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Intern. J. Neuroscience
, 116:1079–1096, 2006
Copyright C
2006 Informa Healthcare
ISSN: 0020-7454 / 1543-5245 online
DOI: 10.1080/00207450600808800
EXPERIMENTAL FACILITATION OF THE SENSED
PRESENCE IS PREDICTED BY THE SPECIFIC
PATTERNS OF THE APPLIED MAGNETIC FIELDS,
NOT BY SUGGESTIBILITY: RE-ANALYSES
OF 19 EXPERIMENTS
L. S. ST.- PIERRE
M. A. PERSINGER
Behavioral Neuroscience Research Laboratory
Laurentian University
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
If all experiences are generated by brain activity, then experiences of God and
spirits should also be produced by the appropriate cerebral stimulation. During
the last 15 years experiments have shown that the sensed presence of a “Sentient
Being” can be reliably evoked by very specific temporal patterns of weak (<1
microT) transcerebral magnetic fields applied across the temporoparietal region of
the two hemispheres. Recently Granqvist et al. (2005) attributed these effects to
suggestibility and exotic beliefs. Re-analyses with additional data for 407 subjects
(19 experiments) showed that the magnetic configurations, not the subjects’ exotic
beliefs or suggestibility, were responsible for the experimental facilitationof sensing
a presence. On the other hand, the subjects’ histories of sensed presences before
exposure to the experimental setting were moderately correlated with exotic beliefs
and temporal lobe sensitivity. Several recent experiments have shown that the side
attributed to the presence at the time of the experience is sensitive to the temporal
parameters of the fields, the hemisphere to which they are maximized, and the
person’s aprioribeliefs. The importance of verifying the specific timing and
temporal pattern of the software-generated fields and following an effective protocol
is emphasized.
Received 25 June 2005.
Address correspondence to M. A. Persinger, Behavioral Neuroscience Research Laboratory,
Laurentian University Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada. E-mail: mpersinger@laurentian.ca
1079
1080 L. S. ST.-PIERRE AND M. A. PERSINGER
Keywords magnetic fields, mystical experience, sensed presence, suggestibility
INTRODUCTION
Throughout human history the experience of the personal proximity of a
Sentient Being, a presence, or “another consciousness” has been attributed
to gods, spirits (Evans, 1984), and even the Muses (Persinger & Makarec,
1992). These phenomena are reported frequently and considered valid by very
creative individuals (Persinger & Makarec, 1993), people prone to complex
partial epileptic seizures involving the temporal-limbic regions (Bancaud et al.,
1994), patients who have sustained “mild” brain traumas (Persinger, 1994a),
and several large religious subpopulations. These people also endorse strong
personal beliefs (Persinger, 1997) in either specific cultural deities such as God
or Allah or more exotic god surrogates such as “a Universal Sentience.”
However, if all experiences are generated by the brain, then experiences
of all Sentient Beings, including God, should be generated by brain activity.
During the last 15 years experiments from the authors’ laboratory (Persinger,
2003 a,b; Persinger & Healey, 2002) have involved several hundreds of
volunteers for whom substantial psychometric and electroencephalographic
data were collected. Specific temporal patterns of weak (1 to 5 microT)
spatially heterogeneous magnetic fields were strategically applied along the
horizontal plane through the temporoparietal lobes. These procedures increased
the incidence of subjective reports of a sensed presence. As suggested by the
results of Sandyk and Anninos (1992), the temporal shapes of these fields have
been designed to imitate the natural, fundamental patterns or “algorithms” of
brain activity. The authors have assumed that direct experimental manipulation
of a phenomenon, particularly when it is derived from beliefs and opinions, is
essential to understanding its processes and mechanisms.
