EEG CORRELATES OF MEDIUMSHIP

There is a long and rich tradition of individuals, called mediums, who claim to have a particular and subjective experiences in which they report to have communication with deceased persons through a subjective interior vision or hearing voices coming from the spirits of persons. Several scientific studies have investigated the reliability of the information provided by mediums, under double-blind conditions, with results that are often significant, beyond random expectations. In this study, however, we investigated certain EEG (electroencephalogrhic) characteristics of seven mediums, all women, who were completely normal and well integrated into society and everyday life. We compared the EEG data in two conditions: a) during a period of simple relaxation in silence and without thinking about anything, and b) during the perception of the alleged spiritual entities of deceased persons.The most interesting result, although not statistically significant (P=0.07) given the low number of subjects involved, was an increase in brain activity in the Beta-Gamma band (25-45Hz) across the entire cerebral cortex, as well as an increase in synchronization between the two cerebral hemispheres, during the phase of perception of deceased entities.