What role do mystical experiences play in the path to enlightenment?

My mystical experiences happened before I started a conscious path to the Truth. They were not triggered by any chemical substance or by anything I did. When I look back at these experiences, I see that without them I may not have started my spiritual path or at the time I did.

I also understand that they served this one purpose.....and I understand that these experiences were for me.

After these experiences, I began my 18 year search...I did not know what I was seeking for many years, but I knew what it wasn't because of the circumstances in which these experiences happened. 

So yes, mystical experiences played a vital role on my path to finding the Truth, but they were not the result of finding the Truth.