The idea, a continuation from earlier thinkers (Edelman, 1989; Jaynes,
1976; Slaver & Rabin, 1997), is that the sense of self and the sense of the
other are derived from the subtle but complex structural and neuroelectrical
differences between the left and right hemispheres (Hoptman & Davidson,
1994; Persinger, 1983, 1993). Whereas traditional left, more linguistic,
hemispheric processes are strongly coupled to the sense of self (Joseph, 1982)
the transient intrusion of the right hemispheric equivalents of the self into
awareness is associated with the sensed presence (Persinger, 1993). Any process
that facilitates a disruption in the normal state of reciprocal inhibition between
the two hemispheres (whose time frame is within the millisec and range) should
increase the incidence of a sensed presence.
SENSED PRESENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS 1081
The working model has been that slightly more intense stimulation
of the right hemisphere followed by equal bilateral stimulation of both
hemispheres should facilitate intracerebral intercalation through the corpus
callosum (Schuz & Perissel, 1996), the anterior commissure, and particularly
the dorsal hippocampal commissure (Gloor et al., 1993). Right hemispheric
dominance has been associated with enhanced spirituality (Kurup & Kurup,
2003). There is also evidence that either the right hemisphere or a component
of it may be more sensitive the effects of weak magnetic fields (Sandyk,
1992, 1995) as well as increased geomagnetic activity (Belisheva et al.,
1995).
Rather than relying on classical models of current induction by the applied
magnetic fields, the authors have assumed that the complexity and information
within these fields (analogous to the content of a spoken sentence rather
than its loudness) directly interact with the global cerebral magnetic fields
associated with consciousness (Edelman, 1989; Tononi & Edelman, 1998).
Such complexity might require the functional operations of cerebral activity to
occur within the pT range, as suggested by Anninos et al. (1991) and Sandyk
(1995).
Externally applied complex magnetic fields, particularly when they sim-
ulate neuroelectrophysiological patterns, elicit paroxysmal electroencephalo-
graphic activity concomitant with experiences of a “powerful presence” in
special subjects (Cook & Persinger, 1997; Persinger et al., 2000). Although the
strengths of these fields are about one microTesla (10 mG) at the level of the
skull, they have been calculated to be within the nanoTesla range (when skull
impedance and distance from the applied sources are considered) at the depths
of the cerebral cortices and within the nT to pT range where the hippocampus
and amygdala are located. These fields can entrain electroencephalographic
activity in normal volunteers (Persinger et al., 1997) and produce differential
amounts of alpha rhythms when preferentially applied over the left or right
hemispheres (Persinger, 1999).
The magnetic field patterns most effective for these responses have also
produced powerful analgesia (equivalent to 5 mg/kg of morphine) in rats after
30 min of exposure (Fleming et al., 1994; Martin et al., 2004a), synergism
with clinical dosages of clonidine (Martin & Persinger, 2004), and enhanced
expression of ERK-1, ERK-2, and MAPK in cell lines (Martin et al., 2004b)
after only one hour of exposure. Although the elicitation of cellular and
pharmacological responses by the same patterns and intensity fields that
evoke the sensed presence does not prove the specific neurophysiological
connection, these capacities suggest their potential for affecting phenomena,
1082 L. S. ST.-PIERRE AND M. A. PERSINGER
such as consciousness, that is based on complexity (Tononi & Edelman,
1998).
Recently, Granqvist et al. (2005) reported no significant difference between
subjects assigned to an experimental magnetic field that was supposed to
simulate the present authors’ procedures and those subjects exposed to
sham-field conditions. They concluded there was no evidence for the effects of
the magnetic fields and that sensed presences reported by their subjects (n=
89) could be predicted by suggestibility, signs of temporal lobe sensitivity, and
“new age”–oriented life styles.
However, the present authors have controlled for the subjects’ suggestibil-
ity by the performance-based (Spiegel & Spiegel, 1978) Hypnosis Induction
Profile (HIP) as well as their temporal lobe sensitivity and religious or exotic
(“new age”) beliefs. The authors discerned experimentally the effects of
contextual innuendo and HIP scores upon delayed intrusion errors for narratives
(O’Gorman & Persinger, 1998). In all experiments the subjects were blind to
the application of the fields. For 19 different experiments the 14 female and
5 male experimenters were blind to the hypotheses. In about half of these
experiments subjects were either exposed to only one of three or more different
configurations of magnetic fields or to a sham field and the experimenters were
also blind to which particular magnetic field should be effective.
