A survey of possession trance states in a semi-urban population of 7653 identified 37 subjects. The manifestations of the trance, and its course and outcome are outlined. The characteristics of the subjects, including presence of psychiatric disorder, are compared with that of the total population, and significant differences are noted. Four psychodynamic syndromes observed are described with...
Western communities are becoming increasingly more interested in altered states of consciousness such as hypnosis, meditation and other states associated with certain "brain wave" patterns. In the United States of America especially, psychophysiological research is beginning to lead to an understanding of some of the basic mechanisms underlying certain mental phenomena and their therapeutic...
If the proper study of mankind is man, it is a paradox worth pondering that consciousness, the receptacle of all that is truly human, has not yet found a place in the life sciences. This is not to imply that neuroscientists are uninterested in physiological correlates and mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness, or that psychopharmacologists are not intensively investigating psychoactive drugs, and...
SERIOUS INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION at the university level is widely acknowledged to be necessary for survival in a technological age of accelerating complexity. Grant money is earmarked for interdisciplinary experiments; students are excited by new courses which invite them to connect isolated components of knowledge in meaningful ways. Recently, I was one of eleven professors from four...
If the perception of one's own awareness is a subjective phenomenon, then trance-induction procedures may be devised which avoid the negative stereotypes and implicit authoritarian connotations which are inherent in the concept of hypnosis, while simultaneously facilitating responsiveness to suggestion. Previous attempts to accomplish this by modifications of the traditional hypnotic paradigm...
An argument in support of introspective methods in research is developed. As illustration, the perception of "empty space" is considered on the identity thesis, especially as reported by adepts in altered states of consciousness. It is suggested that the unique sensory qualia—seeing per se, hearing per se, etc, in contrast to the content of seeing and hearing—are a function of unique processing...
If it is true that experiences involving altered states of consciousness have historically been confined to a minute segment of the population (such as shamans, prophets, and even self-actualizers within Maslow's [1] context), and if the psychedelics act as a catalyst for such experiences, then their widespread availability portends significant social consequences. The most profound long term...
Four Ss with histories of reported spontaneous ESP occurrence participated in 8 sessions per S. Each session consisted of 3 trials in which the contents (art prints) of sealed envelopes were assessed by clairvoyant means. One trial took place while S was in his ordinary waking state, one while S was in a self-induced altered conscious state, and one while S was in an altered state induced by...
Fred Katz, Marlene Dobkin de Rios, Hallucinogenic Music: An Analysis of the Role of Whistling in Peruvian Ayahuasca Healing Sessions, The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 84, No. 333 (Jul. - Sep., 1971), pp. 320-327
FOR THE FOLKLORIST interested in the folk's own conceptualization of the nature and function of their folklore, either conscious or unconscious, folk parodies of folklore forms constitute a highly productive area of investigation. Examination of the ways in which the original forms are altered in the construction of parodies and of how and when the parodies are employed yields insight, by...