SEAN HARRIBANCE
MRU Intuitive
Sean Lalsingh Harribance
Lalsingh Harribance was born to an East Indian family in southern Trinidad on November 11, 1939. He was raised as a Hindu, but attended Christian schools in his earlier years and was eventually baptized at the age of 26. It was at this time that he chose the name, Sean, by which he is known today. After leaving school during his teenage years, in order to help his family, he worked in the oilfield and later was employed as a cashier for the bus service. It was then that a man named Richard Jackman became aware of Sean’s abilities.
Mr. Jackman, than editor and manager of the Trinidad Guardian, became more and more interested in the accuracy of Sean’s predictions. After getting to know Sean, Mr. Jackman decided to introduce him to a psychologist named Hamllyn Dukhan. Dr. Dukhan had been informed of Sean’s acute perception and decided that scientific testing was necessary to document the full extent of his abilities.
After several years of testing, Sean was then invited to the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man to be further researched by Dr. J. B. Rhine in 1969. Sean worked with Dr. Rhine, Dr. William G. Roll of the Psychical Research Foundation, and various visiting professors and researchers. Thirty-four papers were published in scientific journals as a result of work done with Sean.
The studies were based on testing that was done under very strict conditions where the use of all five senses was blocked. The probability of Sean having gotten the test scores by chance was one in 100 trillion. Moreover, Sean was the first to get high scores on ESP tests where EEG, EKG and galvanic skin response sensors were used. He was also the first to show a link between high ESP scores and a specific brain wave. In 1976, the parapsychology labs could no longer give him a salary so he moved to Maryland in search of research funds from government sources. In Maryland he did some work with Mankind Research, and continued some part-time research with Duke University. Sean began to realize that by proving himself to others, he could generate further interest in parapsychology, and the psi research.
During his personal consultations with clients, which included doctors, lawyers, politicians and others, Sean continued to demonstrate that his abilities were genuine. After witnessing his extraordinary abilities, Sean’s clients spread the word and encouraged friends to visit him and experience these abilities for themselves. Sean’s number of clients continued to increase because of the accuracy of his predictions. Sean did not advertise. He made a number of successful national predictions, for when those come true it can convince a greater number of people and be further proof for ESP and precognition.
Unfortunately, Sean was not successful in obtaining the research funds he needed in Washington D.C. He found it necessary to move closer to his clients in Texas and Louisiana, those that had supported him since the early 1970’s.
In 1981, Sean has lived in Sugar Land, Texas with his wife, Christine, and two children. He continues to visit with clients.
Since moving to the United States, Sean has done over 50,000 readings. Many visit him repeatedly over the years.
In 1995 the not for profit corporation, the Sean Harribance Institute for Parapsychology Research, Inc. (SHIPR Inc) was founded. In 1997 and 1998 Sean, Dr. Roll, and (in 1998) Cheryl Alexander (from the Rhine Research Center) traveled to Dr. Persinger at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, to participate in the brain studies presented at the Parapsychological Association meeting in August 1998
Mr. Jackman, than editor and manager of the Trinidad Guardian, became more and more interested in the accuracy of Sean’s predictions. After getting to know Sean, Mr. Jackman decided to introduce him to a psychologist named Hamllyn Dukhan. Dr. Dukhan had been informed of Sean’s acute perception and decided that scientific testing was necessary to document the full extent of his abilities.
After several years of testing, Sean was then invited to the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man to be further researched by Dr. J. B. Rhine in 1969. Sean worked with Dr. Rhine, Dr. William G. Roll of the Psychical Research Foundation, and various visiting professors and researchers. Thirty-four papers were published in scientific journals as a result of work done with Sean.
The studies were based on testing that was done under very strict conditions where the use of all five senses was blocked. The probability of Sean having gotten the test scores by chance was one in 100 trillion. Moreover, Sean was the first to get high scores on ESP tests where EEG, EKG and galvanic skin response sensors were used. He was also the first to show a link between high ESP scores and a specific brain wave. In 1976, the parapsychology labs could no longer give him a salary so he moved to Maryland in search of research funds from government sources. In Maryland he did some work with Mankind Research, and continued some part-time research with Duke University. Sean began to realize that by proving himself to others, he could generate further interest in parapsychology, and the psi research.
During his personal consultations with clients, which included doctors, lawyers, politicians and others, Sean continued to demonstrate that his abilities were genuine. After witnessing his extraordinary abilities, Sean’s clients spread the word and encouraged friends to visit him and experience these abilities for themselves. Sean’s number of clients continued to increase because of the accuracy of his predictions. Sean did not advertise. He made a number of successful national predictions, for when those come true it can convince a greater number of people and be further proof for ESP and precognition.
Unfortunately, Sean was not successful in obtaining the research funds he needed in Washington D.C. He found it necessary to move closer to his clients in Texas and Louisiana, those that had supported him since the early 1970’s.
In 1981, Sean has lived in Sugar Land, Texas with his wife, Christine, and two children. He continues to visit with clients.
Since moving to the United States, Sean has done over 50,000 readings. Many visit him repeatedly over the years.
In 1995 the not for profit corporation, the Sean Harribance Institute for Parapsychology Research, Inc. (SHIPR Inc) was founded. In 1997 and 1998 Sean, Dr. Roll, and (in 1998) Cheryl Alexander (from the Rhine Research Center) traveled to Dr. Persinger at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, to participate in the brain studies presented at the Parapsychological Association meeting in August 1998
2010 Report on Sean http://jcer.com/file/JCER_V1%289%29.pdf
Cerebral Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
Mathew D. Hunter1,2, Bryce P. Mulligan1,2, Blake T. Dotta1,2 Kevin S. Saroka1,3, Christina F. Lavallee1,3, Stanley A. Koren1,3,
Michael A. Persinger1,2,3,4*
Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory1
Departments of Biology2 and Psychology3
Behavioural Neuroscience, Human Studies, and Biomolecular Sciences Programs4 Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT
The attribution of unobservable cognitive states to others, a component of the "Theory of Mind", involves activity within the right temporoparietal region. We tested an exceptional subject, Sean Harribance, who displayed a reliable, consistent configuration of QEEG activity over this region that was confirmed through source localization software. The blind-rated accuracies of the histories of 40 people shown in 40 different photographs were strongly correlated with the quantitative occurrence of this conspicuous QEEG pattern displayed during Mr. Harribance’s “intuitive state”. The proportions of specific microstates were also strongly correlated with his accuracy of discerning the historical characteristics of the people in the photographs. Compared to the normal population his microstates were half the duration and his sense of “now” was about twice as fast as the average person.
During his intuitive states there was strong congruence of activity between the left temporal lobes of participants who sat near Mr. Harribance and the activity over his temporal (primarily right) lobes within the theta and 19-20 Hz band. Reversible increases in photon emissions and small alterations in the intensity within the nearby (up to a 1 meter) geomagnetic field along the right side of his head were equivalent to energies of about 10-11 Joules with amplitude modulations in the 0.2 to 0.6 Hz range. The results indicate even exceptional skills previously attributed to aberrant sources are variations of normal cerebral dynamics associated with intuition and may involve small but discrete changes in proximal energy.
We suggest that the unique organization of Sean Harribance’s brain has allowed apparent access to information from others’ memories. His accuracy has been sufficient to maintain his employment and be accessed by multiple private and government agencies. Quantitative EEG analyses indicated a fixed pattern of reliable increases in power over portions of the right hemisphere. The total numbers and durations of this configuration were significantly correlated with rated accuracies of information of people within photographs. SH displayed microstates that included normal as well as unique patterns whose durations were about half the values obtained for the average person. The actual stimuli that became the information experienced by SH during his interpretations are not clear.
The marked coherence of cerebral activity between SH and the participants during his close proximity and display of the IS indicates that a component of the information may originate from within the brains of the participants or a third factor shared by both. The discrete changes in photons concomitant with alterations in the intensity in the surrounding geomagnetic field in the vicinity of SH and the participants indicate involvement of physical mechanisms worthy of thorough exploration. In conclusion there is evidence that Sean Harribance intuits verifiable information about the history and status of others and that the processes are: 1) associated with discrete patterns of his brain activity, and, 2) consistent with the current understanding of the "Theory of Mind".
Key words: Theory of Mind; microstates; temporoparietal region; geomagnetic alterations; photon
emissions; intuitive states.
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research| December 2010 | Vol. 1 | Issue 9 | pp. 1179-1197
Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
1180
ISSN: 2153-8212 Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research
Published by QuantumDream, Inc.
www.JCER.com
1. Introduction
A fundamental human ability to predict and to interpret the behavior of others can be explained by a
"Theory of Mind" (Happe 2003; Saxe and Wexler 2005). This is a process by which most healthy
adults attribute unobservable cognitive states to others and integrate these states into a coherent
model (Saxe and Wexler 2003; Vogeley 2001). Regions near the temporoparietal junction of the
human brain have been implicated in a broad range of social cognitive tasks including recognition
of faces and inferences about other's thoughts (Allison et al. 2000; Brunet et al. 2000; Fletcher et al.
1995; Hoffman and Haxby 2000).
Sean Harribance (SH) is a classic example of a person who possesses an ability to infer lifetime
"experiences" of the putative memories of others while viewing photographs of a person or
individuals known to this person while the latter is present. Most of his comments concerning the
person are considered so exceptional, specific, or unique that his primary income for the last 40
years has been derived from these interpretations. His interpersonal behaviors are amicable and
sincere but exhibit qualitatively different features that are clearly discernable by most people.
There has also been a long experimental and anecdotal history concerning SH and his capacity to
“access” accurate information about others by mechanisms not known to date (Harribance 1994).
Single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) displayed increased uptake of tracer
and perfusion within the superior medial portion of the right parietal cortices during these
experiences (Roll et al. 2002). Neuropsychological evidence suggested anomalous function within
the frontoparietal-temporal region of the right hemisphere (Roll et al. 2002). During a previous visit
(ten years ago) three different people, who were each given 10 pictures of their relatives and 10
comments (total of 30 photographs and 30 comments) by SH of the medical history and personal
experiences of those people, correctly matched 8 out of 10 of the pictures with the descriptions.
By applying the modern tools of quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) we found reliable
signatures involving his right temporoparietal region that were associated with the ratings of
accuracy for his statements. We also found consistent changes in QEEG activity within the right
temporoparietal regions of the participants sitting near SH while he was "interpreting" the person or
related photographs. We called this conspicuous, stable pattern the Harribance Configuration (HC).
The overall pattern of activity and his subjective attributions suggested his experiences may be a
variant of normal intuition (Kuo et al. 2009).
We have assumed that SH’s unique ability to interpret such specific details of a person’s life with
no prior contact is primarily cerebrally generated and can be quantified by electroencephalography.
On the bases of the proximity apparently required between SH and the person and the experienced
physical changes reported by participants, we reasoned that the “information” might be obtained
through a medium within the proximal environment. We hypothesized that two potential mediums
may be a contributor to the reception of information: 1) biophoton emissions and 2) the shared
geomagnetic field within which both SH and the subjects are immersed.
Biophotons have been shown to be potential neural communication signals (Sun et al, 2010).
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research| December 2010 | Vol. 1 | Issue 9 | pp. 1179-1197
Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
1181
ISSN: 2153-8212 Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research
Published by QuantumDream, Inc.
www.JCER.com
According to Popp (1979) biological systems have the capacity to store coherent photons from the
external world and emit a few hundred to about a thousand photons per cm2 per second; he also
hypothesized that photons may be utilized for cell-cell communication. The recent measurements
that a photon is not massless (Liang-Cheng et al, 2005) have far reaching implications relevant to
biological systems. They include deviations in the behaviour of static electromagnetic fields,
longitudinal electromagnetic radiation and even questions of gravitational deflection (Liang-Cheng
et al, 2005). Such small changes are even more important in light of the minute energies of about
10-20 J associated with an action potential (Persinger et al. 2008; Persinger, 2010) and the recent
direct measurements that a single neuron can affect specific responses (Houweling and Brecht,
2008).
Biological systems emerged within the earth's magnetic field and human beings are immersed in the
geomagnetic field. Fluctuations with peak-to-peak amplitudes of about 1% of the steady-state
condition within the biofrequency to mHz range (Persinger, 1980) have powerful effects upon
electroencephalographic activity (Babayev and Allahverdiyeva, 2007; Mulligan et al, 2010) and
correlative behaviours that can be simulated experimentally (Michon and Persinger, 1997). That
information could be stored within the space occupied by the earth's magnetic field has both
theoretical and quantitative support (Persinger, 2009) although the definitive experiment to relate
byte-dependent patterns to specific responses or ideas has not been completed. There is ample
evidence that application of weak (microTesla to nanoTesla) physiologically-patterned magnetic
fields, particularly over the right hemisphere, are associated with the report of common themes of
experiences in normal volunteers (St-Pierre and Persinger, 2006, Persinger and Tiller 2008,
Persinger et al. 2009).
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
All subjects who took part in this study did so with written informed consent. The procedures
outlined were approved by Laurentian University’s Research Ethics Board. Demographic
information is given below with respect to each of the different paradigms. All testing was
completed between 12:00-17:00 local time.
2.2. Data Acquisition and Analysis
2.2.1. Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG)
During his visit to our laboratory we measured SH over a period of five successive days, resulting
in approximately 5 hours (500 to 1000 samples per sec) of QEEG measurements (8 or 19 channels)
by different devices. Eight channels for F7, F8, T3, T4, P3, P4, O1, O2 from either of two Grass
Instrument Model 8-16 C EEGs (16 channel) were monitored by hardcopy (paper). The filter
selections for each channel were set for the standard range between 0.5 Hz and 35 Hz. Each Model
8-16C machine was interfaced via a custom shielded cable, a parallel analogue shield interface
cable (Nat. Inst. SH100100) and a shielded connector block (Nat. Inst. SCB-100) to a National
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research| December 2010 | Vol. 1 | Issue 9 | pp. 1179-1197
Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
1182
ISSN: 2153-8212 Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research
Published by QuantumDream, Inc.
www.JCER.com
Instruments PCI-607IE Multi I/O Board computer interface card. The data were extracted at 1000
Hz sampling (every 1 msec) by a DELL Dimension 8100 Personal Computer on a Windows 2000
Professional Platform. A custom designed user interface or Virtual Instrument (VI) using National
Instruments Labview (Version 6.0i-2000) allowed the multichannel sample to be manually recorded
to fixed disk.
A second QEEG utilized was a Mitsar 201 system amplifier which samples at 500 Hz with an input
range of -500 to +500 microvolts and 16 bit analogue to digital conversion. The electrode cap
(Electro-Cap International) utilized 19 AgCl electrodes using the 10-20 international standard
method of electrode placement. Impedance for all electrodes was maintained at less than 10 kOhms.
All electrodes were linked to ear references for monopolar measurements and appropriate channels
for occasional bipolar recordings. WINEEG v2.82 was utilized for data collection, artifact removal,
and spectral analyses. Visual inspection and independent component analysis were utilized for
removal of all artifacts. Spectral analyses were computed utilizing WINEEG software and further
statistical analysis of spectral components was completed using SPSS software. All EEG coherence
results were completed utilizing EEG Lab software (Delorme and Makeig 2004).
Source localization was completed using sLORETA (standardized low resolution electromagnetic
tomography; Jurcak et al. 2007; Pascual-Marqui 2002) software. sLORETA has cross-modal
validation with respect to Brodmann area mapping with as few as 19 channels (Winterer et al. 2001,
Mulert et al. 2004). Source localization analysis was utilized to assess how SH differed spectrally
between his resting and IS (“interpretational state) conditions. The IS condition was completed
without talking while he was “calling his angel”. Four 1 minute sessions of IS were completed
while wearing the 19 channel EEG from which eight 30 second artifact free EEG records were
collected and compared with eight 30 second artifact free resting EEG sections.
2.2.2. Rated Accuracy of Types of Interpretations and EEG Patterns
The procedures preferred by SH were followed. EEG measurements were completed before,
during, and after SH engaged in his “reading of another” which we called the “interpretational
state” (IS) because of the unique pattern of EEG activity (HC). To discern if the HC was
quantitatively associated with SH’s rated accuracy, 10 photographs of related individuals (children,
niece, grandparents etc.) were supplied by 4 different people (Male, N=4, mean age = 24.5 SD =
1.12) who were not present at the time of the experiment but whom he had met previously. During
the interpretations his comments were recorded by audiotape and his QEEG was continuously
measured. SH was given each photograph by one of two people sitting with him in an acoustic
chamber (the other person monitored the portable EEG measurements).