The mean and standard deviation for the scores for the incidence of sensed
presence for the Granqvist et al. (2005) study for both their experimental
(magnetic field) and sham groups (M=0.3, SD =0.5 and M=0.3, SD =0.5)
were similar to scores for the present study’s sham field groups. The means
have ranged between 0.1 and 0.3. The mean scores for this scale when the
appropriate fields are applied are 0.8 or larger. That Swedish and Canadian
students differ in their temporal lobe sensitivity was not likely because the
equivalent scores for the former were 0.34 (10.3/30) and for the latter (n=
1,500 over a 20-year period) have been 0.32 (SD =.15). Both scores were
similar (items translated to Thai) for university students in Bangkok (Murphy
& Persinger, 2001).
Exposure Procedures and Re-Analyses of Data
In order to discern possible sources responsible for the discrepancy between
the authors’ work and Granqvist et al. (2005), re-analyses of 19 experiments
and 407 subjects (ages 17 through 55 years; median =20 years old) from the
authors’ databases were completed. Subjects volunteered for 2 bonus points
for final grades in first year university psychology classes and were told the
experiments involved relaxation or related phenomena.
SENSED PRESENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS 1083
All of the subjects had also completed the PPI or Personal Philosophy
Inventory (Persinger & Makarec, 1993) (as well as several other psychometric
tests) while attending introduction to psychology classes about two to four
months before the experiments. Clusters of items from this inventory, employed
to infer temporal lobe sensitivity, are reliably correlated with the proportion of
alpha rhythms over the temporal lobes (Makarec & Persinger, 1985, 1990). Spe-
cific subclusters included a history of sensed presence, verbal meaningfulness,
religious beliefs, and exotic beliefs (Persinger & Makarec, 1993).
Subjects had been assigned to treatments in a repeated sequential order so
that treatment groups were equally distributed over time. The sensed presence
theme was never mentioned. The topics of the laboratories in which the subjects
were tested included semantic and episodic memory processes, creativity,
auditory processing, visual illusions, and sex differences. No more than two
subjects were tested per day. Each subject sat on a comfortable arm chair,
facing eastward, that was housed within a completely darkened, double-walled
metal acoustic chamber (which was also a grounded Faraday cage) with the
dimensions 2.74 m ×2.54 m ×1.98 m, high. The subjects were also blindfolded
because this enhanced the occurrence of a sensed presence.
The subjects were told that any experiences they might have would be
subtle and that they should not try to label them, just experience them. They
were given the option to either verbally report (via a lapel microphone) any
experience (which was tape recorded) or remain quiet. A modified helmet
through which the fields were generated was worn by every subject. At the end
of the exposure, the blindfold was removed. The subject remained seated and
immediately completed items from an exit questionnaire. On the first side of the
sheet were 20 items reflecting the primary experiences (0 =never, 1 =once, 2 =
several times) reported by the original subjects (n=60) who were exposed to the
burst-firing magnetic fields. The second side of the questionnaire queried (no,
yes) if any visual phenomena occurred along the left or right or lower or upper
visual fields as well as reports for sexual arousal, headache, and meaningfulness.
In about half of all experiments (more than 250 subjects) bipolar
electroencephalographic activity was recorded from the occipital (O1,O2),
temporal (T3,T4), and frontal (F7, F8) lobes. Intense, very emotional presences
have been most typical when the subjects generated greater proportions of alpha
rhythms over the temporal relative to the occipital lobes and the burst-firing
fields were applied bilaterally. The proportions of alpha rhythms per unit
time over the temporal lobes were moderately and positively correlated (rhos
between .5 to .6) with the incidence of sensed presences and the absence
or presence of the applied magnetic fields. There have been reliable moderate
1084 L. S. ST.-PIERRE AND M. A. PERSINGER
strength correlations (.40 to .60) between global geomagnetic activity over 20 to
30 nT and both the proportion of alpha rhythms over the temporal lobes (Booth
et al., 2005), the sensed presence (Persinger, 1988), and the type of vestibular
experiences (Persinger & Richards, 1995) that often precede the felt presence.
