Enhanced Incidence of “The Sensed Presence” in People Who Have Learned to Meditate: Support for the Right Hemispheric Intrusion Hypothesis
Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 1992 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1992.75.3f.1308 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,081 |
| Population | 221 people who had learned to meditate (65-70% Transcendental Meditation) and 860 nonmeditators |
| Interventions | Meditation Transcendental Meditation |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key findings | The 'ego-alien intrusion' (sensed presence) factor was specifically and significantly elevated in meditators compared with nonmeditators, with variants more frequent in female meditators and particularly in left-handed meditators. The author argues this supports the view that the sensed presence reflects transient right-hemispheric intrusion into the linguistic sense of self, and suggests meditation may be counterindicated for people with fragile self-concepts. |
Abstract
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 to meditate (65 to 70% were involved in Transcendental Meditation) compared to 860 nonmeditators. Variants of a sensed presence were more frequent in female than in male meditators and were particularly evident in left-handers who had learned to mediate. The effect size suggests that learning a meditation technique is counterindicated for subpopulations, such as borderline, schizotypal, or dissociative personalities, who display very fragile self-concepts.