When his comments were finished the photograph was removed and another one was handed to
SH. He would look at the photograph of the person for about 2-3 s and then begin with a series of
brief descriptors concerning health, education, friendship patterns, death in the family, history of
diseases, and general “personality”. The proportions of approximately 10 to 15 comments (each
comment about 2 s) made for each of the 10 pictures from each person (n=40 photographs) were
scored for specific accuracy by each of the four people separately a week later when the comments
had been transcribed. The categories for the statements by SH were rated as false, generally true,
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research| December 2010 | Vol. 1 | Issue 9 | pp. 1179-1197
Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
1183
ISSN: 2153-8212 Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research
Published by QuantumDream, Inc.
www.JCER.com
specifically true, future references, and “don’t know” or “unable to confirm”. A relative score for
each picture was computed by calculating the ratio of true (sum of generally and specifically true) to
the total of false plus true. A second proportional score was compute by calculating the number of
true statements divided by the total number of comments for each picture. These scores were
correlated with the total duration and number of HCs per picture. Factor analyses (varimax rotation)
were completed utilizing the two dependent measures. Multiple regression analyses were also
completed for these two dependent variables as a function of the various EEG spectral power
measures. As a control for movement and muscle artifacts we instructed SH to complete his reading
or “call his angel” in the same manner that he would when interpreting someone’s photograph.
2.2.3. Microstate and Accuracy Correlations
Research by Koenig et al (2002) has revealed consistent microstates whose durations are within the
range of a percept, approximately 80 to 120 msec. The microstates are defined as periods of quasistable
topographical maps of the cumulative scalp electrical field disregarding polarity (Lehmann
et al. 2010). Isopotential lines reveal four major stable maps of microstates that accommodate
almost three-quarters of the variance in voltage fluctuations (Figure 2a). These four patterns are
remarkably consistent across ontogeny and vary primarily in their durations and proportions
(Koenig et al. 2002) and may reflect a type of information patterning or processing (Lehmann et al.
2010).
The microstates were extracted from eye blink artifact free EEG records taken from the 19 channel
EEG during the reading and analyzed according to Koenig et al’s (2002) procedures. The
characteristics of the microstates during SH’s rest states and IS were mapped. The durations and
numbers of specific states per unit time during his “readings” of the 40 photographs were correlated
with the measures of accuracy noted in the previous section. Factor analyses (varimax rotation)
were also completed between the different microstate measures and the proportional and relative
accuracy score measures.
2.2.4. Temporal Discrimination (“Sense of Now”)
The sense of now can be defined as the minimum amount of time required to discriminate between
two discrete stimuli. Previous results from our lab have identified that this minimum time required
is about 28 ms based on the following procedures (Dotta et al.,in submission). To discern if SH's
temporal discrimination of "now" was different, he was instructed to identify which of two red
circles appeared first on a laptop computer screen. The two circles each had a diameter of 1cm and
separated by a distance of 5cm on the screen. The circles were randomly presented with respect to
both place presentation (left first, right first) and temporal presentation (order of duration
segments). SH completed this paradigm while he sat in a comfortable chair in a dimly lit acoustic
chamber (the same chamber in which he interpreted the photographs of 2.2.2). The duration of
delay between the two symbols ranged from 5 to 40 msec (5 blocks of 19 trials). The time at which
he displayed 100% accuracy for discrimination between two circles was considered his threshold
for “now”.
2.2.5. EEG Responses of Subjects Proximal to Harribance
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research| December 2010 | Vol. 1 | Issue 9 | pp. 1179-1197
Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
1184
ISSN: 2153-8212 Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research
Published by QuantumDream, Inc.
www.JCER.com
Historically, the proportion of accuracy of information about others has been considered greatest
when SH was sitting within about 1 to 2 m of the person. We reasoned that if the source of the
information originated from the space occupied by the participants, specific changes in their brain
activity as inferred by QEEG may occur when SH was displaying the IS compared to baseline or
other conditions. On separate days, the QEEGs of three different individuals (Male, N=3, mean age
24 SD 0.5) (not involved with part 2.2.2) were recorded while SH’s EEG was being measured and
he was interpreting their photographs. Each of the individuals and SH had 20, 2 second artifact free
segments extracted for analysis of coherence. The subjects were assessed using the 8 channel EEG
system while SH was assessed using the 19 channel system. Synchronization of EEG records were
completed through 3 stages; 1) both computers were updated through Windows XP‘s
synchronized internet time server every 1 hour. Any record taken was given a digital time stamp;
2) throughout the records stopwatches were concurrently synchronized to the same international
time stamp and were used to further synchronize events within the record; 3) Each interpretation
session had digital audio recording which was also time stamped and was used to transcribe the
events and the associated timeline.
2.2.6. Photon Emission During the Interpretational State
To discern if changes in photon emission were occurring in the proximity of the scalp (inferred as a
result of brain activity), SH sat in a comfortable chair (in a different room on two successive days)
in the dark while photon emission was recorded from the right side of his head. We selected the
right side on the same plane as his parietal and temporal lobes because: 1) previous research
demonstrated enhanced SPECT activity in this region (Roll et al, 2002), and, 2) it was the locus of
the highly consistent EEG configuration that was associated with the accuracy of the ratings for his
interpretations.
A Model 15 Photometer from SRI Instruments (Pacific Photometric Instruments) with a PMT
housing (BCA IP21) for a RCA electron tube (no filters) was calibrated by comparing directly to a
digital luxmeter at higher intensities (> 1 lux) and by measuring the response to a 700 nm LED at
10 mA (5 millicandella; 2 millilumens/45 degree) at various distances for intensities of less than 1
lux. Lux was transformed to Watts/m2. The output was transformed to mV (millivolt meter) and
sent to an IBM ThinkPad laptop (Windows 95) where samples were taken 3 times/s during the
experimental periods. Calibration indicated that a change of 1 unit at this sensitivity was equivalent
to about 5 x 10-11 W/m2 or a total energy of about 1.5 x 10-11 J/s at this distance.
2.2.7. Proximal Changes in the Geomagnetic Field Intensity
The changes in intensity (in nanoTesla) within the earth’s magnetic field in the three spatial planes
surrounding SH’s head were measured. Routine measurements in our laboratory as well as others
have revealed that the semiconductive properties of the human mass can alter the shape and
intensity of the geomagnetic field along the boundaries of the body (Presman 1970). We suspected
that such changes may occur when he was engaging quietly in the IS compared to rest conditions.
SH completed his IS while maintaining silence to eliminate any resultant activity with respect to
movement.
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research| December 2010 | Vol. 1 | Issue 9 | pp. 1179-1197
Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
1185
ISSN: 2153-8212 Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research
Published by QuantumDream, Inc.
www.JCER.com
To measure possible left vs right hemispheric differences and how they might affect the
immediately adjacent magnetic field, simultaneous measurements were taken over the left and right
parietal region of the skull by placing the magnetometer sensors over each side. To discern changes
in the earth's magnetic field proximal to the right side of SH’s head, the two separate MEDA FVM-
400 magnetometers were placed on narrow aluminum frames so the sensors would be located on
the same plane as his right temporoparietal region at distances of 25 cm and 1 m. The
magnetometers' outputs (X,Y,Z) were recorded by IBM laptops. Sampling (17.4 samples/s)
durations were 30 sec by MEDA software through an IMB ThinkPad laptop. To compare the
effects of movement artifacts, SH was instructed to move his right arm quickly and to point
upwards. These conspicuous artifacts, which were qualitatively different from the distinct changes
that occurred when he was sitting quietly and engaging in the IS, displayed the usual noisy
oscillatory excursions with a maximum change between 100 and 200 nT.
2.3 Statistical Analyses
All analyses, including correlations (Pearson and Spearman), factor analyses, and multiple
regression were completed by SPSS software.
3. Results
3.1. Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG)
The most unique characteristic of SH's brain activity was brief (a few seconds) high frequency
(gamma range, i.e., 30 to 40 Hz) consistent configurations over the right rostral-parietal-temporal
(C4,T4) and the right central and orbital frontal region (Figure 1a) while he was “calling the angel”;
other areas showed slower (irregular 8 to 15 Hz) state-expected activity. When the pattern was
corrected for talking (calling of the angel only) (Figure 1b), the configuration was specific to the
right frontal (F4,F8), central (C4) and temporal (T4) locations, particularly around 20 Hz for F8 and
T4. sLORETA software (Figure 1d, 1e) showed enhanced activity that extended into the insula and
temporal cortices in the right hemisphere when compared to his resting baseline (p < 0.001). This
pattern defined the Harribance Configuration (HC).
The HC occurred reliably for a total of about 20 s per min and with an average of 6 separate
episodes when he was interpreting people or photographs but not when he engaged in other activity
such as resting, meditating, or spontaneous talking about ongoing events. During interpretations
SH reported he sensed a "sentient presence" to which he attributed his "information" about the
participant or associated photographs. He reported he could control this "presence", even when
he was not talking, which has been subjectively apparent since early childhood. Fourier analyses
of the power output (uV2/Hz) of his brain during his interpretations were associated with increases
in all lobes within the delta (1 to 4 Hz) and theta (4 to 8 Hz) range upon which the HC was
superimposed (Figure 1f). The increases in power within the delta and theta band were most
apparent over his right temporal lobe.
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research| December 2010 | Vol. 1 | Issue 9 | pp. 1179-1197
Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
1186
ISSN: 2153-8212 Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research
Published by QuantumDream, Inc.
www.JCER.com
Figure 1. Samples of electroencephalographic patterns and software representations
of the "Harribance configuration" (HC) during his interpretations. (a) Electronic
monopolar recordings from 19 channel EEG while SH was interpreting a subjects
photograph (b) Electronic monopolar recordings from 19 channel EEG while SH
was in the IS but not talking (HC indicated by elliptical regions). (c) Power spectra
(blue while talking, red without talking during the "interpretational state", IS)
showing major enhancements within the right frontocentral and temporal lobes at
approximately 20 Hz. (d) s-LORETA profile showing specific activation within the
gamma band (light blue) during the HC within primarily the right temporal-insular
region. (e) s-LORETA profile of major activation within the gamma band (blue)
during the IS (while talking). (f) General increase in power within the delta and theta
ranges during the HC compared to baseline for major areas over both hemispheres.
Note the particular enhancement over the right temporal lobe.
3.2. Rated Accuracy of Types of Interpretations and EEG Patterns
Raters ranked all comments for each picture individually during the approximately 1 min
interpretation (total comments M=18, SD=4.7) according to five categories. The categories and
proportions (means with standard deviations in parenthesis) for the 40 photographs were: false
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7(10) %, generally true 42(19) %, specifically true 25(18) %, (generally true and specifically true
were summed as true 67(20) %), don't know 9(9) % and future reference 18(15) %. The correlation
between the relative accuracy for his comments for the photographs and the numbers of HCs was r
= 0.46 (p <0.001). The magnitude of the association between the numbers of HCs and the
proportion of true statements was similar. The raters were blind with respect to the measures of the
HC for each photograph.
Factor analysis (loading coefficients in parentheses) of the total number of false (-0.02), true (0.80),
don't know (-0.52), future (-0.58) and relative numbers of HCs (0.74) indicated that only HCs and
true ratings shared the same positive variance and explained 37% (Eigenvalue = 1.89) of the
variance. Factor analyses (all after varimax rotation) showed similar loadings when the relative
duration of HCs (total duration of HCs/total time of trial) was substituted for the relative number of
HCs and for relative true (0.78), relative false (-0.15), total statements (0.11), relative number HCs
(0.76) and relative duration of HCs (0.71) were included. Multiple regression analyses with each of
the 1 Hz increments of power showed that both the duration of the HC (Table 1) and rated accuracy
(Table 2) could be predicted by specific bands over the right frontal, central, and rostral temporal
regions.
Table 1. Step-wise multiple regression of the duration of HCs (dependent variable) during 40, 1
min samples while SH was interpreting for all frequency bands (1 Hz to 40 Hz) within F4, F8, C4,
and T4
Variable R R2 R2 B Beta
F4 27 Hz 0.76 0.58 0.58 9.27 0.62
C4 16 Hz 0.85 0.72 0.16 -19.28 -0.30
F8 21 Hz 0.87 0.76 0.04 - 4.59 -0.32
T4 12 Hz 0.89 0.80 0.04 11.03 0.18
F4 26 Hz 0.91 0.83 0.03 4.96 0.30
Constant 14.55
Table 2. Step-wise multiple regression of the relative accuracy scores (dependent variable) during
40, 1 min samples while SH was interpreting for all frequency bands (1 Hz to 40 Hz) within F4, F8,
C4, and T4
Variable R R2 R2 B Beta
T4 17 Hz 0.32 0.11 0.11 0.20 0.40
C4 33 Hz 0.60 0.36 0.25 -1.15 -0.70
T4 19 Hz 0.66 0.44 0.11 0.16 0.40
Constant 0.86
3.3. Microstates and Accuracy Correlations
As shown in Figure 2a, during resting (eyes closed) the structure of SH’s fundamental microstates
did not differ appreciably from the normative data (Koenig et al, 2002); however, the duration of
each of his states was conspicuously (about half) shorter (occurrence equivalent to about 7 Hz,
rather than 3 to 4 Hz). During the IS or while he was interpreting photographs different states
emerged that have not been reported in the literature (Figure 2b). Class A (red) and to some extent
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Class D (yellow) showed the same polarity in both cerebral hemispheres while Class B (green) and
Class (C) (blue) showed the more typical but restricted bipolarity but within the same (right)
hemisphere. The occurrence (expressed as Hz) for these states were consistent over the quartiles of
the 60 sec interpretations. During his viewing of the 40 pictures the proportions of time covered by
each of the four anomalous microstates were: 25(13) %, 32(11) %, 18(17) % and 25(7) %,
respectively.
Figure 2. (a) Mean durations and SEMs (vertical bars) for each of the 4 classes of
cerebral microstates for the normative sample and for SH. The topographic maps
(looking down from the top with the person facing the top of the page) showed
microstates when he was not engaging in interpretation that were similar to
normative data. Red and blue indicate areas of opposite polarity. Normative maps
adapted from reference (Koenig et al. 2002). (b) The frequency (inverse of duration)
of each of the four anomalous cerebral microstates that emerged during the IS.
Means and SEMs, based on 40 samples, are given for each state and are indicated by
lines of the same color as the rectangle surrounding the maps. The four classes of
microstates explained 54.58% (SD 10.46) of the variance in the analyzed epochs.
Factor analyses of the 40 scores for the pictures with the proportion of time for each state, the
occurrence of the HC, and relative accuracy, revealed a factor (Eigenvalue = 2.16) loaded by class
C (opposite polarity over right prefrontal and right temporoparietal lobes: 0.67), Class A (-0.79), the
HC duration (0.82) and the relative accuracy rating (0.62). The most unusual microstate, the one
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associated with the same polarity in both hemispheres (Class A), was correlated (0.55) with the
numbers of statements that could not be verified by the raters. The mean duration for SH's normal
microstates (when he was not engaged in the IS) and the states positively associated with the raters'
accuracies was about one-half that of the normal person.
3.4. Temporal Discrimination (Sense of “Now”)
SH’s threshold for sense of now was not within the normal range. Whereas accuracies for
normative samples of people were 100% when the discrepancies were above 28 msec, SH's most
accurate scores occurred for time delays between 10 to 20 msec; above this interval (to a maximum
of 40 msec) SH’s accuracy was significantly less.
3.5. EEG Responses of Subjects Proximal to Harribance
All individuals displayed increases in beta and gamma activity (Figure 3a) over their temporal lobes
in the presence of SH during the interpretations. The relative increase in power within this range
compared to the baseline (when SH and the subject simultaneously engaged in eyes-closed
relaxation) is shown in Figure 3b. In addition to the general increase in power within the right
parietal and left temporal lobes of the participants, there was a conspicuous decrease in power
within the 1 to 9 Hz range (with the exception of the 6 Hz to 7 Hz increment) over the right
parietotemporal regions compared to these lobes in the left hemisphere.
