Measuring an Ongoing State of Wakefulness: The Development and Validation of the Inventory of Secular/Spiritual Wakefulness (WAKE)

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing an ongoing state of wakefulness, a psychological state occurring in secular and spiritual contexts. Wakefulness is an expansive, self-transcendent, relatively stable state of being in which a person’s perception of and relationship to the world are transformed. No such questionnaire with this specific aim and scope exists. Methods: Characteristics of wakefulness from prior research were transformed into statements and refined based on expert feedback and two pilot studies. In a first study, exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted with n = 278 English-speaking participants. Matched participants of this sample were compared with a group of awakened participants ( n = 24). In a second study, EFAs on the German-translated questionnaire were computed and correlated with other established measures ( n = 366 participants). Results: A unidimensional structure was found for the 19-item English Wakefulness Inventory, WAKE-19 and for the 16-item German WAKE-16. The scale is reliable with a significant difference between the general population and the group of awakened participants. Correlations with other measures indicate construct validity. Conclusions: This study provides further evidence for the existence of wakefulness as a state of being, distinct from the usual or ordinary state of adult waking consciousness and a valid and reliable instrument for future research.