Skip to main content
. 2022 May 24;12:8562. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-11999-8

Table 5.

God Encounter Questionnaire (GEQ).

Questionnaire items Documented in experience, n (%)
All entity encounters (n = 1719) Entity encounters with no reported concomitant psychoactive substance use (n = 1453)
Details of encounter
Went into the experience with the intention of encountering that which was encountered 38 (2.2) 32 (2.2)
The encounter was initiated by that which was encountered (not by [the author]) 1681 (97.8) 1421 (97.8)
Senses with which you interacted during the encounter
Visual 1520 (88.4) 1289 (88.7)
Auditory 475 (27.6) 413 (28.4)
Tactile/bodily sensation 257 (15.0) 222 (15.3)
Taste or smell 3 (0.2) 3 (0.2)
Extra-sensory 429 (25.0) 361 (24.8)
Communication
There was communication (1-way or 2-way exchange of information) 1279 (74.4) 1099 (75.6)
Communication was a 2-way exchange of information 442 (25.7) 375 (25.8)
Communication was a 1-way exchange of information (from the entity to the author) 826 (48.0) 714 (49.1)
Communication was a 1-way exchange of information (from the author to the entity) 11 (0.6) 13 (0.9)
Communication type
Visual (e.g. gestures) 937 (54.5) 801 (55.1)
Verbal-auditory 489 (28.4) 427 (29.4)
Somatic (e.g. touch/kinesthetic) 250 (14.5) 215 (14.8)
Extrasensory-telepathic 361 (21.0) 303 (20.9)
Immediate results of the encounter
Had an emotional response during the encounter 1583 (92.1) 1349 (92.8)
That which was encountered had an emotional response during the encounter 394 (22.9) 326 (22.4)
Ascertained a message, task, mission, or insight from the encounter 792 (46.1) 673 (46.3)
Acquired predictions about the future 6 (0.3) 4 (0.3)
Attributes to that which was encountered
Benevolent 527 (30.7) 441 (30.4)
Intelligent 1238 (72.0) 1066 (73.4)
Sacred 238 (13.8) 181 (12.5)
Conscious (i.e. self-aware) 1602 (93.2) 1364 (93.9)
Eternal 175 (10.2) 140 (9.6)
All-knowing 320 (18.6) 266 (18.3)
Agency (e.g. could it affect outcomes, events, or material objects in this reality) 232 (13.5) 197 (13.6)
Petitionable (e.g. in response to prayer or petition, it might change events or circumstances) 452 (26.3) 384 (26.4)
Positively judgmental (e.g. inclined toward strong approval or reward) 800 (46.5) 680 (46.8)
Negatively judgmental (e.g. inclined toward strong disapproval or harsh punishment) 308 (17.9) 256 (17.6)
Additional interpretation of that which was encountered
That which was encountered existed, as least in part, in some other dimension or reality 1504 (87.5) 1282 (88.2)
Was completely the same as that which was encountered 48 (2.8) 33 (2.3)
That which was encountered continued to exist after the encounter 1117 (65.0) 944 (65.0)