Temporal lobe sensitivity, which was moderately and positively correlated
(rhos =.30 to .49) with HIP scores (Persinger, 1994b; Ross & Persinger, 1987)
potentiated specific magnetic field effects (Cook & Persinger, 2001).
The magnetic fields generated through the subject’s brain by the solenoids
in the helmet were delivered from outside the chamber through an interface to
the helmet. Graded voltages, reflecting a column of numbers (between 0 and
255; below 127 =negative polarity; above 127 positive polarity) contained
within computer files were transformed by specific software (various versions
of Koren’s Complex software) to voltages (±5 V) through custom built direct
to alternating current converters (DACs), and sent by a separate commutator to
one of four pairs of solenoids embedded in a elliptical pattern on each side of
a helmet (Persinger et al., 2000). The fields were generated through the brain
between each pair of solenoids for 0.5 s before moving to the next pair (complete
cycle 2 s). The point duration, the time each value between 0 and 255 was
maintained at the particular voltage, was either 1 ms or 3 ms with a port latency
of about 100 micro-s. The peak field strengths (Metex N380 Meter coupled
to a magnetic sensor, 140-3-60-1499, from Electric Field Measurements) at
distances equivalent to within the cerebrum were 1 microT (10 mG).
Two types of sham field conditions have been employed. The most frequent
has involved identical procedures including the activation of the computer for a
specific file but the computer program was never activated. The second involved
the computer in the resting state and the circuits to the helmet turned off. The
former was associated with a 20–40 nT increase (as measured by a MEDA
FM-300 magnetometer) in the steady-state (d.c.) magnetic field over the right
hemisphere compared to the left when the helmet switches were set for this
procedure (Booth et al., 2005). Mean values for the sensed presence for groups
exposed to the sham field in the former were about 0.3 whereas for the latter
were about 0.1 to 0.2. The percentages of subjects reporting a presence (no,
yes) in the two shams were 15 and 6, respectively (Persinger, 2003b).
Experimental-Induced Presence vs. History of Presence:
Controlling for Beliefs and Temporal Lobe Sensitivity
All subjects (n=201) that had been exposed to variations of the optimal field
parameters that produced the presence and to sham fields were compared with
SENSED PRESENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS 1085
those subjects who had been exposed to different environmental conditions that
did not elicit an elevated incidence of a presence. The purpose was to discern if
beliefs or temporal lobe sensitivity predicted outcome as reported by Granqvist
et al. (2005).
In two of the experiments (two different experimenters) that employed the
optimal magnetic field configurations all subjects (n=75) received the exit
questionnaire after 30 min of exposure to the bilateral burst-firing magnetic field
(see Persinger, 2003b for field shapes) or sham field (all equipment operating,
but no field generated). The incidence of a presence (0 never, 1 once, 2 several
times), and the relative presence (incidence score divided by the mean of
the scores for all 20 scores) to control for “non-specific” reporting of odd
experiences, were employed as dependent variables.
Three-way analyses of variance for the absolute and relative incidence
of a sensed presence as a function of field treatment (sham, field), sex of
subject (male, female), and experimenter showed that the subjects exposed to
the burst-firing field reported significantly [F(1,67) =6,22, 7.15, p<.01; etas
=.32] more frequent absolute (M=.6, SD =.6) and relative sensed presences
(M=1.0, SD =1.1), relative to sham field groups (M=.2, SD =.4; M=
.3, SD =.5, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in
the scores for temporal lobe sensitivity between groups exposed to the sham or
magnetic field conditions. Covariance for the subjects’ scores for temporal lobe
sensitivity, religious beliefs, exotic (new age) beliefs, and history of a sensed
presence (M=.30, SD =.32) from the PPI before the ANOVA did not change
the level of statistical significance for the two measures [F(1,63) =5.88, 6.84,
p<.01; etas =.28, .30). The covariates were not significantly correlated (p>
.05) with either measure of sensed presence.
