Catecholamines and opioid peptides increase in plasma in humans during possession trances

Abstract

Naturally induced possession trances have been observed in healthy people of many societies. The neurophysiological basis of this phenomenon remains unknown, however, because of the difficulty in accessing subjects in trances due to their sacred context. In the present study, we measured the plasma levels of several neuroactive substances from subjects exhibiting or lacking possession trance characteristics during Balinese dedicatory dramas under natural conditions. The trance group exhibited significant increases in plasma concentrations of noradrenaline, dopamine and beta-endorphin, compared with controls who performed the same actions as the trance group. The present finding suggests that catecholamines and opioid peptides are involved in possession trances.

Mediumship: review of quantitatives studies published in the 21st century

“…(3) Psychophysiological correlates of mediumship (Table 4) The most common findings concerning psychophysiological correlates of mediumship were: increased noradrenalin levels during possession trance in a controlled study 38 , increased muscle tone in a case report 39 , increased heart rate 38,39 and increased spectral power in various EEG frequency bands during mediumistic communication and possession trance 40,41 . None of the studies included in this review has demonstrated an ictal pattern on EEG during the experience.…”

“…Proper initial definitions about the process under investigation are necessary if one aims to obtain valid physiological research data about it 55 . 38 15 subjects presenting an alleged possession trance while participating in a religious ritual and 9 subjects participating in the same religious ritual but not presenting a possession trance Analysis of norepinephrine, dopamine and beta-endorphin levels in blood samples. Assessment of heart rate and blood pressure…”

Physical and Chemical Factors that Improve Epidermal Permeability Barrier Homeostasis

“…However, Oohashi and his coworkers demonstrated that ultrasound at a frequency above 20000 Hz (20 kHz) influences human brain electrical activity and systemic hormonal levels (Oohashi 2000) (Oohashi 2006) (Kawai 2001) (Yagi 2003). Interestingly, these effects did not involve the ear (Oohashi 2006).…”

Sensory Systems of Epidermal Keratinocytes

“…However, Oohashi and his coworkers demonstrated that ultrasound at a frequency above 20,000 Hz (20 kHz) infl uences human brain electrical activity and systemic hormonal levels [ 69,87,88,122 ] . Interestingly, these effects did not occur via the ears [ 88 ] .…”