founder of the band Moon Mooch and has spoken at TED and TEDx. He is passionate about physics and meditation, and his writings explore the boundary between objective and subjective reality.