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Figure 3. Responses in the brain activity of participants sitting (about 1 to 2 m) near
SH while he was interpreting their photographs. (a) Typical EEG patterns of a
participant while SH was interpreting their photographs. Note the higher frequency
and amplitude of activity over the left (T3) and particularly the right (T4) temporal
lobes. (b) Average relative change in power within each 1 Hz increment of brain
activity between 1 Hz and 41 Hz for four participants during SH's interpretation
relative to baseline. Note the marked decrease in power (< 10 Hz) within the right
temporoparietal region except for the 6-7 Hz band within the participants’ records
when SH was engaged in the IS. (c) Averaged power outputs for SH and
participants within the gamma range (temporal lobe) during SH's pre-IS, IS, and
post-IS for the 40 photographs. Vertical bars indicate SEMs. (d) Cross-spectral
analyses of power (yellow=mild coherence; red= maximum coherence) within the
left temporal lobe of a sample subject and SH’s right temporal lobe within various
frequency intervals over time (milliseconds).
There was increased similarity of the EEG patterns for SH and the subjects over the temporal lobes
(average of left and right) in particular. During the pre-IS, IS, and post-IS periods the relative power
of the two brains did not differ significantly within the gamma range (Figure 3c); this was not
evident for delta, theta, low-alpha, high alpha or beta bands. The increased power within the 33 to
35 Hz range over the temporal lobes of SH and the participants was conspicuous even though the
latter talked rarely. Cross spectral analyses of the raw data (20, 2 sec samples per participant)
indicated increased coherence within a narrower 19 to 20 Hz band as well as the wider 30 to 40 Hz
band within SH's right temporal lobe and the participants' left temporal lobes during his
interpretations (Figure 3d). A similar coherence occurred between SH's left and right temporal
lobes. The means and standard deviations for the duration of the coherence were M = 137 msec and
SD = 55 msec (or about 7 Hz) while these values for the inter-event intervals were 587 (475) msec.
3.6. Photon Emission During the Interpretational State
As can be seen in Figure 4a, the energy density (Watts/m2) as measured by a photomultiplier tube at
0.15 m along the right side of SH's head while he sat in a comfortable chair in complete darkness,
showed an increase of about 1 unit of average transmittance during the IS compared to resting
baselines. The changes were reversible (Figure 4b), replicable on two separate days (Figure 4c) and
controllable by the experimenters’ instructions for SH to start or stop the IS. The latencies between
the instruction for SH to begin the IS and the increases in transmittance were between 10 and 20
sec. Spectral analyses indicated that microvariations associated with these shifts displayed primary
power peaks according to Fourier analyses between 0.2 and 0.4 Hz. Calibration indicated that a
change of 1 unit at this sensitivity was equivalent to about 5 x 10-11 W/m2 or a total energy of about
1.5 x 10-11 J/s at this distance.
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Figure 4. Photomultiplier tube measurements demonstrating an increase of
approximately 1 unit of photon emission (“transmittance”) during IS. (a) Example
of the increase of approximately 1 transmittance unit (yellow vs red) about 10-11 J/s)
at 0.15 m from SH's right hemisphere when engaged in the IS (yellow line) after
baseline (red). (b) Example of the reversibility of power density when SH stopped
(red line) and initiated (yellow line) the IS. (c) Means and SEMs for the changes in
photon detection between baseline (resting) and after initiation of the IS for three
separate experiments.
3.7. Proximal Changes in the Geomagnetic Field Intensity
The steady-state (static) geomagnetic field in the horizontal plane was about 2,000 nT less over
SH’s right temporoparietal region compared to his left. This was similar to what was measured
about ten years ago when he visited the laboratory. During the IS (Figure 5a-c) there were relatively
sudden changes in the intensity of the local geomagnetic field within 1 cm of skull. They began
about 10 to 20 sec after the instructions to begin the IS. The typical magnitude of these changes was
about 150 nT. According to the classic equation: J=(B2/2u) multiplied by the volume (of his
cerebrum), the energy available in this change in the geomagnetic field during the IS would be
about 10-11 J.
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Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
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Figure 5. Changes (in nanoTesla) in the intensity of the earth's magnetic field
(showing sample X,Y,Z components, measured in nanoTesla) around SH for his
right temporoparietal region (a-c, at 1 cm; D=1 m). (a) Change (in nT) in
geomagnetic intensity (horizontal plane in direction of magnetometer) 1 cm from
the right side of SH's head about 15 s after instruction for IS. (b) Change in nT
beginning about 15 s after instruction showing decrease and recovery. (c) Changes
in intensity beginning at the onset of the IS effect and recovery when IS stops after
about 20 s. (d) Decrease in intensity (horizontal plane) at 1 m during onset of IS.
The spiky transients reflect the resolution (1 nT) of the instruments.
In the second set of experiments when the IS was engaged and the geomagnetic field was measured
at 0.25 and 1 m from the right side of his head there were clear decreases of about 15 nT and 5 nT
(Figure 5d), respectively, during the state compared to when he was instructed to relax. The energy
change, according to the expanding volume determined by the distance, would remain equivalent to
about 10-11 Joules. Fourier analyses indicated intrinsic amplitude modulations during these shifts
that peaked within the 0.2 Hz to 0.6 Hz range.
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4. Discussion
SH attributes his interpretations and intuitions to information from a sensed presence. Variants of a
sensed presence have included the ancient Greek's Muses (Persinger and Makarec, 1992), mystical
or religious "spirit guides" (Evans 1984) and even the concept of the "hidden observer" following
hypnosis (Harrington 1995). The latter has been hypothesized to allow experients to solve complex
problems even though they cannot recall the source of the solutions. These experiences have strong
associations with right hemispheric processes, creativity and intuition (Chavez-Eakle et al. 2007;
Jung Beeman et al. 2004). It is important to emphasize that all of these “complex” behaviors are
derived from specific patterns of brain activity.
Our results indicate that reliable, measurable changes in the brain activity within the right
parietotemporal region of SH occurred when he was interpreting another person or a photograph.
These changes were consistent while engaging in the IS and without a talking artifact present. This
is the same area that had displayed marked uptake in tracer during SPECT (Roll et al. 2002) which
is not susceptible to the muscle artifacts. Given the sLORETA profile of enhanced activity within
the right medial temporal, parietotemporal and insula regions (Figure 1d), we suggest that SH's
ability is a variant of the process that contributes to normal intuition. It has been associated with the
acquisition of information regarding past, present and future events that involve complex
inferencing about which the experient is allegedly unaware. We suggest that individuals like SH
are at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Asperger’s Syndrome (Senju et al, 2009) for
the capacity to engage in Theory of Mind. Whereas the former display “mind-blindness”, Mr.
Harribance may display a “hypermentality” that may allow sensitivity to information and
environmental cues not typically accessible by the normal person.
The shared variance between the ratings of the relative accuracy of the 40 photographs and the
numbers of HCs during the interpretation of each photograph further validates the relationship
between the EEG and SH’s experience. The convergence suggests a third factor may be associated
with SH’s brain activity and the accuracy of information stated for each photograph. To understand
what alteration in his consciousness might be occurring, the HC was analyzed for microstates of
integrated cerebral activity (Koenig et al. 2002). If we assume that the neuroelectromagnetic
correlates of consciousness are related systematically to the manner in which the billions of
potential events (Norretranders 1998) penetrating the brain are detected (become stimuli) and are
integrated into experiences, alterations in these functions might allow access to information not
available in normal states.
The alteration in what is likely to be SH's sense of "now" suggests a different temporal processing
or integration of sensory stimuli not typically seen in the average person. SH could discriminate
latencies in the differential serial onset of two stimuli at durations between 10 and 20 msec where
the average person requires more than 28 msec with this paradigm. This "doubled" processing rate
was also reflected in the net durations of his microstates. The coherence was equivalent to about 7
Hz which was similar to the value for coherence between SH's left and right temporal lobes.
In addition to the normal microstates, SH also displayed patterns that have not been previously
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Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
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reported. The "double (same) polarity" pattern (Class A) between the two hemispheres might be
interpreted as a brief period of marked intercalation or "integrated state". Our hypothesis (Booth et
al, 2005; Persinger, 1993) has been that such transient interactions allow conscious access to
primarily right hemispheric information that is then transformed to linguistic equivalents or images
(Persinger et al, 2002). We will be exploring the possibility that the correlations observed in this
study between the non-rateable comments and the "double polarity" pattern may have contained
information that was not accessible to the rater but may be accurate according to the first-person
experience of the person within the photographs.
That there were congruent changes in power within the 33 to 35 Hz range over the temporal lobes
of SH and the participants in the presence of SH offers an alternative explanation to the long history
of belief that individuals with SH's capacity are accessing the cognitive processes of distant or
deceased individuals. The experiences and memories of the participant or experient is the primary
reference by which the statements about others are verified. One interpretation of the increased
coherence between the 19 to 20 Hz band and 30 to 40 Hz band over SH's right temporal lobe and
the participants' left temporal lobes during his interpretations would be an as yet unspecified direct
access to the information within the participants' cerebral space. A more parsimonious explanation
would involve a variant of enhanced suggestibility by his proximity.
If the former explanation is valid, then SH's discernment of this information would involve physical
mechanisms. We examined this possibility in two ways. We measured the quantitative increase in
photon emission from the right side but not the left side of his brain during his IS. University
students tested in our laboratory also show increased photon emission over the right hemisphere but
not over the left when they imagine light. SH’s values were 4 times higher (about 6 standard
deviations above the mean). We also measured the changes in the static component of the
geomagnetic field around the right side of his skull. The approximately 2,000 nT reduction in the
static intensity of the geomagnetic field along the right side of his skull at the level of the
temporoparietal lobe compared to the left would be consistent with greater penetration of flux lines
within the skull and presumably his cerebral space.
We suggest such penetration into SH's right temporoparietal region would allow cerebral access to
potential information that might be contained in a yet to be specified format within the geomagnetic
field (Persinger, 2008). The increment of energy associated with this access would be in the order
of 10-11 J. This quantum of energy was emitted from the right side of his brain during the IS. In
addition 10-11 J was the equivalent energy associated with the changes in geomagnetic intensity
within the volume of space 25 cm and 100 cm from his skull. The increases in photon emission and
decreases in geomagnetic intensity were matched for magnitude of energy, latency to be displayed
and superimposed amplitude variation (between 0.2 Hz to 0.6 Hz). The convergence of values does
not prove information was transferred from the environment but does support the first law of
thermodynamics (conservation of energy), that energy is neither created nor destroyed but changes
form, which may be relevant to the Harribance phenomena.
The value of approximately 10-11 Watts (J/s) is also well within the range generated by the
electromagnetic component of brain activity. The influence of a single action potential's net change
of 1.2 x 10-1 V (120 mV) upon a single charge of 1.6 x 10-19 A s is about 2 x 10-20 J (Persinger et al,
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2008). The value of 10-11 J would be equivalent to about 109 action potentials or 1 billion neurons
displaying one action potential per sec. Assuming an average frequency of about 10 Hz per neuron,
this would involve in the order of 100 million cortical neurons. This value is well within the range
estimated to be activated within the temporoparietal cortices.
5. Conclusion
We suggest that the unique organization of Sean Harribance’s brain has allowed apparent access to
information from others’ memories. His accuracy has been sufficient to maintain his employment
and be accessed by multiple private and government agencies. Quantitative EEG analyses indicated
a fixed pattern of reliable increases in power over portions of the right hemisphere. The total
numbers and durations of this configuration were significantly correlated with rated accuracies of
information of people within photographs. SH displayed microstates that included normal as well as
unique patterns whose durations were about half the values obtained for the average person.
The actual stimuli that became the information experienced by SH during his interpretations are
not clear. The marked coherence of cerebral activity between SH and the participants during his
close proximity and display of the IS indicates that a component of the information may originate
from within the brains of the participants or a third factor shared by both. The discrete changes in
photons concomitant with alterations in the intensity in the surrounding geomagnetic field in the
vicinity of SH and the participants indicate involvement of physical mechanisms worthy of
thorough exploration. In conclusion there is evidence that Sean Harribance intuits verifiable
information about the history and status of others and that the processes are: 1) associated with
discrete patterns of his brain activity, and, 2) consistent with the current understanding of the
"Theory of Mind".
Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank Dr. Ghislaine Lafreniere for proof reading and
editing the manuscript. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Harribance Foundation for
their contributions allowing Mr. Harribance to visit our laboratory.
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Mathew D. Hunter1,2, Bryce P. Mulligan1,2, Blake T. Dotta1,2 Kevin S. Saroka1,3, Christina F. Lavallee1,3, Stanley A. Koren1,3,
Michael A. Persinger1,2,3,4*
Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory1
Departments of Biology2 and Psychology3
Behavioural Neuroscience, Human Studies, and Biomolecular Sciences Programs4 Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT
The attribution of unobservable cognitive states to others, a component of the "Theory of Mind", involves activity within the right temporoparietal region. We tested an exceptional subject, Sean Harribance, who displayed a reliable, consistent configuration of QEEG activity over this region that was confirmed through source localization software. The blind-rated accuracies of the histories of 40 people shown in 40 different photographs were strongly correlated with the quantitative occurrence of this conspicuous QEEG pattern displayed during Mr. Harribance’s “intuitive state”. The proportions of specific microstates were also strongly correlated with his accuracy of discerning the historical characteristics of the people in the photographs. Compared to the normal population his microstates were half the duration and his sense of “now” was about twice as fast as the average person.
During his intuitive states there was strong congruence of activity between the left temporal lobes of participants who sat near Mr. Harribance and the activity over his temporal (primarily right) lobes within the theta and 19-20 Hz band. Reversible increases in photon emissions and small alterations in the intensity within the nearby (up to a 1 meter) geomagnetic field along the right side of his head were equivalent to energies of about 10-11 Joules with amplitude modulations in the 0.2 to 0.6 Hz range. The results indicate even exceptional skills previously attributed to aberrant sources are variations of normal cerebral dynamics associated with intuition and may involve small but discrete changes in proximal energy.
We suggest that the unique organization of Sean Harribance’s brain has allowed apparent access to information from others’ memories. His accuracy has been sufficient to maintain his employment and be accessed by multiple private and government agencies. Quantitative EEG analyses indicated a fixed pattern of reliable increases in power over portions of the right hemisphere. The total numbers and durations of this configuration were significantly correlated with rated accuracies of information of people within photographs. SH displayed microstates that included normal as well as unique patterns whose durations were about half the values obtained for the average person. The actual stimuli that became the information experienced by SH during his interpretations are not clear.
The marked coherence of cerebral activity between SH and the participants during his close proximity and display of the IS indicates that a component of the information may originate from within the brains of the participants or a third factor shared by both. The discrete changes in photons concomitant with alterations in the intensity in the surrounding geomagnetic field in the vicinity of SH and the participants indicate involvement of physical mechanisms worthy of thorough exploration. In conclusion there is evidence that Sean Harribance intuits verifiable information about the history and status of others and that the processes are: 1) associated with discrete patterns of his brain activity, and, 2) consistent with the current understanding of the "Theory of Mind".
Key words: Theory of Mind; microstates; temporoparietal region; geomagnetic alterations; photon
emissions; intuitive states.
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1. Introduction
A fundamental human ability to predict and to interpret the behavior of others can be explained by a
"Theory of Mind" (Happe 2003; Saxe and Wexler 2005). This is a process by which most healthy
adults attribute unobservable cognitive states to others and integrate these states into a coherent
model (Saxe and Wexler 2003; Vogeley 2001). Regions near the temporoparietal junction of the
human brain have been implicated in a broad range of social cognitive tasks including recognition
of faces and inferences about other's thoughts (Allison et al. 2000; Brunet et al. 2000; Fletcher et al.
1995; Hoffman and Haxby 2000).
Sean Harribance (SH) is a classic example of a person who possesses an ability to infer lifetime
"experiences" of the putative memories of others while viewing photographs of a person or
individuals known to this person while the latter is present. Most of his comments concerning the
person are considered so exceptional, specific, or unique that his primary income for the last 40
years has been derived from these interpretations. His interpersonal behaviors are amicable and
sincere but exhibit qualitatively different features that are clearly discernable by most people.
