"[3] There are several unique characteristics of a peak experience, but each element is perceived together in a holistic manner that creates the moment of reaching one's full potential.
[6] Peak experiences were originally presented by Abraham Maslow in September, 1956 at annual American Psychological Association convention[1] and published in his first and principal paper[7] on the subject,[8] which were later reprinted in the book.
These early studies suggested common triggers for peak experience including art, nature, sex, creative work, music, scientific knowledge, and introspection.
[18] During research on self-actualized people Maslow found that many subjects reported a similar unusual set of feelings, which prompted him to investigate peak experiences.
[...] This makes it possible for us to redefine self-actualization [...] We may define it as an episode, or a spurt in which the powers of the person come together in a particularly efficient and intensely enjoyable way, and in which he is more integrated and less split, more open for experience, more idiosyncratic, more perfectly expressive or spontaneous, or fully functioning, more creative, more humorous, more ego-transcending, more independent of his lower needs, etc.
A common phenomenon to the peak experience called flow, was proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 1975 book Beyond Boredom and Anxiety, partially based on Maslow's findings: In my search for answers, three main fields of psychological literature seemed most promising.
While flow experiences are somewhat rare, they occur under specific conditions; there is a balance between the person’s skills and the challenges of the situation, there is a clear goal, and there is immediate feedback on how one is doing.
Flow processes and peak experiences share several key characteristics (e.g. intense concentration, "centering of attention on a limited stimulus field", "altered time sense", "self-forgetfulness" and "need no goals or rewards external to itself"),[22] but there are also some essential differences: e.g., while peak experience denotes a high level of stimulation or euphoria, flow is not associated with an increased level of stimulation.
[26][27] He wrote:[28] This is serene and calm rather than a poignantly emotional, climactic, autonomic response to the miraculous, the awesome, the sacralized, the Unitive, the B-values.