However, the subjects’ histories of sensed presences as measured by
the PPI (in the class setting 2 to 4 months previously) were significantly
correlated (Spearman rho) with enhanced scores for temporal lobe sensitivity
(.43), religious beliefs (.38), and exotic beliefs (.45) but not with a variable
controlling for simple yes responding (−.10). These clusters were also from the
PPI. Similarly, the reported histories of sensed presence before the experiments
for the remaining 126 subjects (of the original 201) from 6 experiments involved
with the initial isolation of the optimal contingencies (they were exposed to
continuous fields or sine-wave patterns) to generate sensed presences (these
non-optimal fields generated sham field–level reports) were significantly (p<
.01) correlated (Spearman rhos that were almost always similar to Pearson
rs) with temporal lobe signs (.40), exotic beliefs, such as the validity of
reincarnation, UFOs are controlled by alien intelligence and the existence
1086 L. S. ST.-PIERRE AND M. A. PERSINGER
of time travel (.44), and traditional (Christian) religious beliefs, such as the
second coming of Christ, the existence of a devil, and, people must be guided
to ensure their spiritual development (.29). The scores for the absolute (M=
.2, SD =.3) and relative incidence (M=.3, SD =.4) for the sensed presence
within the experimental setting for these subjects were weakly correlated (rhos
=.17, .16, p<.01)) with the strength of traditional religious beliefs only and
not with temporal lobe sensitivity, control for yes responding, or exotic beliefs.
Multiple regression analyses were completed to predict the contributions
to a history of sensed presence (before the experiment) and the incidence of
experimental sensed presence by all of the 12 major subclusters (Persinger
& Makarec, 1993) of the PPI and scores for all 201 subjects. The equation
for a history of sensed presence was composed of four variables (beta values
in parentheses) a history of auditory vestibular experiences (.29), religious
convictions (.28), paranormal experiences (.22), and a preference to keep
personal written histories (.20) with a multiple r=.63 [F(4,197) =33.10,
p<.001]. The only subcluster that entered the equations for the occurrence of
presences (absolute and relative) within the experimental setting was a slightly
elevated egocentrism score (r=.20, 23, p<.01).
Direct Experimental Control for Suggestibility
Although Granqvist et al. (2005) concluded that suggestibility was responsible
for the effects of the magnetic fields in the present authors’ previous studies,
they did not directly measure this capacity for each subject. Published
and unpublished studies involving 4 different experimenters and 139 male
and female subjects who were individually administered the HIP by the
experimenter before (grand mean =6.0, SD =2.1) and after (grand mean
=6.8, SD =2.7) different magnetic field treatments showed that suggestibility
was not responsible for the magnetic field effects. The subjects were blind to
the purpose of the study. In all these studies the changes in the HIP scores
were correlated with the subjects’ scores for the PPI exotic beliefs (.50) and
Tobacyk’s total score (Persinger & Richards, 1991) for Religious Beliefs (.45).
The correlations between sensed presence and HIP scores for the sham groups
or the most affected groups in all of four studies were not significant statistically
(p>.05) and ranged between −.17 and .33.
