Trait Absorption Relates to Experiences of Spirit Communication

Absorption can be defined as the propensity to be focused on or become absorbed in internal or external events, maintain an experiential stance, and experience alterations of consciousness. Various authors have proposed that it plays a key role in religious experiences. This study investigated whether trait absorption relates to experiences of spirit communication among practitioners of Afro-Caribbean traditions (Vodun, Santería, Winti, and Candomblé). We distributed a questionnaire (the Tellegen Absorption Scale or TAS), questions about experiences of spirit communication and of demographics through social media to a group of self-assessed practitioners (N = 342). The overall score of the TAS, its two facets or subscales, and six factors revealed moderate to strong correlations with spirit communication. Of particular interest is that the TAS Prone to Imaginative and Altered States was more strongly correlated than the Sentient subscale. Similarly, the Enhanced Cognition and Enhanced Awareness factors had significantly stronger correlations than other factors. Those who never or rarely experienced spirit communication had lower absorption scores than those who experienced them more often. This work adds experiences of spirit communication in non-Western traditions to the study of religious experiences related to absorption, and provides detailed information of which aspects of absorption relate more strongly to it.