Striking EEG Profiles from Single Episodes of Glossolalia and Transcendental Meditation
Perceptual and Motor Skills February 1, 1984 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1984.58.1.127 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Two individuals: a Transcendental Meditation teacher and a member of a pentecostal sect |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Temporal-lobe electrical seizures or spikes occurred during religious experiences in two subjects with no psychiatric history, supporting the hypothesis that such experiences correlate with temporal lobe transients. |
Abstract
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 electrical seizure for about 10 sec. from the temporal lobe only of a Transcendental Meditation teacher during a peak experience within a routine TM episode. The second case involved the occurrence of spikes within the temporal lobe only during protracted intermittent episodes of glossolalia by a member of a pentecostal sect. Neither subject had any psychiatric history. These observations are commensurate with the hypothesis that religious experiences are natural correlates of temporal lobe transients that can be detected by routine EEG measures.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Identity and Spirituality: Conventional and Transpersonal Perspectives International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2009
- People who report religious experiences may also display enhanced temporal-lobe signs. Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1984
- Transcendental Meditation and general meditation are associated with enhanced complex partial epileptic-like signs: evidence for "cognitive" kindling? Perceptual and Motor Skills February 1, 1993
- Potential production of Hughlings Jackson's “parasitic consciousness” by physiologically-patterned weak transcerebral magnetic fields: QEEG and source localization Epilepsy & Behavior July 17, 2013
- Common Characteristics of Anomalous Perceptual Experiences Integral Transpersonal Journal November 1, 2019
and 9 more in the library