Transcendental Meditation and general meditation are associated with enhanced complex partial epileptic-like signs: evidence for 'cognitive' kindling?

Author: Persinger MA
Affiliation: Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Conference/Journal: Percept Mot Skills
Date published: 1993
Other: Volume ID: 76 , Issue ID: 1 , Pages: 80-2 , Word Count: 97


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.