Peak Experience

Peak Experience

American Psychologist, Abraham Maslow, is most remembered for creating, Malow’s Hierarchy of Needs. He focused his work around achieving human happiness and fulfillment. He referred to this process as self-actualization. Through this process, he began to explore a new concept called, Peak Experience. Maslow poetically describes Peak Experiences as, “Exciting, oceanic, deeply moving, exhilarating, elevating experiences that generate an advanced form of perceiving reality and are even mystic and magical in their effect upon the experimenter.”

Description of Peak Experience  

It’s important to distinguish that a Peak Experiences are triggered through extreme moments of elation. Maslow referenced, art, physical activity, being in nature, intimacy and spirituality as some examples of such activities. However, Peak Experience is not the activity act itself. It is the state of mind and intrinsic feeling that is catalyzed through performing such an activity. In these moments of high achievement, a person will experience an ultimate sense self-connection, purpose and meaning which can last for several minutes to hours. 

Who Can Experience?

Maslow did point out that “self-actualized” individuals and people with greater physical and mental health were more likely to experience Peak Experience. But he concluded that ordinary people may undergo genuine peaks in the most common places, events and surroundings.

Good news, you don’t have to be a mystical wizard, alien chanting guru goddess to have a Peak Experience!

Personal Experience

In my life, surfing, snowboarding, hiking a volcano (yup, did that), yoga, scuba diving, skydiving, running a marathon, desert sunrises, romantic intimacy, time with friends, starting a business and being in nature have all been sources of my personal Peak Experiences. The surfing photo on my website is used because this experience was truly life changing for me.

This shot was taken at Teahupo’o, Tahiti, a wave that is notoriously known for being one of the most dangerous waves in the world. Some of the best surfers have been severely injured and even died. The wave breaks in four feet of water over a razor-sharp coral reef. Surfing this wave takes, skill, strength and massive amounts of courage. I trained for months to prepare myself. Before paddling out, I had injured my back surfing another break. I was not at my best. I fell and ate shit during my first three attempts. On one wave I ended up hitting the reef and scraped my back. The locals noticed my back was bleeding, but I decided to stay out (I still have a scar.) When I was sitting in the lineup, I started to get choked up with fear and disbelief that I wouldn’t be able to pull this off. But just as that thought came to mind, a massive set wave came right toward me. The locals we’re screaming at me to paddle because I was in perfect position. Without hesitation, I went for it, dropped in and stood up. I made the take off and all of a sudden, the entire wave tubed over my head. I was completely inside the barrel of the wave. When a wave gets this hollow air-pressure builds up on the inside so much that it compresses and shoots out the person riding inside the barrel. This was the greatest physical accomplishment of my life. Luckily, a random photographer was sitting right in the water with two Go Pros and a professional grade camera! He caught the whole thing.

After my session, I sat up on the boat by myself and looked out at the island. I can only describe this experience as a profound sense of euphoria and oneness. I believe that everything in life has meaning. I realized that greatness is on the other side of fear. That if I set a goal, work toward it and can muster the courage to break through fear I can accomplish what I set out to. The sense of empowerment and fulfillment I felt is something I will never forget. It’s helped remind me to have faith and to push on when I get scared in other aspects of my life.

ShapeShifting into Peak Experience:

It’s the Mindset. Priming your mind involves deep focus, patience, mental work and love. You cannot have Peak Experience doing something you do not absolutely love. In an existential way, love is a source for Peak Experience.

Pick the activity or goal that you are most passionate about. Regardless, I’ve theorize that there are two critical steps one must go through to experience Peak Experience: (1) Fear Penetration (2) Overcoming Obstacles. We all know that the road to success involves obstacles, setbacks and break downs. No one ever achieved anything great without having to face the fear.  Moments where intense fear and excitement are simultaneously occurring have proven to predicate a Peak Experience. Maslow describes our reaction:

We fear our highest possibilities. We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in or most perfect moments, under conditions of great courage we enjoy and even thrill to godlike possibilities we see in ourselves in such peak moments. And yet we simultaneously shiver with weakness, awe, and fear before these very same possibilities.

This is the test. This is where we transform strength into fortitude. Our resilience is tested throughout life. We create excuses and give into fear. I live on the edge because I choose to live with risk versus safety. I choose to strive for excellence in every area because I am passionate about being the best version of myself. It gives me meaning, purpose and joy at the highest frequency. While it is sparked through a physical activity I’ve learned to apply the approach and mindset in every major area of life: Health/Wellness, Personal Education/Growth, Relationships, Friendships/Family, Work/Finance and Spirituality. 

Meaning Making of Peak Experience

Peak Experiences can induce a turning point in a person’s life. This deep, visceral connection with yourself extends outward. There is a Oneness that you experience with your surroundings, community, the world and even the universe. This deep sense of connection brings a profound level of clarity. After moments of being tested, we prove to ourselves who we are, what we are capable of and what we can then do to parlay that effort into future endeavors that also yield fulfillment in the ultimate sense. My theory is that ultimate fulfillment also comes from service. When we find ourselves and our truth we find our passions and we transform those passions and use them to service and create value in the world. This is the game of life. This is where we transcend happiness. To be in pursuit of the highest frequency and connection to ourselves and to the world around us.