There has also been a long experimental and anecdotal history concerning SH and his capacity to
“access” accurate information about others by mechanisms not known to date (Harribance 1994).
Single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) displayed increased uptake of tracer
and perfusion within the superior medial portion of the right parietal cortices during these
experiences (Roll et al. 2002). Neuropsychological evidence suggested anomalous function within
the frontoparietal-temporal region of the right hemisphere (Roll et al. 2002). During a previous visit
(ten years ago) three different people, who were each given 10 pictures of their relatives and 10
comments (total of 30 photographs and 30 comments) by SH of the medical history and personal
experiences of those people, correctly matched 8 out of 10 of the pictures with the descriptions.
By applying the modern tools of quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) we found reliable
signatures involving his right temporoparietal region that were associated with the ratings of
accuracy for his statements. We also found consistent changes in QEEG activity within the right
temporoparietal regions of the participants sitting near SH while he was "interpreting" the person or
related photographs. We called this conspicuous, stable pattern the Harribance Configuration (HC).
The overall pattern of activity and his subjective attributions suggested his experiences may be a
variant of normal intuition (Kuo et al. 2009).
We have assumed that SH’s unique ability to interpret such specific details of a person’s life with
no prior contact is primarily cerebrally generated and can be quantified by electroencephalography.
On the bases of the proximity apparently required between SH and the person and the experienced
physical changes reported by participants, we reasoned that the “information” might be obtained
through a medium within the proximal environment. We hypothesized that two potential mediums
may be a contributor to the reception of information: 1) biophoton emissions and 2) the shared
geomagnetic field within which both SH and the subjects are immersed.
Biophotons have been shown to be potential neural communication signals (Sun et al, 2010).
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According to Popp (1979) biological systems have the capacity to store coherent photons from the
external world and emit a few hundred to about a thousand photons per cm2 per second; he also
hypothesized that photons may be utilized for cell-cell communication. The recent measurements
that a photon is not massless (Liang-Cheng et al, 2005) have far reaching implications relevant to
biological systems. They include deviations in the behaviour of static electromagnetic fields,
longitudinal electromagnetic radiation and even questions of gravitational deflection (Liang-Cheng
et al, 2005). Such small changes are even more important in light of the minute energies of about
10-20 J associated with an action potential (Persinger et al. 2008; Persinger, 2010) and the recent
direct measurements that a single neuron can affect specific responses (Houweling and Brecht,
2008).
Biological systems emerged within the earth's magnetic field and human beings are immersed in the
geomagnetic field. Fluctuations with peak-to-peak amplitudes of about 1% of the steady-state
condition within the biofrequency to mHz range (Persinger, 1980) have powerful effects upon
electroencephalographic activity (Babayev and Allahverdiyeva, 2007; Mulligan et al, 2010) and
correlative behaviours that can be simulated experimentally (Michon and Persinger, 1997). That
information could be stored within the space occupied by the earth's magnetic field has both
theoretical and quantitative support (Persinger, 2009) although the definitive experiment to relate
byte-dependent patterns to specific responses or ideas has not been completed. There is ample
evidence that application of weak (microTesla to nanoTesla) physiologically-patterned magnetic
fields, particularly over the right hemisphere, are associated with the report of common themes of
experiences in normal volunteers (St-Pierre and Persinger, 2006, Persinger and Tiller 2008,
Persinger et al. 2009).
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
All subjects who took part in this study did so with written informed consent. The procedures
outlined were approved by Laurentian University’s Research Ethics Board. Demographic
information is given below with respect to each of the different paradigms. All testing was
completed between 12:00-17:00 local time.
2.2. Data Acquisition and Analysis
2.2.1. Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG)
During his visit to our laboratory we measured SH over a period of five successive days, resulting
in approximately 5 hours (500 to 1000 samples per sec) of QEEG measurements (8 or 19 channels)
by different devices. Eight channels for F7, F8, T3, T4, P3, P4, O1, O2 from either of two Grass
Instrument Model 8-16 C EEGs (16 channel) were monitored by hardcopy (paper). The filter
selections for each channel were set for the standard range between 0.5 Hz and 35 Hz. Each Model
8-16C machine was interfaced via a custom shielded cable, a parallel analogue shield interface
cable (Nat. Inst. SH100100) and a shielded connector block (Nat. Inst. SCB-100) to a National
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Instruments PCI-607IE Multi I/O Board computer interface card. The data were extracted at 1000
Hz sampling (every 1 msec) by a DELL Dimension 8100 Personal Computer on a Windows 2000
Professional Platform. A custom designed user interface or Virtual Instrument (VI) using National
Instruments Labview (Version 6.0i-2000) allowed the multichannel sample to be manually recorded
to fixed disk.
A second QEEG utilized was a Mitsar 201 system amplifier which samples at 500 Hz with an input
range of -500 to +500 microvolts and 16 bit analogue to digital conversion. The electrode cap
(Electro-Cap International) utilized 19 AgCl electrodes using the 10-20 international standard
method of electrode placement. Impedance for all electrodes was maintained at less than 10 kOhms.
All electrodes were linked to ear references for monopolar measurements and appropriate channels
for occasional bipolar recordings. WINEEG v2.82 was utilized for data collection, artifact removal,
and spectral analyses. Visual inspection and independent component analysis were utilized for
removal of all artifacts. Spectral analyses were computed utilizing WINEEG software and further
statistical analysis of spectral components was completed using SPSS software. All EEG coherence
results were completed utilizing EEG Lab software (Delorme and Makeig 2004).
Source localization was completed using sLORETA (standardized low resolution electromagnetic
tomography; Jurcak et al. 2007; Pascual-Marqui 2002) software. sLORETA has cross-modal
validation with respect to Brodmann area mapping with as few as 19 channels (Winterer et al. 2001,
Mulert et al. 2004). Source localization analysis was utilized to assess how SH differed spectrally
between his resting and IS (“interpretational state) conditions. The IS condition was completed
without talking while he was “calling his angel”. Four 1 minute sessions of IS were completed
while wearing the 19 channel EEG from which eight 30 second artifact free EEG records were
collected and compared with eight 30 second artifact free resting EEG sections.
2.2.2. Rated Accuracy of Types of Interpretations and EEG Patterns
The procedures preferred by SH were followed. EEG measurements were completed before,
during, and after SH engaged in his “reading of another” which we called the “interpretational
state” (IS) because of the unique pattern of EEG activity (HC). To discern if the HC was
quantitatively associated with SH’s rated accuracy, 10 photographs of related individuals (children,
niece, grandparents etc.) were supplied by 4 different people (Male, N=4, mean age = 24.5 SD =
1.12) who were not present at the time of the experiment but whom he had met previously. During
the interpretations his comments were recorded by audiotape and his QEEG was continuously
measured. SH was given each photograph by one of two people sitting with him in an acoustic
chamber (the other person monitored the portable EEG measurements).
When his comments were finished the photograph was removed and another one was handed to
SH. He would look at the photograph of the person for about 2-3 s and then begin with a series of
brief descriptors concerning health, education, friendship patterns, death in the family, history of
diseases, and general “personality”. The proportions of approximately 10 to 15 comments (each
comment about 2 s) made for each of the 10 pictures from each person (n=40 photographs) were
scored for specific accuracy by each of the four people separately a week later when the comments
had been transcribed. The categories for the statements by SH were rated as false, generally true,
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Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
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specifically true, future references, and “don’t know” or “unable to confirm”. A relative score for
each picture was computed by calculating the ratio of true (sum of generally and specifically true) to
the total of false plus true. A second proportional score was compute by calculating the number of
true statements divided by the total number of comments for each picture. These scores were
correlated with the total duration and number of HCs per picture. Factor analyses (varimax rotation)
were completed utilizing the two dependent measures. Multiple regression analyses were also
completed for these two dependent variables as a function of the various EEG spectral power
measures. As a control for movement and muscle artifacts we instructed SH to complete his reading
or “call his angel” in the same manner that he would when interpreting someone’s photograph.
2.2.3. Microstate and Accuracy Correlations
Research by Koenig et al (2002) has revealed consistent microstates whose durations are within the
range of a percept, approximately 80 to 120 msec. The microstates are defined as periods of quasistable
topographical maps of the cumulative scalp electrical field disregarding polarity (Lehmann
et al. 2010). Isopotential lines reveal four major stable maps of microstates that accommodate
almost three-quarters of the variance in voltage fluctuations (Figure 2a). These four patterns are
remarkably consistent across ontogeny and vary primarily in their durations and proportions
(Koenig et al. 2002) and may reflect a type of information patterning or processing (Lehmann et al.
2010).
The microstates were extracted from eye blink artifact free EEG records taken from the 19 channel
EEG during the reading and analyzed according to Koenig et al’s (2002) procedures. The
characteristics of the microstates during SH’s rest states and IS were mapped. The durations and
numbers of specific states per unit time during his “readings” of the 40 photographs were correlated
with the measures of accuracy noted in the previous section. Factor analyses (varimax rotation)
were also completed between the different microstate measures and the proportional and relative
accuracy score measures.
2.2.4. Temporal Discrimination (“Sense of Now”)
The sense of now can be defined as the minimum amount of time required to discriminate between
two discrete stimuli. Previous results from our lab have identified that this minimum time required
is about 28 ms based on the following procedures (Dotta et al.,in submission). To discern if SH's
temporal discrimination of "now" was different, he was instructed to identify which of two red
circles appeared first on a laptop computer screen. The two circles each had a diameter of 1cm and
separated by a distance of 5cm on the screen. The circles were randomly presented with respect to
both place presentation (left first, right first) and temporal presentation (order of duration
segments). SH completed this paradigm while he sat in a comfortable chair in a dimly lit acoustic
chamber (the same chamber in which he interpreted the photographs of 2.2.2). The duration of
delay between the two symbols ranged from 5 to 40 msec (5 blocks of 19 trials). The time at which
he displayed 100% accuracy for discrimination between two circles was considered his threshold
for “now”.
2.2.5. EEG Responses of Subjects Proximal to Harribance
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Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
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Historically, the proportion of accuracy of information about others has been considered greatest
when SH was sitting within about 1 to 2 m of the person. We reasoned that if the source of the
information originated from the space occupied by the participants, specific changes in their brain
activity as inferred by QEEG may occur when SH was displaying the IS compared to baseline or
other conditions. On separate days, the QEEGs of three different individuals (Male, N=3, mean age
24 SD 0.5) (not involved with part 2.2.2) were recorded while SH’s EEG was being measured and
he was interpreting their photographs. Each of the individuals and SH had 20, 2 second artifact free
segments extracted for analysis of coherence. The subjects were assessed using the 8 channel EEG
system while SH was assessed using the 19 channel system. Synchronization of EEG records were
completed through 3 stages; 1) both computers were updated through Windows XP‘s
synchronized internet time server every 1 hour. Any record taken was given a digital time stamp;
2) throughout the records stopwatches were concurrently synchronized to the same international
time stamp and were used to further synchronize events within the record; 3) Each interpretation
session had digital audio recording which was also time stamped and was used to transcribe the
events and the associated timeline.
2.2.6. Photon Emission During the Interpretational State
To discern if changes in photon emission were occurring in the proximity of the scalp (inferred as a
result of brain activity), SH sat in a comfortable chair (in a different room on two successive days)
in the dark while photon emission was recorded from the right side of his head. We selected the
right side on the same plane as his parietal and temporal lobes because: 1) previous research
demonstrated enhanced SPECT activity in this region (Roll et al, 2002), and, 2) it was the locus of
the highly consistent EEG configuration that was associated with the accuracy of the ratings for his
interpretations.
A Model 15 Photometer from SRI Instruments (Pacific Photometric Instruments) with a PMT
housing (BCA IP21) for a RCA electron tube (no filters) was calibrated by comparing directly to a
digital luxmeter at higher intensities (> 1 lux) and by measuring the response to a 700 nm LED at
10 mA (5 millicandella; 2 millilumens/45 degree) at various distances for intensities of less than 1
lux. Lux was transformed to Watts/m2. The output was transformed to mV (millivolt meter) and
sent to an IBM ThinkPad laptop (Windows 95) where samples were taken 3 times/s during the
experimental periods. Calibration indicated that a change of 1 unit at this sensitivity was equivalent
to about 5 x 10-11 W/m2 or a total energy of about 1.5 x 10-11 J/s at this distance.
2.2.7. Proximal Changes in the Geomagnetic Field Intensity
The changes in intensity (in nanoTesla) within the earth’s magnetic field in the three spatial planes
surrounding SH’s head were measured. Routine measurements in our laboratory as well as others
have revealed that the semiconductive properties of the human mass can alter the shape and
intensity of the geomagnetic field along the boundaries of the body (Presman 1970). We suspected
that such changes may occur when he was engaging quietly in the IS compared to rest conditions.
SH completed his IS while maintaining silence to eliminate any resultant activity with respect to
movement.
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Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
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To measure possible left vs right hemispheric differences and how they might affect the
immediately adjacent magnetic field, simultaneous measurements were taken over the left and right
parietal region of the skull by placing the magnetometer sensors over each side. To discern changes
in the earth's magnetic field proximal to the right side of SH’s head, the two separate MEDA FVM-
400 magnetometers were placed on narrow aluminum frames so the sensors would be located on
the same plane as his right temporoparietal region at distances of 25 cm and 1 m. The
magnetometers' outputs (X,Y,Z) were recorded by IBM laptops. Sampling (17.4 samples/s)
durations were 30 sec by MEDA software through an IMB ThinkPad laptop. To compare the
effects of movement artifacts, SH was instructed to move his right arm quickly and to point
upwards. These conspicuous artifacts, which were qualitatively different from the distinct changes
that occurred when he was sitting quietly and engaging in the IS, displayed the usual noisy
oscillatory excursions with a maximum change between 100 and 200 nT.
2.3 Statistical Analyses
All analyses, including correlations (Pearson and Spearman), factor analyses, and multiple
regression were completed by SPSS software.
3. Results
3.1. Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG)
The most unique characteristic of SH's brain activity was brief (a few seconds) high frequency
(gamma range, i.e., 30 to 40 Hz) consistent configurations over the right rostral-parietal-temporal
(C4,T4) and the right central and orbital frontal region (Figure 1a) while he was “calling the angel”;
other areas showed slower (irregular 8 to 15 Hz) state-expected activity. When the pattern was
corrected for talking (calling of the angel only) (Figure 1b), the configuration was specific to the
right frontal (F4,F8), central (C4) and temporal (T4) locations, particularly around 20 Hz for F8 and
T4. sLORETA software (Figure 1d, 1e) showed enhanced activity that extended into the insula and
temporal cortices in the right hemisphere when compared to his resting baseline (p < 0.001). This
pattern defined the Harribance Configuration (HC).
The HC occurred reliably for a total of about 20 s per min and with an average of 6 separate
episodes when he was interpreting people or photographs but not when he engaged in other activity
such as resting, meditating, or spontaneous talking about ongoing events. During interpretations
SH reported he sensed a "sentient presence" to which he attributed his "information" about the
participant or associated photographs. He reported he could control this "presence", even when
he was not talking, which has been subjectively apparent since early childhood. Fourier analyses
of the power output (uV2/Hz) of his brain during his interpretations were associated with increases
in all lobes within the delta (1 to 4 Hz) and theta (4 to 8 Hz) range upon which the HC was
superimposed (Figure 1f). The increases in power within the delta and theta band were most
apparent over his right temporal lobe.
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Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
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Figure 1. Samples of electroencephalographic patterns and software representations
of the "Harribance configuration" (HC) during his interpretations. (a) Electronic
monopolar recordings from 19 channel EEG while SH was interpreting a subjects
photograph (b) Electronic monopolar recordings from 19 channel EEG while SH
was in the IS but not talking (HC indicated by elliptical regions). (c) Power spectra
(blue while talking, red without talking during the "interpretational state", IS)
showing major enhancements within the right frontocentral and temporal lobes at
approximately 20 Hz. (d) s-LORETA profile showing specific activation within the
gamma band (light blue) during the HC within primarily the right temporal-insular
region. (e) s-LORETA profile of major activation within the gamma band (blue)
during the IS (while talking). (f) General increase in power within the delta and theta
ranges during the HC compared to baseline for major areas over both hemispheres.
Note the particular enhancement over the right temporal lobe.
