Corpus callosum size, hypnotic susceptibility and empathy in women with alleged mediumship: a controlled study.
Marco Aurélio Vinhosa Bastos, Paulo Roberto Haidamus Oliveira Bastos, Geraldo Barbosa Foscaches Filho, Ricardo Brilhante Conde, Jorge Guilherme Okanobo Ozaki, Renata Boschi Portella, Décio Iandoli, Giancarlo Lucchetti
Explore (New York, N.Y.) January 1, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2021.01.001 via PubMed
Summary
The study compared 16 Spiritist mediums with 16 non-medium controls, focusing on the corpus callosum area, hypnotic susceptibility, dissociation, and empathy. No significant differences were found in the corpus callosum sizes or levels of hypnotizability between the groups. However, mediums reported significantly more anomalous experiences. Both groups had similar scores for dissociation, empathy, and mental health, suggesting that the corpus callosum areas in mediums are normal compared to those with psychotic or dissociative disorders.
Study at a glance
| Design | observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | 16 Spiritist mediums and 16 non-medium controls |
| Key finding | Mediums reported significantly more anomalous experiences, but no differences were found in corpus callosum areas or hypnotizability between the groups. |
Abstract
Evidence indicates that highly hypnotizable subjects may have larger area of the rostrum of the corpus callosum (CC). Mediumship can be defined as the alleged ability to communicate regularly with deceased personalities, and self-hypnosis is postulated as an underlying mechanism for this ability. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the CC area, hypnotic susceptibility, self-reported dissociation, and empathy in alleged mediums in comparison with healthy, non-medium controls. The study sample consisted of 16 Spiritist mediums (medium group (MG)) and 16 non-medium controls. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed to measure the CC areas (total and subdivisions). The Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility was used to assess hypnotizability, and self-reported measures were used to investigate anomalous experiences, mental health using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-SRQ, dissociative experiences using the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and empathy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. No between-group differences were found in the total or subdivided CC areas or in hypnotizability, with both groups showing intermediate levels. The rostrum of the CC area and hypnotizability were not correlated. The MG presented with significantly more anomalous experiences, but the two groups had similar scores for dissociation, empathy, and mental health. The normal CC areas found in the MG are in contrast with the abnormal results typically observed in subjects with psychotic and dissociative disorders. Although hypnotizability was not different between groups, further studies are needed to replicate these findings in other samples.