In the Healey study (Persinger & Healey, 2002) involving four treatments
(one sham; three different field arrangements) the experimenter believed the
experiment was about suggestibility and did not know which field was supposed
to be most effective. The mean and standard deviation for the sensed presence
SENSED PRESENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS 1087
scores for the various groups were sham (M=.3, SD =.5), left hemisphere
exposure (0), right hemispheric exposure (M=.6, SD =.8) and bilateral
stimulation (M=.8, SD =.6). Reanalyses of these data for the significant
treatment effects [F(3,40) =3.67, p<.05; eta =.47] showed that the initial
covariance for the HIP score [F(3,39) =3.60, p<.05] and/or the combined
history of a sensed presence, exotic beliefs, religious beliefs, or temporal lobe
sensitivity [F(3,36) =3.07, p<.05; eta =.50] did not alter the statistical
significance of the magnetic field effect. The treatment differences for the
relative presence scores also remained significant [F=4.09, p<.01].
In the Hurban (Persinger, 2003b) study the field effect was unmasked by
covarying for suggestibility and temporal lobe sensitivity. That study involved
applying either a sham, burst-firing, reverse ringing, or, frequency-modulated
field over the right hemisphere for 30 min after the Hypnosis Induction Profile
had been obtained. The experimenter believed the experiment was about
magnetic fields and hypnosis and that the “reverse ringing” pattern was most
potent. Although a two-way analysis of variance as a function of the treatments
showed the usual greater numbers of absolute presences [F(1,24) =8.33,
p<.01] and relative presences [F=7.20] for women compared to men
the treatment effects were not statistically significant [F(3,24) =2.11, 2.20,
respectively; eta =.38, .39].
However, when the subjects’ changes in HIP scores and temporal
sensitivity scores were first covaried, a statistically significant [F(3,22) =4.25,
8.38, p<.01; eta =.50; .55] treatment effect emerged. Post hoc analyses
indicated that the subjects who received the frequency-modulated pattern over
the right hemisphere reported significantly more presences (M=.8, SD =.4)
than the reverse ring (M=0), continuous burst-firing pattern (M=.1, SD =.4),
or sham group (M=.3, SD =.8) who did not differ significantly from each other.
Expecting a Presence and the Presentation of Multiple,
Sequential Fields During the Same Setting: The Subject as
His/Her Own Control
The author’s most recent studies (5 experimenters; 2 male; 3 female; 47 subjects
each employed as their own controls) have been designed to isolate specifically
the controlling parameters for the sensed presence. The sensed presence was
defined for the subjects. In the usual setting they were asked to press buttons
held in their left and right hands to refer to which side the “presence” occurred.
The subjects were then exposed to 6 to 8 successive (counterbalanced between
1088 L. S. ST.-PIERRE AND M. A. PERSINGER
subjects) 5-min sequences of different very complex magnetic fields or blank
fields (all point values =127) to discern which was most effective.
The responses were recorded in real time along with the subjects’ EEG
activity. The range in latencies of response after the field onset for the most
effective patterns ranged between 20 and 60 s. The subjects were blind to which
and if a field was present (between 75 and 90% of the subjects displayed at
least two button presses). The experimenters were blind to the contents of the
specific batch file that generated the fields.
Preferential right hemispheric stimulation with the frequency-modulated
field (3 ms point duration, 3 ms interstimulus interval) for 30 min resulted
(in more than 80% of cases) with the sensed presence felt along the left
side. Subsequent bilateral stimulation with the burst-firing pattern (3 ms point
duration, 4000 ms interstimulus interval) resulted in experiences attributed to
the right (35%), left (45%), or behind/above (20%) the person (Persinger &
Healey, 2002). Ego-alien experiences (the feeling that “someone is in your
mind” or “inserting information into your awareness”) were correlated with
the numbers of right-sided (rho =.46) but not left-sided (rho =.19) presences
while experiences of being somewhere else were correlated with the numbers of
left-sided (rho =.73) but not right-sided (rho =.23) presences. Point durations
of 1 ms or 10 ms but not 3, 5, 7, or 20 ms for matched-frequency 7-Hz sine-wave
fields to test Cherry’s (2002) Schumann Resonance hypothesis applied more
intensely over the right hemisphere (Sandyk, 1992, 1995) compared to the left
produced more EEG spikes in the occipital region that were correlated (r=.80)
with the numbers of left but not right (r=.34) presences (Booth et al., 2003).