3.2. Rated Accuracy of Types of Interpretations and EEG Patterns
Raters ranked all comments for each picture individually during the approximately 1 min
interpretation (total comments M=18, SD=4.7) according to five categories. The categories and
proportions (means with standard deviations in parenthesis) for the 40 photographs were: false
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7(10) %, generally true 42(19) %, specifically true 25(18) %, (generally true and specifically true
were summed as true 67(20) %), don't know 9(9) % and future reference 18(15) %. The correlation
between the relative accuracy for his comments for the photographs and the numbers of HCs was r
= 0.46 (p <0.001). The magnitude of the association between the numbers of HCs and the
proportion of true statements was similar. The raters were blind with respect to the measures of the
HC for each photograph.
Factor analysis (loading coefficients in parentheses) of the total number of false (-0.02), true (0.80),
don't know (-0.52), future (-0.58) and relative numbers of HCs (0.74) indicated that only HCs and
true ratings shared the same positive variance and explained 37% (Eigenvalue = 1.89) of the
variance. Factor analyses (all after varimax rotation) showed similar loadings when the relative
duration of HCs (total duration of HCs/total time of trial) was substituted for the relative number of
HCs and for relative true (0.78), relative false (-0.15), total statements (0.11), relative number HCs
(0.76) and relative duration of HCs (0.71) were included. Multiple regression analyses with each of
the 1 Hz increments of power showed that both the duration of the HC (Table 1) and rated accuracy
(Table 2) could be predicted by specific bands over the right frontal, central, and rostral temporal
regions.
Table 1. Step-wise multiple regression of the duration of HCs (dependent variable) during 40, 1
min samples while SH was interpreting for all frequency bands (1 Hz to 40 Hz) within F4, F8, C4,
and T4
Variable R R2 R2 B Beta
F4 27 Hz 0.76 0.58 0.58 9.27 0.62
C4 16 Hz 0.85 0.72 0.16 -19.28 -0.30
F8 21 Hz 0.87 0.76 0.04 - 4.59 -0.32
T4 12 Hz 0.89 0.80 0.04 11.03 0.18
F4 26 Hz 0.91 0.83 0.03 4.96 0.30
Constant 14.55
Table 2. Step-wise multiple regression of the relative accuracy scores (dependent variable) during
40, 1 min samples while SH was interpreting for all frequency bands (1 Hz to 40 Hz) within F4, F8,
C4, and T4
Variable R R2 R2 B Beta
T4 17 Hz 0.32 0.11 0.11 0.20 0.40
C4 33 Hz 0.60 0.36 0.25 -1.15 -0.70
T4 19 Hz 0.66 0.44 0.11 0.16 0.40
Constant 0.86
3.3. Microstates and Accuracy Correlations
As shown in Figure 2a, during resting (eyes closed) the structure of SH’s fundamental microstates
did not differ appreciably from the normative data (Koenig et al, 2002); however, the duration of
each of his states was conspicuously (about half) shorter (occurrence equivalent to about 7 Hz,
rather than 3 to 4 Hz). During the IS or while he was interpreting photographs different states
emerged that have not been reported in the literature (Figure 2b). Class A (red) and to some extent
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Class D (yellow) showed the same polarity in both cerebral hemispheres while Class B (green) and
Class (C) (blue) showed the more typical but restricted bipolarity but within the same (right)
hemisphere. The occurrence (expressed as Hz) for these states were consistent over the quartiles of
the 60 sec interpretations. During his viewing of the 40 pictures the proportions of time covered by
each of the four anomalous microstates were: 25(13) %, 32(11) %, 18(17) % and 25(7) %,
respectively.
Figure 2. (a) Mean durations and SEMs (vertical bars) for each of the 4 classes of
cerebral microstates for the normative sample and for SH. The topographic maps
(looking down from the top with the person facing the top of the page) showed
microstates when he was not engaging in interpretation that were similar to
normative data. Red and blue indicate areas of opposite polarity. Normative maps
adapted from reference (Koenig et al. 2002). (b) The frequency (inverse of duration)
of each of the four anomalous cerebral microstates that emerged during the IS.
Means and SEMs, based on 40 samples, are given for each state and are indicated by
lines of the same color as the rectangle surrounding the maps. The four classes of
microstates explained 54.58% (SD 10.46) of the variance in the analyzed epochs.
Factor analyses of the 40 scores for the pictures with the proportion of time for each state, the
occurrence of the HC, and relative accuracy, revealed a factor (Eigenvalue = 2.16) loaded by class
C (opposite polarity over right prefrontal and right temporoparietal lobes: 0.67), Class A (-0.79), the
HC duration (0.82) and the relative accuracy rating (0.62). The most unusual microstate, the one
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associated with the same polarity in both hemispheres (Class A), was correlated (0.55) with the
numbers of statements that could not be verified by the raters. The mean duration for SH's normal
microstates (when he was not engaged in the IS) and the states positively associated with the raters'
accuracies was about one-half that of the normal person.
3.4. Temporal Discrimination (Sense of “Now”)
SH’s threshold for sense of now was not within the normal range. Whereas accuracies for
normative samples of people were 100% when the discrepancies were above 28 msec, SH's most
accurate scores occurred for time delays between 10 to 20 msec; above this interval (to a maximum
of 40 msec) SH’s accuracy was significantly less.
3.5. EEG Responses of Subjects Proximal to Harribance
All individuals displayed increases in beta and gamma activity (Figure 3a) over their temporal lobes
in the presence of SH during the interpretations. The relative increase in power within this range
compared to the baseline (when SH and the subject simultaneously engaged in eyes-closed
relaxation) is shown in Figure 3b. In addition to the general increase in power within the right
parietal and left temporal lobes of the participants, there was a conspicuous decrease in power
within the 1 to 9 Hz range (with the exception of the 6 Hz to 7 Hz increment) over the right
parietotemporal regions compared to these lobes in the left hemisphere.
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Figure 3. Responses in the brain activity of participants sitting (about 1 to 2 m) near
SH while he was interpreting their photographs. (a) Typical EEG patterns of a
participant while SH was interpreting their photographs. Note the higher frequency
and amplitude of activity over the left (T3) and particularly the right (T4) temporal
lobes. (b) Average relative change in power within each 1 Hz increment of brain
activity between 1 Hz and 41 Hz for four participants during SH's interpretation
relative to baseline. Note the marked decrease in power (< 10 Hz) within the right
temporoparietal region except for the 6-7 Hz band within the participants’ records
when SH was engaged in the IS. (c) Averaged power outputs for SH and
participants within the gamma range (temporal lobe) during SH's pre-IS, IS, and
post-IS for the 40 photographs. Vertical bars indicate SEMs. (d) Cross-spectral
analyses of power (yellow=mild coherence; red= maximum coherence) within the
left temporal lobe of a sample subject and SH’s right temporal lobe within various
frequency intervals over time (milliseconds).
There was increased similarity of the EEG patterns for SH and the subjects over the temporal lobes
(average of left and right) in particular. During the pre-IS, IS, and post-IS periods the relative power
of the two brains did not differ significantly within the gamma range (Figure 3c); this was not
evident for delta, theta, low-alpha, high alpha or beta bands. The increased power within the 33 to
35 Hz range over the temporal lobes of SH and the participants was conspicuous even though the
latter talked rarely. Cross spectral analyses of the raw data (20, 2 sec samples per participant)
indicated increased coherence within a narrower 19 to 20 Hz band as well as the wider 30 to 40 Hz
band within SH's right temporal lobe and the participants' left temporal lobes during his
interpretations (Figure 3d). A similar coherence occurred between SH's left and right temporal
lobes. The means and standard deviations for the duration of the coherence were M = 137 msec and
SD = 55 msec (or about 7 Hz) while these values for the inter-event intervals were 587 (475) msec.
3.6. Photon Emission During the Interpretational State
As can be seen in Figure 4a, the energy density (Watts/m2) as measured by a photomultiplier tube at
0.15 m along the right side of SH's head while he sat in a comfortable chair in complete darkness,
showed an increase of about 1 unit of average transmittance during the IS compared to resting
baselines. The changes were reversible (Figure 4b), replicable on two separate days (Figure 4c) and
controllable by the experimenters’ instructions for SH to start or stop the IS. The latencies between
the instruction for SH to begin the IS and the increases in transmittance were between 10 and 20
sec. Spectral analyses indicated that microvariations associated with these shifts displayed primary
power peaks according to Fourier analyses between 0.2 and 0.4 Hz. Calibration indicated that a
change of 1 unit at this sensitivity was equivalent to about 5 x 10-11 W/m2 or a total energy of about
1.5 x 10-11 J/s at this distance.
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Figure 4. Photomultiplier tube measurements demonstrating an increase of
approximately 1 unit of photon emission (“transmittance”) during IS. (a) Example
of the increase of approximately 1 transmittance unit (yellow vs red) about 10-11 J/s)
at 0.15 m from SH's right hemisphere when engaged in the IS (yellow line) after
baseline (red). (b) Example of the reversibility of power density when SH stopped
(red line) and initiated (yellow line) the IS. (c) Means and SEMs for the changes in
photon detection between baseline (resting) and after initiation of the IS for three
separate experiments.
3.7. Proximal Changes in the Geomagnetic Field Intensity
The steady-state (static) geomagnetic field in the horizontal plane was about 2,000 nT less over
SH’s right temporoparietal region compared to his left. This was similar to what was measured
about ten years ago when he visited the laboratory. During the IS (Figure 5a-c) there were relatively
sudden changes in the intensity of the local geomagnetic field within 1 cm of skull. They began
about 10 to 20 sec after the instructions to begin the IS. The typical magnitude of these changes was
about 150 nT. According to the classic equation: J=(B2/2u) multiplied by the volume (of his
cerebrum), the energy available in this change in the geomagnetic field during the IS would be
about 10-11 J.
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Hunter, M.D., Mulligan, B.P., Dotta, B. T., Saroka, K. S., Lavallee, C. F., Koren, S. A., & Persinger, M. A., Cerebral
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Figure 5. Changes (in nanoTesla) in the intensity of the earth's magnetic field
(showing sample X,Y,Z components, measured in nanoTesla) around SH for his
right temporoparietal region (a-c, at 1 cm; D=1 m). (a) Change (in nT) in
geomagnetic intensity (horizontal plane in direction of magnetometer) 1 cm from
the right side of SH's head about 15 s after instruction for IS. (b) Change in nT
beginning about 15 s after instruction showing decrease and recovery. (c) Changes
in intensity beginning at the onset of the IS effect and recovery when IS stops after
about 20 s. (d) Decrease in intensity (horizontal plane) at 1 m during onset of IS.
The spiky transients reflect the resolution (1 nT) of the instruments.
In the second set of experiments when the IS was engaged and the geomagnetic field was measured
at 0.25 and 1 m from the right side of his head there were clear decreases of about 15 nT and 5 nT
(Figure 5d), respectively, during the state compared to when he was instructed to relax. The energy
change, according to the expanding volume determined by the distance, would remain equivalent to
about 10-11 Joules. Fourier analyses indicated intrinsic amplitude modulations during these shifts
that peaked within the 0.2 Hz to 0.6 Hz range.
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4. Discussion
SH attributes his interpretations and intuitions to information from a sensed presence. Variants of a
sensed presence have included the ancient Greek's Muses (Persinger and Makarec, 1992), mystical
or religious "spirit guides" (Evans 1984) and even the concept of the "hidden observer" following
hypnosis (Harrington 1995). The latter has been hypothesized to allow experients to solve complex
problems even though they cannot recall the source of the solutions. These experiences have strong
associations with right hemispheric processes, creativity and intuition (Chavez-Eakle et al. 2007;
Jung Beeman et al. 2004). It is important to emphasize that all of these “complex” behaviors are
derived from specific patterns of brain activity.
Our results indicate that reliable, measurable changes in the brain activity within the right
parietotemporal region of SH occurred when he was interpreting another person or a photograph.
These changes were consistent while engaging in the IS and without a talking artifact present. This
is the same area that had displayed marked uptake in tracer during SPECT (Roll et al. 2002) which
is not susceptible to the muscle artifacts. Given the sLORETA profile of enhanced activity within
the right medial temporal, parietotemporal and insula regions (Figure 1d), we suggest that SH's
ability is a variant of the process that contributes to normal intuition. It has been associated with the
acquisition of information regarding past, present and future events that involve complex
inferencing about which the experient is allegedly unaware. We suggest that individuals like SH
are at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Asperger’s Syndrome (Senju et al, 2009) for
the capacity to engage in Theory of Mind. Whereas the former display “mind-blindness”, Mr.
Harribance may display a “hypermentality” that may allow sensitivity to information and
environmental cues not typically accessible by the normal person.
The shared variance between the ratings of the relative accuracy of the 40 photographs and the
numbers of HCs during the interpretation of each photograph further validates the relationship
between the EEG and SH’s experience. The convergence suggests a third factor may be associated
with SH’s brain activity and the accuracy of information stated for each photograph. To understand
what alteration in his consciousness might be occurring, the HC was analyzed for microstates of
integrated cerebral activity (Koenig et al. 2002). If we assume that the neuroelectromagnetic
correlates of consciousness are related systematically to the manner in which the billions of
potential events (Norretranders 1998) penetrating the brain are detected (become stimuli) and are
integrated into experiences, alterations in these functions might allow access to information not
available in normal states.
The alteration in what is likely to be SH's sense of "now" suggests a different temporal processing
or integration of sensory stimuli not typically seen in the average person. SH could discriminate
latencies in the differential serial onset of two stimuli at durations between 10 and 20 msec where
the average person requires more than 28 msec with this paradigm. This "doubled" processing rate
was also reflected in the net durations of his microstates. The coherence was equivalent to about 7
Hz which was similar to the value for coherence between SH's left and right temporal lobes.
In addition to the normal microstates, SH also displayed patterns that have not been previously
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Dynamics and Discrete Energy Changes in the Personal Physical Environment During Intuitive-Like States and Perceptions
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reported. The "double (same) polarity" pattern (Class A) between the two hemispheres might be
interpreted as a brief period of marked intercalation or "integrated state". Our hypothesis (Booth et
al, 2005; Persinger, 1993) has been that such transient interactions allow conscious access to
primarily right hemispheric information that is then transformed to linguistic equivalents or images
(Persinger et al, 2002). We will be exploring the possibility that the correlations observed in this
study between the non-rateable comments and the "double polarity" pattern may have contained
information that was not accessible to the rater but may be accurate according to the first-person
experience of the person within the photographs.
That there were congruent changes in power within the 33 to 35 Hz range over the temporal lobes
of SH and the participants in the presence of SH offers an alternative explanation to the long history
of belief that individuals with SH's capacity are accessing the cognitive processes of distant or
deceased individuals. The experiences and memories of the participant or experient is the primary
reference by which the statements about others are verified. One interpretation of the increased
coherence between the 19 to 20 Hz band and 30 to 40 Hz band over SH's right temporal lobe and
the participants' left temporal lobes during his interpretations would be an as yet unspecified direct
access to the information within the participants' cerebral space. A more parsimonious explanation
would involve a variant of enhanced suggestibility by his proximity.
If the former explanation is valid, then SH's discernment of this information would involve physical
mechanisms. We examined this possibility in two ways. We measured the quantitative increase in
photon emission from the right side but not the left side of his brain during his IS. University
students tested in our laboratory also show increased photon emission over the right hemisphere but
not over the left when they imagine light. SH’s values were 4 times higher (about 6 standard
deviations above the mean). We also measured the changes in the static component of the
geomagnetic field around the right side of his skull. The approximately 2,000 nT reduction in the
static intensity of the geomagnetic field along the right side of his skull at the level of the
temporoparietal lobe compared to the left would be consistent with greater penetration of flux lines
within the skull and presumably his cerebral space.
We suggest such penetration into SH's right temporoparietal region would allow cerebral access to
potential information that might be contained in a yet to be specified format within the geomagnetic
field (Persinger, 2008). The increment of energy associated with this access would be in the order
of 10-11 J. This quantum of energy was emitted from the right side of his brain during the IS. In
addition 10-11 J was the equivalent energy associated with the changes in geomagnetic intensity
within the volume of space 25 cm and 100 cm from his skull. The increases in photon emission and
decreases in geomagnetic intensity were matched for magnitude of energy, latency to be displayed
and superimposed amplitude variation (between 0.2 Hz to 0.6 Hz). The convergence of values does
not prove information was transferred from the environment but does support the first law of
thermodynamics (conservation of energy), that energy is neither created nor destroyed but changes
form, which may be relevant to the Harribance phenomena.
