Cognitive processing
May 1, 2011
Christina F Lavallee, Mathew D Hunter, Michael A. Persinger
Previous researchers have studied meditation practices as a means to understand consciousness as well as altered states of consciousness. Various meditation techniques, such as Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Qigong, have been explored with source localization tools; however, the concentrative meditation technique has yet to be fully studied in this manner. The current study demonstrates...
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)
April 2011
Christina F Lavallee, Stanley A. Koren, Michael A. Persinger
The study objective was to determine the quantitative electroencephalographic correlates of meditation, as well as the effects of hindering (15 Hz) and facilitative (7 Hz) binaural beats on the meditative process. The study was a mixed design, with experience of the subject as the primary between-subject measure and power of the six classic frequency bands (δ, θ, low α, high α, β, γ),...
NeuroQuantology
June 25, 2010
Michael A. Persinger
11 citations
A historical summary is presented of the published and unpublished measurements of the physical changes associated with Sean Harribance while he accurately discerned recondite information about others. Reports of his subjective experiences as well as the quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG), sLORETA, SPECT, and neuropsychological data support the occurrence of measurable and specific...
NeuroQuantology
June 25, 2010
Michael A. Persinger, Kevin S. Saroka, Bryce P. Mulligan et al.
11 citations
Brief exposure to a counterclockwise global externally applied magnetic field generated from an array of 64 solenoids designed to affect the cerebral fields associated with the left and right hemispheric correlates of evoked a powerful out of body experience (OOBE) in a single naive subject. The energy available from the applied field within the cortical volume was within the same order of...
Perceptual and Motor Skills
December 1, 1994
S. G. Tiller, Michael A. Persinger
11 citations
As predicted by the vectorial cerebral hemisphericity hypothesis, 24 normal young women reported significantly more experiences of a "presence" than did 24 normal young men within a setting that emphasized hypnosis and partial sensory deprivation. The incidence of these experiences was positively correlated with scores on Spiegel's Hypnosis Induction Profile, while the attribution of the...
Perceptual and Motor Skills
April 1, 1994
Michael A. Persinger
5 citations
20 male and 20 female undergraduate students were exposed singly for 20 min. to an exotic setting (partial sensory deprivation and weak, bilateral transtemporal pulsed magnetic fields) that enhances relaxation and exotic experiences. The numerical incidence of subjective experiences described as old memories, dreams, emotions, or vestibular sensations did not differ significantly between the...
Perceptual and Motor Skills
December 1, 1992
Michael A. Persinger
13 citations
If the "sensed presence" is the transient intrusion of the right hemispheric equivalent of the left hemispheric (and highly linguistic) sense of self, then any process that facilitates interhemispheric electrical coherence should enhance these experiences. As predicted, the "ego-alien intrusion" (sensed presence) factor was specifically and significantly elevated in 221 people who had learned...
Perceptual and Motor Skills
February 1, 1984
Michael A. Persinger
Transient, focal, epileptic-like electrical changes in the temporal lobe, without convulsions, have been hypothesized to be primary correlates of religious experiences. Given these properties, direct measurement of these phenomena within the laboratory should be rare. However, two illustrated instances have been recorded. The first case involved the occurrence of a delta-wave-dominant...
Perceptual and Motor Skills
December 1, 1983
Michael A. Persinger
298 citations
Mystical and religious experiences are hypothesized to be evoked by transient, electrical microseizures within deep structures of the temporal lobe. Although experiential details are affected by context and reinforcement history, basic themes reflect the inclusion of different amygdaloid-hippocampal structures and adjacent cortices. Whereas the unusual electrical coherence allows access to...