For the last five years the first author has been pursuing the hypothesis
that people with different beliefs may be more susceptible to specific temporal
parameters of the field, analogous to the differential efficacy of medications
for subtypes of depression. She tested 20 subjects who were exposed to
the frequency-modulated patterns with different interstimulus intervals (3,
10, 20, 40 ms) designed to overlap with the timing of Llinas’ and Pare’s
(1991) phase-modulations for consciousness. Those that had endorsed PPI
exotic beliefs reported more presences (button presses) during the 10 ms
interstimulus intervals while those that endorsed beliefs in Celtic (Wicka)
types of spiritualism, involving “witches,” showed more sensed presences (rho
=.70) to 3 ms intervals.
Subjective Experiences
Subjects exposed to the optimal magnetic fields report experiences that are
personally very meaningful, emotional, and “real.” Ongoing or post hoc
SENSED PRESENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS 1089
narratives of these experiences reflect the richness and complexity of cognitive
dimensions. The apparent overwhelming numbers of details and individual
differences contained within these reports can be minimized by assessing basic
themes or by quantitatively analyzing their emotional dimensions. For example,
Richards et al. (1993) found that the narratives of subjects exposed to the
burst-firing field presented at intervals to induce “analgesic” effects contained
words whose meaning scores were significantly more pleasant and less active
(typical of pleasurable experiences) compared to a sham field reference group.
Specific examples of the narratives from selected subjects are shown in
Appendix A. Appendix B shows the common themes and statements reported
by subjects exposed to the multiple-sequenced patterns, discussed in the last
section, over the right hemisphere. Such qualitative differences are also typical
of subjects who receive psychotropic drugs versus placebos (McKim, 1991).
Whereas both of the latter groups reported colors and lattices, the type of color
and the form of the percepts differed. In about 20% of the cases the presence
appeared to move when the subject tried cognitively to “focus” or attend to its
location. If the field was stopped without the person’s knowledge the “presence”
faded in about 2 to 3 s.
A sense of “evil,” particularly for left-sided experiences and marked
personal pleasantness, for right-sided presences, occurred in about 40% of
the more than 200 subjects who were queried about these details. Almost all
subjects with a history of using “mind-altering” drugs stated the experiences
produced by the magnetic fields were similar to these states. More than three-
quarters of individuals who had histories of “visitations by Sentient Beings”
reported the latter as re-appearing during the application of experimental
magnetic fields.
The Importance of Precise Field Patterns and Signal Timing
The most probable explanation for the discrepancy between the results of
Granqvist et al. (2005) and the present studies is the manner in which they
attempted to generate the critical patterns of the magnetic fields. The software
(Complex 1.15) to generate the magnetic field configurations was designed
for XT and 286 IBM PCs using DOS. Granqvist et al. (2005) employed a
Pentium-level computer. Faster computers and WINDOWS in particular distort
the timing of the point durations and disconfigure the temporal patterns of
the applied magnetic fields (Koren & Persinger, 2002) and eliminate their
bioeffectiveness (Martin et al., 2004; Tiller & Persinger, 2002). In several rat
studies (Martin et al., 2004a) the potency of analgesia from these applied fields
1090 L. S. ST.-PIERRE AND M. A. PERSINGER
can be eliminated, similar to changing the impact of a drug by changing the
position of an atom, by subtle changes in timing. The presence and the fidelity
of the appropriate field in the present experiments were also verified before
every subject was tested.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of the present re-analyses of 19 major studies by the authors over
the last 15 years indicate that the sensed presence, a feeling of a Sentient
Being, can be experimentally produced within the laboratory. The experience
is most frequent when the appropriate, temporally patterned magnetic fields
are applied through the temporal lobes with particular enhancement over the
right hemisphere. The effect sizes of the phenomena across experiments were
similar in magnitude for experiments that were completed under double-blind
conditions.