The value of approximately 10-11 Watts (J/s) is also well within the range generated by the
electromagnetic component of brain activity. The influence of a single action potential's net change
of 1.2 x 10-1 V (120 mV) upon a single charge of 1.6 x 10-19 A s is about 2 x 10-20 J (Persinger et al,
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2008). The value of 10-11 J would be equivalent to about 109 action potentials or 1 billion neurons
displaying one action potential per sec. Assuming an average frequency of about 10 Hz per neuron,
this would involve in the order of 100 million cortical neurons. This value is well within the range
estimated to be activated within the temporoparietal cortices.
5. Conclusion
We suggest that the unique organization of Sean Harribance’s brain has allowed apparent access to
information from others’ memories. His accuracy has been sufficient to maintain his employment
and be accessed by multiple private and government agencies. Quantitative EEG analyses indicated
a fixed pattern of reliable increases in power over portions of the right hemisphere. The total
numbers and durations of this configuration were significantly correlated with rated accuracies of
information of people within photographs. SH displayed microstates that included normal as well as
unique patterns whose durations were about half the values obtained for the average person.
The actual stimuli that became the information experienced by SH during his interpretations are
not clear. The marked coherence of cerebral activity between SH and the participants during his
close proximity and display of the IS indicates that a component of the information may originate
from within the brains of the participants or a third factor shared by both. The discrete changes in
photons concomitant with alterations in the intensity in the surrounding geomagnetic field in the
vicinity of SH and the participants indicate involvement of physical mechanisms worthy of
thorough exploration. In conclusion there is evidence that Sean Harribance intuits verifiable
information about the history and status of others and that the processes are: 1) associated with
discrete patterns of his brain activity, and, 2) consistent with the current understanding of the
"Theory of Mind".
Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank Dr. Ghislaine Lafreniere for proof reading and
editing the manuscript. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Harribance Foundation for
their contributions allowing Mr. Harribance to visit our laboratory.
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neurometabolic (SPECT) correlates of paranormal information: involvement of the right hemisphere and its
sensitivity to weak complex magnetic fields. Int. J. Neurosci. 112, 197-224.
St-Pierre, L. S. and Persinger, M. A. (2006). Experimental facilitation of the sensed presence is predicted by specific
applied patterns of applied magnetic fields and not by suggestibility: re-analysis of 19 experiments. Int. J.
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Saxe, R., and Kanwisher, N. (2003). People thinking about thinking people. The role of the temporo-parietal junction
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Saxe, R., and Wexler, A. (2005). Making sense of another mind: the role of the right temporo-parietal junction.
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SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
International Journal of Neuroscience
“Neurobehavioral and Neurometabolic (SPECT) Correlates of Paranormal Information: Involvement of the Right Hemisphere and its Sensitivity to Weak Complex Magnetic Fields” by Dr. Roll, Dr. Persinger, Dr. Webster, Tiller, Cook, Vol 112, No. 2, Feb. 2002, pp. 197-224.
International Journal of Psychophysiology
“Neurophysiological Research on an Individual Experiencing Anomalous Mental Phenomena: a Case Study” by Dr. Cheryl Alexander, Vol 35, No. 1, Feb 2000, pp 42-43
Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
“The Neuropsychiatry of Paranormal Experiences” by Dr. Michael Persinger, Vol 13, No. 4, Fall 2001, pp 515-524
Journal of Parapsychology
"Is ESP a Form of Perception? Contributions from a Study of Sean Harribance" Roll, Persinger. Vol. 62, No. 2, 1998, pp. 117-118.
"EEG and SPECT Data of a Selected Subject during Psi Tasks: The Discovery of a Neurophysiological Correlate" Vol. 62, No. 2, 1998, PP 102-104.
"ESP and REG PK with Sean Harribance: Three New Studies" Vol. 62, No. 2, 1998, PP 112-113.
"A Second Two-Choice Clairvoyance EEG Study with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 42, 1978, PP 54-55
"Southeastern Regional Parapsychological Association Conference" Session IV and VI, Vol. 39, No. 1, 1975 PP 31-33
"Psi in Relation to Task Complexity" Vol. 38, No. 2, 1974, PP 154-162
"ESP with Unbalanced Decks: A Study of the Process in an Exceptional Subject" Vol. 37, No. 4, PP 278-297
"A Replication of a 'Psychic Healing' Paradigm" Vol. 36, 1972, PP 144-149
"Possible PK Influence on the Resuscitation of Anesthetized Mice", 1971, PP 257- 272
"Symposium: Research with Special Subjects: Content Analysis of Free Verbal Response Material" Vol. 34, No. 4, December 1970 PP 308.
"Symposium: Research with Special Subjects: Further Forced Choice Tests with
Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 34, No. 4, December 1970 PP 310.
"Symposium: Research with Special Subjects: Free Verbal Responses with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 34, No. 4, December 1970 PP 309-310.
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Psychological Studies" Vol. 33, No. 4, December 1969 PP 365.
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Experiments in Durham" Vol. 33, No 4, December 1969 PP 364.
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Experiments in Trinidad" Vol. 33, No. 4, December 1969 PP 363-364.
"ESP Tests with a High-Scoring Subject" 1968, PP 259-260
Perceptual and Motor Skills
“Experimental Induction of the “Sensed Presence” in Normal Subjects and an Exceptional Subject” 1997, pp 683-693.
Proceedings of the Parapsychological Association
"Is ESP a form of Perception? Contributions from a study of Sean Harribance" Roll, Persinger, 41st annual convention, 1998, PP 199-209
"EEG and SPECT data of a selected subject during psi tasks: The Discovery of a neurophysiological correlate" Alexander, Persinger, Roll and Webster, 41st annual convention, 1998, PP 3-13.
"ESP and REG PK with Sean Harribance: Three New Studies" Palmer, 41st annual convention, 1998, PP 124-134
“Psychic Phenomena and the Brain: A Evolution of Research, Technology, and Understanding” by Dr. Cheryl Alexander, 45th Annual Convention pp 9-24
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: Guessing Habits and ESP" No. 8, 1971, PP 72-74
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: A Summary of Additional Research with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 8, 1971, PP 74-76
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: A Comparison of Clairvoyance and Telepathy" No. 8, 1971, PP 71-72
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: Further Examination of the Relationship Between ESP Scoring Rate and the Alpha Rhythm" No. 8, 1971, PP 69-70
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: Physical Aspects of the Target: No. 8, 1971, PP 67-69
"Possible PK Influence on the Resuscitation of Anesthetized Mice: No. 8, 1971, PP 27-28
"Some Recent Dice-Throwing Studies with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 8, 1971, PP 19- 20
"Symposium: EEG Studies of ESP" No. 7, 1970, PP 77-79
"EEG Patterns During Average vs. Exceptional Scoring by a Sensitive" No. 7, 1970, PP 65-67
"Research with Special Subjects: Further Forced-Choice Tests with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 7, 1970, PP 23-25
"Research with Special Subjects: Free Verbal Response Tests with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 7, 1970, PP 21-23
"Content Analysis of Free Verbal Response Material" No. 7, 1970, PP 18-19
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 6, 1969, PP 68-70
"Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Experiments in Trinidad" No. 6, 1969, PP 65-66
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: A Forced-Choice ESP Experiment with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 6, 1969, PP 66-68.
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Experiments in Trinidad" No. 6, 1969, PP 65-66
Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research
"PK Effect on Pre-Recorded Targets" by Helmut Schmidt, Vol. 70, July 1976.
"Free Verbal Response Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 67, No. 2, April 1973. PP 197-207
"EEG Patterns and ESP Results in Forced-Choice Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 66, No. 3, July 1972. PP 253-268
"Further Forced-Choice Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 66, No. 1, January 1972. PP 103-112
"Some Exploratory Forced-Choice Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 64, No. 4, October 1970. PP 421-431
Research in Parapsychology
"Complex Psi and the Concept of Precognition" 1972, PP 95-97
"EEG Correlates of Trial-by-Trial Performance in a Two-Choice Clairvoyance Task: A Preliminary Study" 1975, PP 22-25
"EEG Changes Correlated with a Remote Stroboscopic Stimulus: A Preliminary Study" 1975, PP 58-63
"Psychological Studies of Lalsingh Harribance in Relation to the Results of Two Free Verbal Response Experiments" 1972, PP 42-44
Theta
"Lalsingh Harribance, 'Medium in Residence'" No. 31, 1971
The Sciences, published by the New York Academy of Sciences "ESP in a Scientific Society" Vol. 11, No. 4, 1971, PP 28-29
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Annual convention, December 27, 1970
Books
Advances in Parapsychological Research, Vol.2, ESP, edited by S. Krippner, New York, Plenum Press, 1978, PP 16, 30, 46, 62, 98, 125, 169, 172, 173, 181, 202
Diabolical Possession and Exorcism, by J Nicola, Tan Books, Illinois, PP 65 and 66.
The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical Research by Arthur Berger and J Berger, Paragon House, New York, 1991, PP 174.
Extra-Sensory Powers, A Century of Psychical Research, by Alfred Douglas, The Overlook Press, Woodstock, New York, 1977, PP 339-40.
Handbook of Parapsychology, edited by B. Wolman, New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, 1977, PP 44, 210, 223, 227, 246, 253, 269, 271, 441, 705
Innersource by Kathleen Vande Kieft, Ballentine
Into The Unknown, edited by W Bradbury, New York, Reader's Digest, 1981, PP 209
1975 World Book Year Book, Chicago, Field Enterprises Educational Corp, PP 87
Marquis Who’s Who In America, 2003, 57th Edition, PP 2204
Marquis Who’s Who In the World, 2003, 20th Edition, PP 975
Marquis Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, 2002-2003, 4th Edition, PP 476
Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, 2003-2004, 7th Edition, PP 510
Marquis Who’s Who In America, 2002, 56th Edition, pp. 2209.
Parapsychology: A Century of Inquiry, by D Scott Rogo, New York, Dell Publishing Co, 1975, PP 105, 167-169, 199, 229
Parapsychology and the Nature of Life by John L Randall, Harper and Row, New York, 1975, PP 184.
Parapsychology, The Controversial Science by R Broughton, Ballantine Books, New York, 1991, PP 173-75, 182.
Possible Impossibilities: A Look at Parapsychology by Elizabeth Hall. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1977, PP 138.
Psi Search, by N Bowles and F Hynds, San Francisco, Harper and Row, PP 36-40
Psychic Exploration, by E Mitchell, New York, G P Putnam's Sons, PP 87, 240, 280, 419
Super Senses by Charles Panati, New York, New York Book Co, 1976, PP 187-189
The Psychic Realm, N Hintze and J Pratt, Random House, New York, 1975, PP 36, 37.
Time-Life Nature/Science Annual 1974, Time-Life Books, New York
America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals 2004,
America's Registry, Ltd, Westbury NY 11590, PP 692
Marquis Who’s Who In the World 2005, 22nd Edition,
PP 881
Marquis Who’s Who In America 2005, 59th Edition,
PP 1953
Marquis Who’s Who In Medicine and Healthcare
2004-2005, 5th Edition, PP 502
International Journal of Neuroscience
“Neurobehavioral and Neurometabolic (SPECT) Correlates of Paranormal Information: Involvement of the Right Hemisphere and its Sensitivity to Weak Complex Magnetic Fields” by Dr. Roll, Dr. Persinger, Dr. Webster, Tiller, Cook, Vol 112, No. 2, Feb. 2002, pp. 197-224.
International Journal of Psychophysiology
“Neurophysiological Research on an Individual Experiencing Anomalous Mental Phenomena: a Case Study” by Dr. Cheryl Alexander, Vol 35, No. 1, Feb 2000, pp 42-43
Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
“The Neuropsychiatry of Paranormal Experiences” by Dr. Michael Persinger, Vol 13, No. 4, Fall 2001, pp 515-524
Journal of Parapsychology
"Is ESP a Form of Perception? Contributions from a Study of Sean Harribance" Roll, Persinger. Vol. 62, No. 2, 1998, pp. 117-118.
"EEG and SPECT Data of a Selected Subject during Psi Tasks: The Discovery of a Neurophysiological Correlate" Vol. 62, No. 2, 1998, PP 102-104.
"ESP and REG PK with Sean Harribance: Three New Studies" Vol. 62, No. 2, 1998, PP 112-113.
"A Second Two-Choice Clairvoyance EEG Study with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 42, 1978, PP 54-55
"Southeastern Regional Parapsychological Association Conference" Session IV and VI, Vol. 39, No. 1, 1975 PP 31-33
"Psi in Relation to Task Complexity" Vol. 38, No. 2, 1974, PP 154-162
"ESP with Unbalanced Decks: A Study of the Process in an Exceptional Subject" Vol. 37, No. 4, PP 278-297
"A Replication of a 'Psychic Healing' Paradigm" Vol. 36, 1972, PP 144-149
"Possible PK Influence on the Resuscitation of Anesthetized Mice", 1971, PP 257- 272
"Symposium: Research with Special Subjects: Content Analysis of Free Verbal Response Material" Vol. 34, No. 4, December 1970 PP 308.
"Symposium: Research with Special Subjects: Further Forced Choice Tests with
Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 34, No. 4, December 1970 PP 310.
"Symposium: Research with Special Subjects: Free Verbal Responses with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 34, No. 4, December 1970 PP 309-310.
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Psychological Studies" Vol. 33, No. 4, December 1969 PP 365.
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Experiments in Durham" Vol. 33, No 4, December 1969 PP 364.
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Experiments in Trinidad" Vol. 33, No. 4, December 1969 PP 363-364.
"ESP Tests with a High-Scoring Subject" 1968, PP 259-260
Perceptual and Motor Skills
“Experimental Induction of the “Sensed Presence” in Normal Subjects and an Exceptional Subject” 1997, pp 683-693.
Proceedings of the Parapsychological Association
"Is ESP a form of Perception? Contributions from a study of Sean Harribance" Roll, Persinger, 41st annual convention, 1998, PP 199-209
"EEG and SPECT data of a selected subject during psi tasks: The Discovery of a neurophysiological correlate" Alexander, Persinger, Roll and Webster, 41st annual convention, 1998, PP 3-13.
"ESP and REG PK with Sean Harribance: Three New Studies" Palmer, 41st annual convention, 1998, PP 124-134
“Psychic Phenomena and the Brain: A Evolution of Research, Technology, and Understanding” by Dr. Cheryl Alexander, 45th Annual Convention pp 9-24
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: Guessing Habits and ESP" No. 8, 1971, PP 72-74
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: A Summary of Additional Research with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 8, 1971, PP 74-76
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: A Comparison of Clairvoyance and Telepathy" No. 8, 1971, PP 71-72
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: Further Examination of the Relationship Between ESP Scoring Rate and the Alpha Rhythm" No. 8, 1971, PP 69-70
"Symposium: Recent Research with Lalsingh Harribance: Physical Aspects of the Target: No. 8, 1971, PP 67-69
"Possible PK Influence on the Resuscitation of Anesthetized Mice: No. 8, 1971, PP 27-28
"Some Recent Dice-Throwing Studies with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 8, 1971, PP 19- 20
"Symposium: EEG Studies of ESP" No. 7, 1970, PP 77-79
"EEG Patterns During Average vs. Exceptional Scoring by a Sensitive" No. 7, 1970, PP 65-67
"Research with Special Subjects: Further Forced-Choice Tests with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 7, 1970, PP 23-25
"Research with Special Subjects: Free Verbal Response Tests with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 7, 1970, PP 21-23
"Content Analysis of Free Verbal Response Material" No. 7, 1970, PP 18-19
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 6, 1969, PP 68-70
"Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Experiments in Trinidad" No. 6, 1969, PP 65-66
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: A Forced-Choice ESP Experiment with Lalsingh Harribance" No. 6, 1969, PP 66-68.
"Symposium: Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance: Experiments in Trinidad" No. 6, 1969, PP 65-66
Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research
"PK Effect on Pre-Recorded Targets" by Helmut Schmidt, Vol. 70, July 1976.
