Corpus callosum size, hypnotic susceptibility and empathy in women with alleged mediumship: a controlled study.
Explore (New York, N.Y.) January 1, 2022 Marco Aurélio Vinhosa Bastos, Paulo Roberto Haidamus Oliveira Bastos, Geraldo Barbosa Foscaches Filho et al. 6 citations
Alleged mediums who report regular communication with deceased personalities show no differences in brain structure, hypnotizability, dissociation, or empathy compared to non-medium controls. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed normal corpus callosum areas in the medium group, contrasting with abnormalities seen in psychotic and dissociative disorders. Both groups had intermediate hypnotic susceptibility levels, and the rostrum of the corpus callosum area did not correlate with hypnotizability. The medium group reported more anomalous experiences but scored similarly on dissociation, empathy, and mental health measures. The findings suggest that mediumship is not associated with the brain abnormalities or dissociative pathology found in clinical conditions.