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Dureen J. Hughes
Los Angeles, California
Norbert T. Melville
Los Angeles, California
a
comprehensive
model
would
include
physiological
description
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Society for the
Anthropology of Consciousness annual meeting, February 28 - March 4,1990,
Pacific Palisades, California. The authors would like to thank Robert
Edgerton for thoughtful criticisms. of the manuscript. We would also like to
thank all of the trance Channels who participated in this research, and
especially Shawn Randall without whom this study could not have been
completed.
Copyright
175
lack
of
field
data
176
meditative
states
as
altered
states
177
METHOD
Subjects
five
female
and
five
male
trance
channels
Apparatus
178
Procedure
non-intrusive
naturalistic
observation
and
elicitation
techniques
179
Measures
a
large
literature
regarding
subjective
states
Analysis
180
RESULTS
comparing
pre-trance,
trance,
and
post-trance
beta,
alpha,
theta
181
BETA BRAINWAVE
ACTIVITY
WAS PRESENT,
FOREACH
PAIR
51
S2
S3
54
S5
S6
57
S8
59
5 10
PRE-TRANCE
2,0
28.3
14.6
45.0
22.6
9.6
15.7
3.8
30.8
4.6
PERIODS
DURING
SUBJECT
TRANCE
1.00
20.55
36,24
78,27
57.31
46.10
56.62
46,54
85.81
81.20
PlFFERENCE
-1.00
-7.75
21.64
33.27
34.71
36.50
40.82
42.74
55.01
76.60
~d:::333
The difference between the percentage of beta produced in the pre-trance and
trance periods was significant at the .0078 level (two-tailed test).
TABLE 2
PERCENTAGES
OFTOTALTRANCEANDPOST-TRANCE
TIMEPERIODSDURING
WHICHBETABRAINWAVE
ACTIVITYWASPRESIlNT,
ANDDlI'FERENCE
SCORES
FOREACHSUBJECT
PAIR
51
S2
S5
S3
S8
57
S6
S4
S9
SIO
TRANCE
1.00
20.55
57.31
36.24
46.54
56.52
46.10
78.27
85.81
81.20
POST-TRANCE
6.3
28.0
48.0
26.6
33.9
14.0
1.6
33,3
34.0
6.0
DIFFERENCE
5.30
7.45
-9.31
-9.64
-12.64
-42.52
-44.50
-44.97
-51.81
-75.20
td:::-280
The difference between the percentage of beta produced in the trance and posttrance periods was significant at the .0078 level (two-tailed test).
182
TABLE
8 UllJECT
PAIR
PRE-TRANCE
TRANCE
DIFFERENCE
SI
0.0
4.6
3.9
0.6
3.3
12.2
0.6
1.2
11.6
4.2
1.18
13.42
23.62
22.08
32.10
47.34
37.53
44.96
56.84
59.57
1.18
8.82
19.72
21.48
28.80
35.14
36.93
43.76
45.24
55.37
Zd:::296
S2
S9
S6
S4
S1
SIO
S8
S5
S1
The difference between the percentage of alpha produced in the pre-trance and
trance periods was significant at the .0019 level (two-tailed test).
TABLE
PAIR
TRANCE
POST-TRANCE
DlFFERENCE
SI
1.18
13.42
23.62
32.10
22.08
47.34
44.96
37.53
56.84
59.57
3.3
5.6
3.0
10.3
0.0
22.6
9.1
0.3
7.0
6.3
2.12
-7.82
-20.62
-21.80
-22.08
-24.74
-35.86
-37.23
-49.84
S2
S9
S4
S6
S3
S8
S10
S5
S7
Zd;;:272
The difference between the percentage of alpha produced in the trance and
post-trance periods was significant at the .0039 level (two-tailed test).
TABLE
PERIODS DURING
PAIR
PRE-TRANCE
TRANCll
DIFFERENCE
13.0
42.0
55.6
22.2
20.0
42.6
39.4
15,2
11.3
21.3
10.85
45.36
38.37
42.77
41.10
63.82
80.78
65.91
65.30
76.00
-2.15
3.36
-17.23
20.57
21.10
21.22
41.38
50.71
54.00
SS
S2
89
S6
84
83
S8
SIO
S1
Zd=248
The difference between the percentage of theta produced in the pre-trance and
trance periods was significant at the .0117 level (two-tailed test).
183
TABLE
PERCENTAGES OF TOTAL TRANCE
AND POST-TRANCE
TIME PERIODS
DURING
PAIR
TRANCE
S5
45.36
10.85
42.77
80.78
63.82
38.37
65.91
41.10
76.00
65.30
SI
S9
Sl
S4
S2
S8
S6
S7
S10
POST-TRANCE
DIFFERENCE
-5.76
8.75
-15.57
-16.48
-18.82
25.93
-29.71
-35.50
-45.70
39.6
19.6
27.2
64.3
45.0
64.3
36.2
5.6
30.3
9.3
~d= 191
The difference between the percentage of theta produced in the trance and posttrance periods was not statistically significant (.068 level using two-tailed test).
TABLE
LEVELS OF SIGNIFJCANCE
RANDOMIZATION
CORRIlSPONDlNG
TO OUTCOMES OF THE
SIGNIFICANCE
LEVELS
Pre-trance - Trance
Beta
Alpha
Theta
.0078
.0019
.0117
Post-trance - Trance
Beta
Alpha
Theta
.0078
.0039
.068*
SUMS OF
DlFFERENCES
333
296
248
877
280
272
191
743
DISCUSSION
184
Meditative States
Hypnosis
hypnosis
and
trance
states
compared
185
PathologicalStates
According to Grebb, Weinberger and Morihisa (1986) schizophrenia is characterized by decreased alpha and increased delta
and theta, while Small (1983) has concluded that schizophrenics show decreased alpha, but increased delta and beta
(cited in John, 1989). In any case, the electrophysiology of
schizophrenia seems to be quite different from that of the
trance channeling state as recorded in the present study.
Other disorders are also characterized by distinctive electrophysiological profiles. For example, patients with seniledementia display increased delta and theta activity coupled with
decreased alpha and beta (Goodin & Aminoff, 1986;Giannitrapani & Collins, 1988; Giaquinto & Nolfe, 1988; Soininen &
Partanen, 1988)cited in John (1989), while delirium seems to be
186
the
pilot
nature
of
the
present
study
"The non parametric randomization test rather than a parametric test, such as
the t-test, was used because there was little or no basis for making the
assumption that the difference scores (trance versus non-trance percentages of
beta, alpha and theta) were normally and independently distributed in the
population from which the sample was drawn. Since the measurements were on
an interval scale, the randomization test is the most powerful (uses all the
information in the sample) of the nonparametric tests. In addition, nonparametric tests such as the randomization test, are appropriate when the sample
size is small.
187
REFERENCES
188
189