The Dark Night of the Soul: A Comprehensive Technical Essay

The dark night of the soul represents one of the most profound psychological and spiritual phenomena in human experience, encompassing a complex intersection of mystical traditions, psychological states, and neurobiological processes. This concept, originally coined by 16th-century Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross in his poem “La noche oscura del alma,” has evolved into a multifaceted framework for understanding existential crises, spiritual emergencies, and transformative psychological experiences[1][2][3]. Definition and Conceptual Framework The dark night of the soul is fundamentally a collapse of perceived meaning in life coupled with an eruption of deep meaninglessness[1][4]. Unlike clinical depression, this phenomenon is