Transcendental Meditation and general meditation are associated with enhanced complex partial epileptic-like signs: evidence for "cognitive" kindling?
Perceptual and motor skills February 1, 1993 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.2466/pms.1993.76.1.80 via PubMed
Summary
Meditating university students showed a wider range of complex partial epileptic-like signs compared to nonmeditators. Notably, experiences such as vibrations, hearing one's name, and religious phenomena were more common among meditators. The number of years practicing Transcendental Meditation correlated with the occurrence of these signs but not with other types of experiences. This suggests that meditation may enhance certain cognitive processes related to these signs.
Study at a glance
| Sample size | 1,081 |
|---|---|
| Population | university students, including meditators and nonmeditators |
| Key finding | Meditators exhibited a significantly wider range of complex partial epileptic-like signs than nonmeditators. |
Abstract
The Personal Philosophy Inventories of 221 university students who had learned to meditate (about 65% to 70% Transcendental Meditation) were compared to 860 nonmeditators. Meditators displayed a significantly wider range of complex partial epileptic-like signs. Experiences of vibrations, hearing one's name called, paranormal phenomena, profound meaning from reading poetry/prose, and religious phenomenology were particularly frequent among mediators. Numbers of years of TM practice were significantly correlated with the incidence of complex partial signs and sensed presence but not with control, olfactory, or perseverative experiences. The results support the hypothesis that procedures which promote cognitive kindling enhance complex partial epileptic-like signs.