“STE’s are not hallucinations or a sign of mental illness; but rather, STEs are signs of a normal and healthy spiritual awakening process occurring in the Experiencer.”
Dr. Yvonne Kason first coined the phrase “Spiritually Transformative Experiences” (STEs) in 1994— expanding upon them in her book, Touched by the Light (2019)—to describe how NDEs and other mystical and paranormal experiences tend to transform the experiencer, changing them in a more spiritual direction.
Dr. Yvonne Kason shared the stories of her own 5 near-death experiences, her kundalini awakening, and “calling” mystical experience, which changed the course of her life. Not finding a satisfactory explanation for her own “paranormal” experiences in western medicine, Yvonne was prompted to research a wide range of Spiritually Transformative Experiences. Her discovery of the widespread occurrence and lack of understanding about these experiences, propelled her in 1990, to become the first Canadian medical doctor to specialize her practice in the counseling and research of patients with diverse STEs.
Dr. Kason shared her conclusions based on 40 years of research, clinical experience, and personal experience. She presented an overview of the many types of STEs happening to people around the world today, using real case examples, and described the key features of each type of STE, as well as defined the many common subtypes of each STE type. She outlined how she divides STEs into five major categories, each with several sub-types: mystical experiences, kundalini/spiritual energy awakenings, psychic experiences, near-death experiences, and other death-related STEs, and inspired creativity. She described the importance of accurate definitions for STEs to minimize the mislabeling of STE experiencers, as happens all too frequently today. She described how all STEs tend to transform the experiencer, initiating or accelerating a long-term process of the spiritual transformation of consciousness. Dr. Kason concludes that STEs, once understood and integrated, can be a powerful catalyst for spiritual growth and personal healing.