Cultural and group differences in mediumship and dissociation: exploring the varieties of mediumistic experiences

Maraldi, Everton de Oliveira; Ribeiro, Ricardo da Silva; Krippner, Stanley

doi:10.1007/s41603-019-00076-0

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…It may be that the neurophysiological mechanisms implicated in trait dissociation differ from those implicated in state changes of dissociation. We have suggested elsewhere (Maraldi et al, 2019) that one should differentiate between "dissociation proneness" (in the sense of a trait characteristic) and "contextual dissociation," which refers to dissociative processes induced by specific contextual factors such as religious or spiritual practices (e.g., meditation and ritual possession). DES scores are more likely to reflect dissociation proneness rather than transient dissociative states, and this should be considered in future studies using neurophysiological paradigms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal Stability of Dissociative Symptoms in the General Population

Maraldi¹

2022

J Nerv Ment Dis

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The most widely used measure to quantify dissociative symptoms is the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). However, little information is available concerning its temporal stability. The purpose of this study was to assess the stability of DES scores after 4 years. A total of 316 respondents recruited from a general population in Brazil took part in baseline and follow-up (70.57% were men; mean age = 32.97, SD = 10.95, minimum = 22, maximum = 74). Temporal stability was assessed through test-retest correlations and mean-level stability analyses. We found that the DES total and subscale scores revealed moderate test-retest correlations, with small variations among the DES factors. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was found between average scores for times 1 and 2. Overall, DES scores are significantly stable over time. Future studies would benefit from an investigation of the correlates and predictors of dissociation at different time points.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal Stability of Dissociative Symptoms in the General Population

Maraldi¹

2022

J Nerv Ment Dis

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“…It is also one of the most religious countries in Latin-America, with a wide diversity of religious expressions (Moreira-Almeida et al, 2010, Brazilian Institute of Geography andStatistics, 2010). Although most people claim to be Roman Catholic and Protestant, there also are syncretic religions such as Spiritism (a spiritualist doctrine based on the writings of the French pedagogue Allan Kardec, 1804-1869, of which Brazil has the highest number of practitioners in the world), and Umbanda (an eminently Brazilian religion based on Indigenous, Christian, African, and New Age beliefs), both of which encourage mediumship (i.e., an experience during which individuals believe themselves to be under the mental and/or physical influence/control of deceased people or other supernatural beings), as well as a series of paranormal experiences and practices among their members (Maraldi, Ribeiro & Krippner, 2019). More than 4 million people in Brazil are members of mediumistic religions (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, 2010) but mediumistic practices are also frequently attended by members of other religions, such as Catholics (Weiss & Nunes, 2005).…”

Section: Aims Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Implicit Spirituality in a non-WEIRD Population: Development and Validation of an Implicit Measure of New Age and Paranormal Beliefs

Maraldi

Farias

2019

The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion

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“Seat of the soul”? The structure and function of the pineal gland in women with alleged spirit possession—Results of two experimental studies

Bastos

Paez

et al. 2020

Brain and Behavior

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Background Cultural traditions attribute to pineal gland an important role for spiritual experiences. Mediumship and spirit possession are cultural phenomena found worldwide which have been described as having dissociative and psychotic‐like characteristics, but with nonpathological aspects. A sympathetic activation pattern in response to spirit possession has been reported in some studies, but empirical data on pineal gland is scarce in this context. Methods We aimed to investigate pineal gland and pituitary volumes, as well as urinary 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin levels in 16 alleged mediums (Medium Group‐MG) compared with 16 healthy nonmedium controls (Control Group) (Experiment 1). Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate urinary 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin and stress reactivity in GM ( n = 10) under different physiological conditions (Experiment 2). Results In Experiment 1, MG presented higher scores of anomalous experiences, but there were no between‐group differences regarding mental health or subjective sleep quality. Similar pineal gland and pituitary volumes were observed between groups. There were no between‐group differences in urinary 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin collected under equivalent baseline conditions. In Experiment 2, the rise of anxiety and heart rate in response to mediumistic experience was intermediate between a nonstressful control task (reading) and a stressful control task (Trier Social Stress Test—TSST). No significant differences were observed in 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin urinary levels between the three conditions. The pattern of stress reactivity during the TSST was normal, but with an attenuated salivary cortisol response. Conclusion The normal neuroimaging and stress reactivity findings in MG contrast with the abnormal results usually observed in subjects with psychotic and dissociative disorders.

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Cultural and group differences in mediumship and dissociation: exploring the varieties of mediumistic experiences

Cited by 7 publications

References 41 publications

Temporal Stability of Dissociative Symptoms in the General Population

Temporal Stability of Dissociative Symptoms in the General Population

Assessing Implicit Spirituality in a non-WEIRD Population: Development and Validation of an Implicit Measure of New Age and Paranormal Beliefs

“Seat of the soul”? The structure and function of the pineal gland in women with alleged spirit possession—Results of two experimental studies

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