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'Psychic sensitivity', mystical experience, head injury and brain pathology.

P Fenwick, S Galliano, M A Coate, V Rippere, D Brown

British Journal of Medical Psychology March 1985 DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1985.tb02612.x (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Case-control study Peer reviewed
Sample size 34
Population 17 students (sensitives) from the College of Psychic Studies and 17 church-going control subjects matched for age, sex, and approximate intellectual level
Measures shortened WAIS, Benton Visual Retention Test, Wechsler Logical Memory, Rey-Osterreith Test
Topics Mystical experience
Key findings The sensitive group contained more single or divorced people and more people who had consulted a psychiatrist, and reported more head injuries and serious illnesses than controls. Sixty-six per cent of sensitives showed evidence of right hemisphere and right temporal lobe dysfunction, with 35 per cent of these having poor visual memories. The authors suggest some 'psychic' experiences were associated with brain dysfunction, but found no clear correlation between head injury and onset of 'psychic' sensitivity.

Abstract

The 'psychic' experiences of 17 students (sensitives) from the College of Psychic Studies were compared with those of 17 church-going control subjects, who were matched for age, sex, and approximate intellectual level. At interview, 67 items of information relating to the medical history, family history, 'psychic gifts', head injuries, and mystical experiences were obtained. The shortened WAIS, the Benton Visual Retention Test, with tests of both dominant (Wechsler Logical Memory) and non-dominant temporal lobe function (the Rey-Osterreith Test) were given. The results showed that the sensitive population contained more single or divorced people, and people who had sometime consulted a psychiatrist. They had experienced more head injuries and serious illnesses than the controls. Sixty-six per cent showed evidence of right hemisphere and right temporal lobe dysfunction and, of these, 35 per cent had poor visual memories. There was evidence to suggest that some 'psychic' experiences were associated with brain dysfunction. Despite an increased occurrence of head injury, no clear correlation with the onset of 'psychic' sensitivity was found. Mystical experiences showed a trend towards being related to non-dominant hemisphere dysfunction. Vagueness about the position of the sensitive's 'psychic helper' in physical space was also associated with non-dominant hemisphere dysfunction.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on mystical experience, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Neural correlates of a mystical experience in Carmelite nuns Carmelite nuns 2006 Observational cohort
EEG activity in Carmelite nuns during a mystical experience Carmelite nuns 2008 Observational cohort n = 14
Neural correlates of mystical experience Vietnam veterans with penetrating traumatic brain injury and matched healthy controls 2015 Observational cohort n = 148
The Peak Experience Variable in DPT-Assisted Psychotherapy with Cancer Patients Cancer patients 1977 Observational study n = 128
Psilocybin-Induced Mystical-Type Experiences are Related to Persisting Positive Effects: A Quantitative and Qualitative Report Healthy volunteers 2022 Observational cohort n = 28

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