Mirror Gazing for Cultural Bereavement: A MixedMethods Study into the Impact of a Restricted Sensory Environment Meditation Process (Psychomanteum) on Culture Shock in Expatriates

Root, Samuel W.

doi:10.24972/ijts.2015.34.1-2.1

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 78 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…O'Keeffe and Parsons (2010) critically discussed one of the few studies in the last 25 years -conducted by Radin and Rebman (1996) -that tested the correlation between temperature changes in the immediate environment and participants' mental states (albeit via the induction of an anomalous experience). The study's protocol involved an instrumented psychomanteum chamber: a small and dimly lit room with a mirror strategically placed to induce experiences of after-death communication (Root, 2015). O'Keeffe and Parsons (2010, p. 113) noted that "some of the significant ambient temperature and physiological correlations were possible artifacts of a common downward drift in temperature" exacerbated by the floor-level placement of the computerized thermometer.…”

Section: Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Things That Go Bump in the Literature: An Environmental Appraisal of “Haunted Houses”

et al. 2020

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This paper contains a narrative overview of the past 20-years of environmental research on anomalous experiences attributed to "haunted house." This exercise served as a much-needed update to an anthology of noteworthy overviews on ghosts, haunts, and poltergeists (Houran and Lange, 2001b). We also considered whether new studies had incorporated certain recommendations made in this anthology. Our search revealed a relative paucity of studies (n = 66) on environmental factors that ostensibly stimulate haunt-type experiences. This literature was diverse and often lacked methodological consistency and adherence to the prior suggestions. However, critical consideration of the content revealed a recurring focus on six ambient variables: embedded (static) cues, lighting levels, air quality, temperature, infrasound, and electromagnetic fields. Their relation to the onset or structure of witness reports showed mostly null, though sometimes inconsistent or weak outcomes. However, such research as related to haunts is arguably in its infancy and new designs are needed to account better for environmental and architectural phenomenology. Future studies should therefore address four areas: (i) more consistent and precise measurements of discrete ambient variables; (ii) the potential role of "Gestalt influences" that involve holistic environmentperson interactions; (iii) individual differences in attentional or perceptual sensitivities of percipients to environmental variables; and (iv) the role of attitudinal and normative influences in the interpretation of environmental stimuli. Focused scrutiny on these issues should clarify the explanatory power of evolutionary-environmental models for these and related anomalous experiences.

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Section: Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%