"Free Verbal Response Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 67, No. 2, April 1973. PP 197-207
"EEG Patterns and ESP Results in Forced-Choice Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 66, No. 3, July 1972. PP 253-268
"Further Forced-Choice Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 66, No. 1, January 1972. PP 103-112
"Some Exploratory Forced-Choice Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance" Vol. 64, No. 4, October 1970. PP 421-431
Research in Parapsychology
"Complex Psi and the Concept of Precognition" 1972, PP 95-97
"EEG Correlates of Trial-by-Trial Performance in a Two-Choice Clairvoyance Task: A Preliminary Study" 1975, PP 22-25
"EEG Changes Correlated with a Remote Stroboscopic Stimulus: A Preliminary Study" 1975, PP 58-63
"Psychological Studies of Lalsingh Harribance in Relation to the Results of Two Free Verbal Response Experiments" 1972, PP 42-44
Theta
"Lalsingh Harribance, 'Medium in Residence'" No. 31, 1971
The Sciences, published by the New York Academy of Sciences "ESP in a Scientific Society" Vol. 11, No. 4, 1971, PP 28-29
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Annual convention, December 27, 1970
Books
Advances in Parapsychological Research, Vol.2, ESP, edited by S. Krippner, New York, Plenum Press, 1978, PP 16, 30, 46, 62, 98, 125, 169, 172, 173, 181, 202
Diabolical Possession and Exorcism, by J Nicola, Tan Books, Illinois, PP 65 and 66.
The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical Research by Arthur Berger and J Berger, Paragon House, New York, 1991, PP 174.
Extra-Sensory Powers, A Century of Psychical Research, by Alfred Douglas, The Overlook Press, Woodstock, New York, 1977, PP 339-40.
Handbook of Parapsychology, edited by B. Wolman, New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, 1977, PP 44, 210, 223, 227, 246, 253, 269, 271, 441, 705
Innersource by Kathleen Vande Kieft, Ballentine
Into The Unknown, edited by W Bradbury, New York, Reader's Digest, 1981, PP 209
1975 World Book Year Book, Chicago, Field Enterprises Educational Corp, PP 87
Marquis Who’s Who In America, 2003, 57th Edition, PP 2204
Marquis Who’s Who In the World, 2003, 20th Edition, PP 975
Marquis Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, 2002-2003, 4th Edition, PP 476
Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, 2003-2004, 7th Edition, PP 510
Marquis Who’s Who In America, 2002, 56th Edition, pp. 2209.
Parapsychology: A Century of Inquiry, by D Scott Rogo, New York, Dell Publishing Co, 1975, PP 105, 167-169, 199, 229
Parapsychology and the Nature of Life by John L Randall, Harper and Row, New York, 1975, PP 184.
Parapsychology, The Controversial Science by R Broughton, Ballantine Books, New York, 1991, PP 173-75, 182.
Possible Impossibilities: A Look at Parapsychology by Elizabeth Hall. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1977, PP 138.
Psi Search, by N Bowles and F Hynds, San Francisco, Harper and Row, PP 36-40
Psychic Exploration, by E Mitchell, New York, G P Putnam's Sons, PP 87, 240, 280, 419
Super Senses by Charles Panati, New York, New York Book Co, 1976, PP 187-189
The Psychic Realm, N Hintze and J Pratt, Random House, New York, 1975, PP 36, 37.
Time-Life Nature/Science Annual 1974, Time-Life Books, New York
America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals 2004,
America's Registry, Ltd, Westbury NY 11590, PP 692
Marquis Who’s Who In the World 2005, 22nd Edition,
PP 881
Marquis Who’s Who In America 2005, 59th Edition,
PP 1953
Marquis Who’s Who In Medicine and Healthcare
2004-2005, 5th Edition, PP 502
The Neuropsychiatry of Paranormal Experiences
by Michael A. Persinger, Ph.D., C.Psych.
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 13:515-524, November 2001
© 2001 American Psychiatric Press, Inc.
Neuropsychiatric Practice and Opinion
The Neuropsychiatry of Paranormal Experiences
Michael A. Persinger, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Address correspondence to Dr. Persinger, Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3E 2C6. E-mail: [email protected].
Key Words: Paranormal Experiences
From the perspective of modern neuroscience all behaviors andall experiences are created by the dynamic matrix of chemicaland electromagnetic events within the human brain. Paranormalexperiences might be considered a subset of these neurogenicprocesses. Experiences that are labeled as or attributed toparanormal phenomena 1) are frequently dominated by a sensedpresence, 2) appear to involve the acquisition of informationfrom distances beyond those normally obtained by the classicalsenses, and 3) imply distortions in physical time.1
Most paranormal experiences have negative affective themes withemphasis on some aspect of death to others or dissolution ofthe self. Experiences concerning death or crisis to others arereported to occur predominantly at night, particularly between2:00 and 4:00 A.M. The sensed presence is also more common duringthis nocturnal period. We2 have suggested that the hourly incidenceof temporal lobe seizures (data collected in the late nineteenthcentury by W. P. Spratling before medication was available)and the circadian distribution of sensed presences attributedto paranormal sources reflect a shared source of variance withinthe human brain.
If structure dictates function and microstructure within thebrain determines or directs microfunction, then one would expectclasses of experiences to be associated with specific regionsof the brain or the patterns of activity generated within theseareas. Both the occurrence of paranormal experiences and theirrates of incidence are associated with specific types of neuronalactivity within the temporal lobes. This linkage does not verifythe validity of the content of the experiences but simply indicatesthat specific patterns of activity within the temporal lobesand related structures are associated with the experiences.The sources of the stimuli that evoke the neuroelectrical changesmay range from properties intrinsic to chaotic activity, withminimal veridicality, to external information that is processedby mechanisms not known to date.
That patients who display complex partial seizures with fociwithin the temporal lobes, particularly the amygdala and hippocampus,report more frequent paranormal-like experiences has been knownfor decades. Distortions in subjective time, the sensed presenceof another sentient being, out-of-body experiences, and evenreligious reveries have occurred during spontaneous seizures.3Direct surgical stimulation of mesiobasal structures withinthe temporal lobes, particularly the right hemisphere, has beenshown to evoke comparable experiences. As emphasized by Horowitzand Adams,4 the experiences during stimulation are not justmemories, but enhancements or vivifications of the class ofongoing experiences (perceptions, thoughts, or memories) atthe time of the stimulation.
There appears to be a continuum of temporal lobe sensitivityalong which all human beings are distributed. Normal individualswho are highly sensitive, as defined by above-average numbersof responses to Persinger and Makarec's Personal PhilosophyInventory5 or above-normal scores on Roberts'6 inventory forEpileptic Spectrum Disorder, report more types of paranormalexperiences as well as more frequent paranormal experiences.The correlation coefficients between the numbers of differentparanormal experiences and scores for temporal lobe sensitivity,as inferred from responses to clusters of items from these inventories,range between 0.5 and 0.9. Individuals who have elevated scoresfor these inventories also show more prominent alpha rhythmsover the temporal lobes7 and display elevated but not necessarilyabnormal scores for the eccentric thinking and hypomania scalesof the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.8
Like patients who display complex partial seizures and limbicepilepsy, normal people with elevated numbers of temporal lobeexperiences show variants of interictal behavioral patterns.The propensity to infuse sensory experience with enhanced meaning,presumably associated with more electrically labile amygdaloidfunctions, results in more frequent experiences of deep andeven cosmic personal significance in response to infrequentor odd events.9 The convictions that the experient has beenselected by some universal force, has a particular purpose inlife, and must spread the message (often with unstoppable viscosity)are remarkably common themes. From this perspective the deeppersonal or emotional significance of a paranormal experienceis a predictable property of a labile amygdala processing unusualperceptual events.
Paranormal beliefs and paranormal experiences are related. Thereis a moderate to strong positive correlation between the proportionsof paranormal experiences that people report and their beliefsin the paranormal phenomena.10 Interestingly, paranormal beliefsappear to be substitutes for traditional religious beliefs.People who endorse the existence of extraterrestrial intelligenceas the source for UFOs and the reality of reincarnation areless likely to accept traditional beliefs in the second comingof Christ or to agree to kill in God's name.
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY AND PARANORMAL EXPERIENCES
One of the first observations that suggested specific classes of paranormal experiences were not exclusively derived from incorporeal or nonphysical sources, but were coupled to subtle changes within brain chemistry and brain electromagnetic activity, was the empirical association between global geomagnetic activity and the report of bereavement apparitions.11 These occur most frequently within about three days after the death of a significant person during a time when the dream sleep of the experient has been disrupted and increased activity within the pathways for corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), ACTH (adrenocorticotropichormone) and cortisol is typical.
The increase in geomagnetic activity associated with these reports in sensitive or vulnerable individuals is quite weak. Compared with the normal intensity of the earth's static magnetic field,which is about 50,000 nT (nanotesla) or about 0.5 gauss, the changes in magnetic field strength associated with increased geomagnetic activity are within the 40 to 50 nT range or greater.These changes usually require several minutes to occur but insome instances can peak within about 4 minutes.12
The impacts of increased geomagnetic activity, as defined by daily aa (average antipodal) intensities, on the sensitive populationsare such that we have employed these indicators as predictorsof sleep disruption and the subsequent enhancement of psychologicalor psychiatric symptoms. We are not the first clinicians to identify this important predictor. Friedman et al.13 duringthe 1960s and multiple European researchers during the 1930s14 had reported the association. Whereas a decade ago this informationwas available from restricted sources such as the National Geophysical Data Center
Increased occurrences of epileptic seizures when geomagneticactivity exceeds about 30 nT have been reported by many authors.15,16 The strength of the correlation ranges between 0.4 and 0.7. Obviously, the primary limit of correlational studies is theinability to easily isolate the causal variables. However we17,18 found that the experimental simulation for 2 hours of the typeof 50 nT variations associated with geomagnetic activity (presentedas amplitude-modulated 7 Hz fields) produced the same effectsize for the production of limbic seizures in epileptic rats as that associated with natural stimuli.
Intermittent shifts in magnetic field strengths have been shownto decrease nocturnal melatonin levels19 and to increase the circulating levels of the epileptogenic neuropeptide CRF (corticotropinreleasing factor). From this perspective, we hypothesized thatthe greater occurrence of the sensed presence and bereavement apparitions during the early morning hours reflects the decreased thresholds for the elicitation of paroxysmal activity withinlimbic structures, particularly during the functionally specific organization of dream sleep. However, instead of convulsions,the person experiences (after suddenly awakening) the sensed presence or its variations. The source of the stimuli that provoke the experiences may range from the individual's intrinsic lability,augmented by social factors, to a variety of external factors.
EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION OF THE SENSED PRESENCE
About 15 years ago we were pursuing the neurophysiological correlates to the sense of self. We reasoned that to study complex experiences such as the sense of self or even consciousness within the laboratory,a technology and methodology must be developed to elicit these experiences. The history of science has clearly shown that the experiment is the most powerful tool we have to understand the organization of the causal variables that elicit a phenomenon. We intuited that the application of very complex, weak magnetic fields would have the potential to interact with the subtlebut complex neuroelectromagnetic processes associated with consciousness and the subtle nuances that define human experience.
Very low frequency, very weak (similar to the intensity generatedby a computer screen) complex magnetic fields applied with specifictypes of geometry through the temporoparietal regions of thebrain were selected because of their penetrability. The metaphorfor employing these fields, rather than the very intense simplesine-wave fields known to induce conspicuous currents, was thefollowing. If you and I were listening to a pure tone of 1,000Hz, we would probably not respond unless it was about 100 dB;then we would leave because the amplitude would be aversive. However, if I whispered "help me" at 20 dB, a magnitude thousands of times less intense, you would respond to the pattern of this combination of simple sounds. The critical factors are the complexity and information rather than the intensity.
Our primary interest was to discover the major correlates ofcreativity and the sense of self. Formal measures of creativityand analyses of the vocations and preferences for people whoscored highest on inventories of temporal lobe sensitivity indicated that creativity and a specific type of egocentricity loaded on the same factor. It was dominated by musicians, writers, artists, and individuals who infer novel or innovative connections between the same stimuli that others consider mundane.
However, we found that when we applied specific complex magneticfields over the right hemisphere, most normal people who werenot aware of the purpose of the experiment experienced a "sensedpresence" or sentient being.20 Many individuals felt the presence interact with their thinking and "move in space" as they "focused their thoughts" on it. The strengths of these fields were between1 microtesla (10 milligauss) and 5 microtesla (50 milligauss) at the surface of the skull. Many experiments indicated that the temporal morphology of the applied field, rather than the intensity, was responsible for these experiences.
The results of these studies strongly suggested that the sensed presence, a phenomenon that had been the subject matter of paranormal experiences and mystical elaborations for millennia, could be evoked experimentally. The predominance of the experience duringor just following stimulation of the right hemisphere was considered strong support, but not proof, that the sensed presence was the experience of the awareness of the right hemispheric equivalent of the left hemispheric sense of self.21 Other neuroscientistshad frequently indicated that the sense of self is primarilya linguistic process (or from Buddhist perspectives, a socialfiction) associated with functions classically attributed to the left hemisphere and is one of the reasons that cognitive therapies can have such powerful effects.
Although the sense of a presence could be evoked in most individuals,22it was more prominent in people who had elevated scores on inventoriesfrom which temporal lobe sensitivity (or lability) was inferred.23The experiences were most easily evoked if a frequency-modulatedpattern (tailored after a "chirp" sequence from standard signalgenerators) was applied over the right hemisphere for 20 minutesand then a bilateral burst-firing pattern (designed after thedischarge of amygdaloid neurons from an epileptic patient) wasapplied bilaterally over the temporal lobes for an additional20 minutes. These experiences occurred with equal vigor in dozensof reporters accompanying television film crews who have visitedthe laboratory during the last 10 years. The sensitivity ofthe functions of the right hemisphere to complex magnetic fieldseven within the picotesla range has been shown repeatedly bySandy k.24
The experimental data also suggested that the sensed presencewas the prototype for all of the other experiences that include spirit visitations: alien "abductions," the Greek Muses, incubiand succubi, and perhaps even the god experience itself. Many of these experiences occur during periods of rapid eye movements (dreaming), when cerebral processing shifts toward limbic sources and memory consolidation and when right hemispheric functions are more predominant.25 During the day, these experiences aremore likely to occur following periods of right hemispheric activity such as singing or chanting within large groups. Religious ceremonies are constructed to enhance these conditions. The label, such as the spirit of god or an alien encounter, that is applied to the sensed presence at the time of the experience strongly affects the details of this autobiographical memorywhen it is reconstructed minutes to hours later.20
HAUNTS AND PRESENCES AS EVOKED EXPERIENCES
A large proportion of paranormal experiences occur in specific places. They are associated with a sensed presence, fear, odd smells, apparitions along the peripheral (usually left) visualfield that "disappear" when directly (foveally) viewed, and auditory experiences (loud noises). Continuous measurements within these areas reveal bursts of low-frequency magnetic fields,ultrasound, and other physical anomalies that can directly affect objects within the space as well as the human brain.26 Because the source of the experiences is usually not known to the experient, they are usually attributed to the available cultural explanations of demons, ghosts, and aliens. Usually it is the aversive experiences that lead people to contact our research group.
We have simulated and reproduced these experiences by applying complex frequency-modulated magnetic fields through the brains of normal people who have experienced haunts. For example, amiddle-aged journalist who had experienced an apparition in his habitat reported brief "rushes" of fear within a few minutes of the application of the frequency-modulated magnetic fieldover the right temporal region.27 At the time he was sittingin a quiet, darkened room. Each "rush" was associated with paroxysmalelectroencephalographic activity over the temporal lobes (Figure 1).Towards the end of the exposure, he "re-experienced," with concomitant paroxysmal activity and terror, the "haunt." Applications of other configurations of magnetic fields, with similar intensities, did not evoke this powerful presence.
FIGURE 1. Bipolar electroencephalographic activity over the temporal lobes during applications of weak (1 µT) frequency-modulated (the "Thomas pulse") magnetic fields over the right hemisphere of a professional journalist who had experienced a "haunt" Top panel: normal activity; Middle panel: paroxysmal discharges concomitant with subjective experiences of intense fear and the sensed presence. Bottom panel: seconds marker.
