Perceptual and Motor Skills
June 1, 1994
M A Persinger, Y R Bureau, O P Peredery et al.
The hypothesis of vectorial hemisphericity predicts that left hemispheric intrusions of the right hemispheric equivalent of the sense of self should be associated with the experience of a "presence" of someone else. The neurophenomenological profile of a woman whose medical history satisfied these theoretical criteria (verified electrical anomalies that could encourage phasic discharges within...
Psychological Reports
June 1993
M A Persinger
Both theoretical and empirical observations suggest that significant alterations in self-concept should occur following most closed head injuries because of diffuse synaptic modification within the temporofrontal regions; this loss of the sense of self should evoke a grief-like response sequence and should encourage paranormal/religious experiences during the subsequent months to years. The...
Perceptual and Motor Skills
April 1, 1993
M A Persinger
Transient suppressions of nocturnal melatonin levels due to enhanced geomagnetic activity have been suggested as the precipitating source of experiences of postmortem (bereavement) apparitions when the brain has been sensitized (grief) by elevations of the epileptogenic neuropeptide, corticotrophin-releasing factor. Although the hourly incidence of subjective experiences of telepathy,...
Perceptual and Motor Skills
February 1, 1993
M A Persinger
The vectorial hemisphericity concept predicts that endorsements of beliefs in paranormal phenomena are associated with elevated subcortical (complex partial epileptic-like signs) temporal lobe experiences while endorsements of religious beliefs are associated with experiences of the right (cortical) hemispheric equivalent (the sensed presence) of the linguistic sense of self. Partial...
Brain and Cognition
November 1, 1992
M A Persinger, K Makarec
We hypothesized that the feeling of a presence, particularly during periods of profound verbal creativity (reading or writing prose or poetry), is an endemic cognitive phenomenon. Factor analyses of 12 clusters of phenomenological experiences from 348 men and 520 women supported the hypothesis. We conclude that periods of intense meaningfulness (a likely correlate of enhanced burst-firing in...
Perceptual and Motor Skills
October 1992
M A Persinger
Vingiano's (1992) challenge concerning the relationship between right hemisphericity, low self-esteem, mystical experiences, and religiosity can be clarified by the concept of vectorial hemisphericity. Ontogenetic intrusions of right-hemispheric processes into the left hemispheric sense of self should be experienced most frequently as an apprehensive "presence" that results in lower...