BMC psychiatry
December 2, 2019
Samir Al-Adawi, Yahya Al-Kalbani, Sathiya Murthi Panchatcharam et al.
14 citations
Spirit possession in Oman falls into two categories: intermittent and transitory dissociative phenomena. Among 84 participants (mean age 34, 56% female, 35% with trauma history), those with intermittent possession showed greater impairment on tests of executive functioning, including verbal fluency and the Trail Making Test, compared to the transitory group. The pathogenic possession subtype independently predicted worse performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Tower of London Test. The findings suggest that the typology of spirit possession differs on indices of executive function, with intermittent possession linked to deficits, laying groundwork for further neuropsychological study.
BMC women's health
September 29, 2020
Nasser Al-Sibani, Mandhar Al-Maqbali, Sangeetha Mahadevan et al.
9 citations
Menstrual psychosis, mostly documented in Euro-American populations, was examined in four patients at a tertiary care unit in Oman. The cyclical nature of their episodes fit Brockington's subtypes of catamenial and paramenstrual psychosis, but the spectrum of distress did not fit existing psychiatric nosology. In traditional Omani society, the symptoms are termed "spirit possession." Psychometric evaluation showed adequate intellectual functioning but impairments in neuropsychological functioning, including processing speed, episodic memory, and executive function. This case series suggests menstrual psychosis involves neuropsychological impairments similar to those seen in manic episodes or brief psychotic disorders.
Journal of medical case reports
December 10, 2009
Amr A Guenedi, Ala'Alddin Al Hussaini, Yousif A Obeid et al.
9 citations
Spirit possession beliefs are common across many cultures, yet their relationship to brain function remains underexplored. In a 22-year-old Omani man whose caregiver attributed his altered consciousness to possession, specific brain abnormalities were identified: reduced blood flow in the left temporal lobe and a structural anomaly in the left basal ganglia, both correlating with his distress. The case illustrates how possession can function as a culturally accepted expression of distress and underscores the value of examining such experiences through biomedical brain imaging alongside cultural understanding.