When experimenters were told or not told the purpose of the study or were
actually given “erroneous” expectations, specific temporal patterns of magnetic
fields were still most effective. Even when the subjects expected a presence (but
were not aware if they were being exposed to sham fields or to different patterns
of fields), specific applied magnetic field patterns were associated with more
frequent button presses that indicated a felt sensed presence. Although individ-
uals with elevated temporal lobe sensitivity were sometimes more responsive
to some patterns (Cook & Persinger, 2001), suggestibility was not a significant
correlate in the report of sensed presences within this experimental context.
The sensed presence has been associated with creativity, inspiration,
mystical states, and contact from “other-dimensional” sentient processes for
centuries. Variants have been reported in all human cultures. The profound
and personal experiences that subjects report following a brief exposure to the
appropriately patterned, experimentally generated magnetic fields through their
temporal plane suggests the procedures may simulate the essential theme of
“natural” experiences. If all experiences are generated by the brain, then the
temporal patterns and spatial configurations that generate the experience of gods
should be produced experimentally within controlled experimental settings.
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APPENDIX A
Examples of narratives (from audiotape) of subjects participating in “relax-
ation” studies who were exposed to various parameters of the applied magnetic
fields designed to generate the sensed presence.
Subject A
Middle-aged professional journalist. Frequency-modulated pattern (3 ms point
durations) applied over right hemisphere.
“I see shadows along my left side ...there is someone touching my left
side ...there is a flash of light ...a tunnel experience. I feel as if I am shrinking
SENSED PRESENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS 1095
and expanding. There is a tingling inside of my thigh ...sexual excitement.
There’s a cold rush (subject shivered; EEG showed paroxysmal activity). I see
a visual ...it’s an apparition.”
Subject B
21-year-old female with history of diabetes. Burst-firing pattern (3 ms point
durations) applied bilaterally.
“I felt a presence behind me and then along the left side. When I tried to
focus on its position, the presence moved. Every time I tried to sense where it
was, it moved around. When it moved to the right side, I experienced a deep
sense of security like I had not experienced before. I started to cry when I felt
it slowly fade away” (the field parameters had been changed).
Subject C
30-year-old woman. Frequency-modulated field (3 ms point durations)
enhanced over the right hemisphere.
“I feel detached from my body. I am floating up...there is a kind of
vibration moving through my sternum ...there are odd lights or faces along
my left side. My body is becoming very hot. ...tingling sensations in my chest
and stomach ...now both arms. There is something feeling my ovaries. I can
feel my left foot jerk. I feel there is someone in the room behind me.”
Subject D
25-year-old man, childhood history of three “mild” head injuries. Bilateral
application of frequency-modulated pattern (1 ms point durations).
“I feel as if there was a bright white light in front of me. I saw a black
spot that became a kind of funnel ...no tunnel that I felt drawn into. I felt
moving, like spinning forward through it. I began to feel the presence of people,
but I could not see them; they were along my sides. There were colourless,
grey-looking. I know I was in the chamber but it was very real. I suddenly felt
intense fear and felt ice cold.”
APPENDIX B
The most frequent themes and events reported or displayed by subjects who
were asked to press one of two hand buttons when they felt a presence while
being exposed to successive sequences of different magnetic field patterns over
1096 L. S. ST.-PIERRE AND M. A. PERSINGER
the right hemisphere or periods of no field. These themes occurred when the
fields were present.
1. A dark, ominous force looming right above the person (as if it was going to
descend).
2. A feeling of suffocation or pressure on the chest.
3. The sensation of “blacker than black” during brief periods within a minute
of the onset of a specific pattern.
4. Re-experiencing previous altered states, such as haunts, kundalini, and
psychotropic drug experiences. (These individuals had not experienced the
unusual events again until they were exposed to the fields.)
5. About 20% of the participants clicked one or two buttons indicating they
were experiencing a sensed presence but had no memory of the experience
about 15 to 20 min later.
6. Religious figures, images of “priests,” and, human skeletons, occurred as
“flickering” but repeated phenomena.