Because of the complexities of modern technology, the occurrenceof the resonant structures of magnetic fields in the environmentthat evoke these experiences may be more common than suspected.In one case a young man and woman, both of whom displayed elevated scores on the Roberts scale for temporal lobe sensitivity, reported suddenly awakening between 2:00 and 4:00 A.M. The man experiencedan apparition moving through their bed. Both individuals experiencedodd sounds (breathing), marked apprehension, and the feelingof a presence. Continuous monitoring of their electronically dense house revealed repeated transients of complex magnetic fields with peak strengths between 15 and 30 mG, similar tothose that evoke the sensed presence in our experimental studies. These peaks were concurrent with the reports of the paranormalexperiences. The fields were generated by less than optimal grounding of the house.
In another case, a female adolescent 28 had been referred toa psychiatrist because she had seen an apparition, experienceda presence, felt this presence stimulate her inner vagina anduterus, and sensed the outline of a baby over her left shoulder.She felt as if she had been chosen. We interpreted these experiencesas most likely emerging from paroxysmal activity within the temporal stem that shares fibers from the insular and temporal cortices within the right hemisphere. The religious context resulted in a different interpretation by the girl. The experiences would occur in the early morning hours, usually between about 2:00 and 4:00 A.M. local time. The girl had sustained a left frontal injury as a child but had been normal and quite successful scholastically. Direct measurement around her bed showed the occurrence of a pulsed magnetic field whose structure was similar to those we employ to evoke the sensed presence in the laboratory.The source was an electronic clock. She frequently slept with this clock within a few inches from her head. The intensity would have been sufficient to suppress nocturnal melatonin levelsand to evoke electrical seizures.
CLINICAL POPULATIONS
The possibility that the "sensed presence" was actually the awareness of the right hemispheric equivalent of the left hemispheric sense of self had immediate application to our clinical research with patients who have sustained mild brain injury. Patients who sustain brain trauma associated with impacts of mechanical energy to their bodies or brains, even without loss of consciousness or significant neurological sequelae, often reveal a loss ofthe sense of self.29 They exhibit a grief response during which time they attempt to return to the preincident state, then exhibit periods of aggression and frustration (with invariable familyconflicts), and ultimately enter a period of depression that is frequently resistant to pharmacological treatment with antidepressants.The latter may occur months to years after the impact. Accordingto R.J. Roberts6 and our research,30 many of these patients respond more effectively to low dosages of anticonvulsants suchas carbamazepine or gabapentin.
We have found that the majority of patients who have sustainedmild brain injury and who feel as if they are "not the samepeople as they were before the injury" experience increased incidence of paranormal experiences, including the feeling ofa presence of a sentient being. The characteristics of mostof these presences reflect the function of the right hemisphere.They are deeply affective, spatially clear but visually diffuse phenomena. Neuropsychological profiles of these patients suggesta relatively enhanced activity within the right hemisphere,particularly within the parietal and temporal regions in conjunction with markedly elevated indicators of anomalous hippocampal/amygdaloidactivity. The presence is so intense and "real" that the patientsthink they are "going crazy" and will not reveal these experiences even to their families. Only after we have predicted when andwhere the presence has likely occurred does the patient, usually with tearfulness, discuss the experience. The details of thephenomenology and the relief reported by the patients strongly indicate that the reconstructions are not contextually induced. Clinical indicators of suggestibility, such as upward eye roll and sway, administered during our routine neurological screeningof patients are not correlated with the presence or absenceof the sensed presence.
Sensed presences attributed to the left side are usually considered negative or aversive. They are often so terrifying that the person may be reluctant to sleep because of the fear of the"dissolution" of self, experiences that are moderately and positively correlated with suicidal ideation.31 When the sensed presenceis attributed to the right side, the affect is neutral or positive and often attributed to a dead relative such as a husband or wife or to a cultural icon such as an angel or Christ. Without challenging the beliefs of the patient, we have found that explaining the source of the sensed presence as a phenomenon created withinthe person's brain markedly reduces the apprehension and physiological stress associated with these experiences.
Our traditional solutions for reducing or stopping the occurrenceof the unwanted presences usually involve procedures that activate the left hemisphere. For example, patients who awake suddenly and experience the sensed presence find they can stop the experience by activating a tape that vocally specifies the time or generatesa reassuring statement. However, exposing the patient to complex magnetic fields and inducing the presence so that the patient can experience the "being" in a safe, clinical setting and realize it is a brain process that can be controlled has been more effective.
Our clinical trials32 indicated that 30-minute treatments, once per week, for 6 weeks markedly reduced depression in these patients as defined by both psychometric measurements, such as the Beck Depression Inventory, and personal reports. Bilateral temporal lobe stimulation appears to be more effective than application over the left prefrontal region. The strength of these fieldsis about one million times smaller than those employed for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The difference involves the complexity of the temporal and spatial structure of the applied fields.
EXPERIENCES OF GOD
When I first observed epileptiform activity over the right temporallobe of a stable, normal, middle-aged woman who reported (withthat typical radiant smile) she had just experienced God's presence,33 the possibility that the brain correlates of this culmen of all paranormal experiences might be experimentally studied became evident. Slater and Beard34 and Bear and Fedio35 had clearly shown that experiences of God might not always be the preoccupationof a patient with classically disorganized thoughts.
The formal study of the brain mechanisms and electromagnetic patterns within the brain that generate the god experience might be considered one of the most important challenges to whichneuroscience must respond. God experiences, which are often employed as proofs of god beliefs, are likely to have been responsible for more human carnage in the history of civilization than any single pestilence. Peoples have been killed in the name of a god by others because they did not believe in the same god. If this propensity for group aggression is coupled to the same or similar processes as the god experience, then we as a species might wish to discover all of the stimuli, endogenous and exogenous, that can unleash these behaviors within a group.
Although the creation of the sensed presence is likely to bethe prototype for all visitation experiences, from aliens to gods, the content of these cosmic episodes may involve altered states of consciousness. Edelman36 has suggested that consciousnessis an emergent phenomenon that is recreated every 20 milliseconds. Empirical measurements by Llinas and Pare37 have shown that large-scaled cohesive electroencephalographic fields over the cortical manifold are phase-shifted by about 10 to 20 ms, suggesting that waves of consciousness are constantly generated in a rostralto caudal direction.
We wondered what would happen if the timing of these recurrent creations of "quanta" of consciousness were modified experimentally. Magnetic fields were generated through eight equally spaced solenoids within the epicanthal-meatal plane in a counterclockwise direction. This resulted in the movement of the field that was against the rostral-caudal fields generated over the right hemisphere.The configurations of the fields were organized to produce rates of change (derivatives) that overlapped with these 20-ms increments.
In addition to demonstrating enhanced power within the theta band over the entire brain, with specific effects over the right hemisphere, people who were exposed to these fields experienced a distortion in subjective time.38 Most individuals experiencea "blackness" and various imaginal spaces for which they employ terms that have usually been reserved for religious states and shamanic traditions. The feeling of quiescence and resolute harmony are common experiences.
These results, in conjunction with our sensed presence studies, suggest that the neurofunctional conditions precipitating the experience of a sensation of contact with an infinite and eternal source and the subjective feeling of inner peace, the antithesis of death anxiety, is subject to experimental manipulation and testing. The human brain has the potential to generate these experiences when it is exposed to relatively weak energies ifthe information is sufficiently complex. The critical question is, what sources within and without the brain can create these experiences?
PARANORMAL EXPERIENCES WITH POTENTIAL VALIDITY
Science is the pursuit of the unknown. Although most reportsof paranormal experiences reflect intrinsic changes within the experient's brain, due to the consequences of sudden changes in life style or trauma, there is evidence that some paranormal experiences may be transformations of information not normally accessible. We have employed the approach that measurement ratherthan dismissal of claims is more beneficial for neuroscience and for the patient.
If I told you 150 years ago that you could be in two places at once (separated by thousands of miles), you would have considered the statement irrational, even crazy. However, if I told you today that you can talk on a telephone and be functionally a few thousand miles away, simultaneously, interacting with the neurocognitive processes of another person, you might considerthe revelation pedestrian. The difference between your responses to the two statements is understanding mechanism and the process.
EXPERIENCES ABOUT OTHERS
Most paranormal experiences classically labeled as telepathy, precognition, or clairvoyance occur during dream sleep or arelated state. If changes in the functional organization ofthe brain affect its capacity to discern stimuli, then the stateof REM sleep25 may have the potential to discern stimuli typically ignored or not detectable during the waking state. Spontaneouscases involve death or crisis to significant others. Analyses of several collections of these experiences, even those that were reported during the late nineteenth century, have shown they occurred when the geomagnetic activity was significantly less than the days before or after the experiences.39 The equivalent correlation coefficients for most of these analyses ranged between0.3 and 0.5. The strength of the correlation does not imply causality for the reports. Even if the association were much higher, it would not demonstrate validity.
Attempts to experimentally imitate these experiences duringthe 1960s by M. Ullman, a psychiatrist, and S. Krippner, a psychologist, at the Dream Laboratory of the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn had been variably successful.40 The study was designedto discern if the dream contents of experients sleeping within the laboratory were congruent with the randomly selected and affectively loaded paintings viewed simultaneously by other individuals at a distance. On some nights the congruences wereremarkable, whereas on others there was no apparent similarity between the content and theme of the dreams and the pictures.
Decades later when these data were reanalyzed, we found that the nights in which the geomagnetic activity was quietest (lessthan 20 nT) were associated with the greatest congruence betweenthe themes of the stimuli and the themes of the dreams.41 Theywere ranked under double-blind conditions. Both the experimentaland epidemiological results suggest that experiences traditionally attributed to mystical or nonphysical processes are modulated by environmental variables that are known to influence brain activity. In light of the explosion of experiments in Japan concerning the direct effects of toate, a form of martial art,42the possibility of affecting the brain activity of others at a distance has the potential for empirical examination.
SPECIAL CASES
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REFERENCES
If structure dictates function, then one would also expect thatcertain individuals with different intracerebral organizations,due to congenital or childhood anomalies, should display specific functions that could be qualitatively different from the normalpopulation. Adult-onset anomalies, because there is less plasticity for novel ontogenetic arrangements, would be expected to bemore coupled to functional or transient neuroelectrical states. One is not surprised if only a few members of the human speciescan paint with the sophistication of Michelangelo or derivemathematical formulae with the creativity of Einstein. Some paranormal experiences may not simply manifest the intrinsic noise of the organization of the brain. Instead, they may reflect the detection of stimuli or the organization of stimuli to whichthe normal brain is oblivious. There are myriad stimuli, suchas radio frequencies, that occupy the same space as our brain; however, we do not detect them.
We have measured two individuals who have been considered thebest examples of psychics. The first, Sean Harribance, is a middle-aged man who sustained at least two brain traumas asa child and adolescent. Several neuropsychological assessments have indicated he displays deficits for tasks that typically involve the right parietal and occipital regions. Mr. Harribance states that he perceives quick images, usually in the upperleft visual field, about the person with whom he is speakingor the picture that he is touching. The pictures are touched face down. The information, which he reports spontaneously, contains extremely detailed as well as general statements that far exceed a cold reading.
In one study we asked 3 different people to supply 10 photographs,each, of single individuals of their family. Mr. Harribance generated narratives while holding each of these pictures, facedown. The narratives were then typed and given to the person who supplied the pictures. Under double-blind conditions, the person read each narrative and indicated who he or she thoughtit might be. Whereas chance expectancy would be 1 out of 10, the participants accurately identified between 6 and 8 of the10 narratives as the specific people.
The neural mechanism by which this information, which is highly specific, is extracted by Mr. Harribance remains to be identified. What is clear is that when he engages in this behavior there is an increased uptake of tracer as inferred from [99mTc[SPECT within the paracentral and superior lobule of the parietal lobe of the right hemisphere. As first discovered by Cheryl Alexander (unpublished data), focal enhancements of electroencephalographic activity within the alpha band were conspicuous over his right parieto-occipital region during these activities. The ranked accuracy of each statement is weakly but persistently correlated with the proportion of alpha rhythms generated during bipolar measurements over the occipital lobes.
Additional experiments have shown that Mr. Harribance, like many individuals who report paranormal experience, valid or otherwise, shows a marked sensitivity to application of complexmagnetic fields over the right hemisphere. Harribance attributes his experiences to a spiritual deity whom he senses as a presence. The repeated application of a complex magnetic field over theright hemisphere, without his awareness, was associated withan increase and decrease in the numbers of these intrusions. During these periods there was a transient increase in power within the gamma band (of comparable magnitude) over the leftand the right parietal lobes, resulting in a marked attenuation of the usual hemispheric asymmetry.
The sensitivity of this man's brain to complex magnetic fieldsthat have been shown to enhance long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices and to affect hippocampally mediated learning and memoryin rats43 can be seen in Figure 2. During the presentation ofthe long-term potentiation pulses over the right hemisphere, the proportion of alpha rhythms was reduced, but it returned to the previous level when the field was terminated. After several presentations of the field, the response habituated. We also found that the accuracy of his images, as ranked by independent experimenters, decreased when these fields were present and returned to baseline when they were removed.
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FIGURE 2. Suppression of the temporal proportions of alpha rhythms over the occipital lobes (bipolar measurements) of Sean Harribance during alternating 1-min applications without the subject's knowledge of weak (1 µT) long-term potentiation magnetic fields over the right hemisphereThe presence of alpha rhythms was positively correlated with the blind-rated accuracy of his concurrent statements concerning details for photographs within envelopes.
The second individual with special abilities we have examinedwas Ingo Swann, a middle-aged artist who developed the processof remote viewing. The procedure was very simple. Pictures from magazines were placed in envelopes and stored in another room.One envelope per trial was selected by a person not involved with the experiment and placed on a table in this room. While Mr. Swann was sitting with another experimenter in an acousticchamber and drawing his images about the hidden stimulus, electroencephalographic activity was recorded. In our experiments over several days,more than 20 stimuli were employed.
Blind rankings by other researchers indicated significant congruence between the stimulus and Mr. Swann's drawings and comments.However, from a neuroscientific perspective the more important discovery was the correlation (r's of about 0.6) between the numbers of unusual 7 Hz spike activity over his occipital (primarily right side source) region and the accuracy of the congruence between the stimuli and his comments (Figure 3). These paroxysmal discharges occurred only when he was engaging in "remote viewing."Later magnetic resonance imaging showed anomalous signals, notexpected for his age or history, in the subcortical white matter within the parieto-occipital interface of the right hemisphere.
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FIGURE 3. Bipolar electroencephalographic activity over the occipital, temporal and frontal lobes of Ingo Swann during remote viewingUpper and lower panels indicate two different paper speeds (different sessions). The durations of the conspicuous 7 Hz spike activity over the occipital lobes per trial were positively correlated with his accuracy.
The results with Mr. Harribance and Mr. Swann suggest that even the most challenging of phenomena that appear to violate known mechanisms of information detection and processing by the brainare still associated with measurable changes in brain activity. The sagacious W.G. Roll, many years ago, had the courage to suggest that more than half of people around whom poltergeist events were reported also exhibited complex partial seizures with temporal lobe foci. The concept that unusual, measurable phenomena might be associated with actual changes within the brain that deserved systematic and skilled study was rejected. Perhaps the proliferation and relative ease by which we can now access imaging technology will allow the required categorization of paranormal experiences as well as the establishment of the appropriate nosology.
From the perspective of modern neuroscience, all experiencesare generated by brain activity, or at the very least strongly correlated with brain activity. As the complexity of this brain activity is mapped and described mathematically, the nuances of thought and the idiosyncratic noise that define us as individuals will be quantified. To date there has not been a single type of paranormal experience that is not understandable in terms of known brain functions. The consideration of these experiencesas predictable components of brain activity will allow the differentiation between the illusions of intrinsic stimulation and the validity of information obtained through mechanisms yet to be explained.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author thanks Linda St-Pierre and Bruce McKay for technicalassistance.
REFERENCES
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INTRODUCTION
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY AND...
EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION OF THE...
HAUNTS AND PRESENCES AS...
CLINICAL POPULATIONS
EXPERIENCES OF GOD
PARANORMAL EXPERIENCES WITH...
EXPERIENCES ABOUT OTHERS
SPECIAL CASES
REFERENCES
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