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In one experiment 40 first-year psychology students were asked to judge dangerousness to society of 10 fictitious patients who professed beliefs about an “alien.” The statements were actually paraphrases primarily concerning death and killing from the New Testament, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. In a second experiment 39 first-year psychology students were asked to rate the dangerousness of the verbatim statements with their sources identified. In the first experiment, statements from the Koran, which involved accessing a positive afterlife by killing nonbelievers in the name of a deity, were ranked as more dangerous. The differences between the sources accommodated 33% of the variance in the rankings for dangerousness. The group of students who were given the original statements and their actual sources ranked the statements from the New Testament and the Koran as significantly less dangerous than those who were told the statements were from patients. These results suggest that statements about killing and death may be rated as less dangerous if the person believes the source was a “sacred text.”

24 young (4 mo.) and 24 old (8 mo.) male Wistar rats were exposed for 30 min. on two consecutive days to either a sham-field or to a frequency-modulated magnetic field applied through a pair of solenoids (spatially heterogeneous strength) or a Helmholtz coil (spatially homogeneous strength). The maximum field strength was about 2 microTesla. The rats exposed to the spatially heterogeneous magnetic field but not the homogeneous magnetic field exhibited strong analgesia to thermal stimuli applied to the Footpads immediately after the treatment and 30 min. later. The effect accommodated 38% of the variance in the latency to respond to the thermal stimuli. These results suggest that the practice by many researchers in bioelectromagnetism to design coils to generate maximum spatial homogeneity of intensities within the exposure volume when applying complex weak magnetic fields may actually diminish any biological effects.

14 patients who reported chronic depression more than one year after closed head injuries were exposed to weak (1 microTesla), burst-firing magnetic fields either across the temporal lobes or over the left frontal lobe. The treatment was for 30 min. once per week for 6 wk. The reduction in depression scores after 5 wk. of treatments and after 6 wk. of no treatment (follow-up) accommodated 54% of the variance for both groups. The changes in depression scores did not differ significantly between the two groups (temporal vs frontal). Following treatment, the frequency of complex partial epileptic-like experiences decreased significantly only for the 7 who received the bilateral stimulation over the temporal lobes. Quantitative bipolar electroencephalographic measurements over the occipital, prefrontal, and temporal regions showed increased power within the 16-Hz to 18-Hz range 6 wk. after termination of treatment for those 7 patients who received the burst-firing magnetic fields bilaterally over the temporal lobes but not over the left prefrontal region.

Raw scores for each of several dozens of traditional and more recently developed neuropsychological tests were correlated with an impairment index composed of all of these scores from the records of 162 patients who had been assessed following impacts of substantial mechanical energies, A score of either less than 20 correct binaural responses for a dichotic word listening task, more than 99 sec. for Trails B, and more than 3.8 min. to complete the Tactual Performance Test with both hands correctly classified 85% of patients whose zscores were less than −1.0 (below average) or −1.0 or above (average) for a composite neurocognitive index. The results suggest that these three tests, administrable within about one hour, may be employed as a more objective criterion rather than “clinical impressions” for discerning if patients require more extensive neuropsychological testing.

A common policy in research institutions is to kill rats when they display chronic disabilities or recurrent injuries. These guidelines appear to be derived from an oxymoron that “it's better for a rat to be killed so it does not suffer pain” and from untested assumptions that rats cannot control “pain.” In a two-bottle paradigm. 10 rats with history of brain damage following status epilepticus from a single systemic injection of lithium and pilocarpine were given options to consume freely either tap water or 1 mg/cc of acetaminophen in tap water. During periods of fresh lesions due to persistent gnawing or acute injuries associated with tonic-clonic convulsions, the rats consumed 3 to 10 times the fluid from the bottles containing acetaminophen (equivalent to 5 to 10 extra-strength Tylenol tablets per day for a 70-kg person) relative to periods when no lesions or old lesions were present. These results suggest that rats with chronic injuries sufficient to be terminated according to Animal Care guidelines may be capable of reducing the aversive physiological conditions associated with tissue damage by selecting analgesic treatments.

Male rats were seized with lithium and pilocarpine and then injected within 30 min. with either acepromazine or ketamine. These rats as well as age-matched normal rats were observed daily for one year. The rats which had received the ketamine after the seizures were significantly heavier than either the normal rats or the other group of seized rats. The bulk of this increased weight was due to the marked increase in white, extremely dense adipose tissue. Compared to the acepromazine-treated rats, the ketamine-treated rats did not exhibit spontaneous seizures and exhibited cerebral widths comparable to normal rats. These results suggest that the multifocal, graded neuronal loss associated with this seizure model may allow other “configurations” to emerge that can support normal behaviors as well as new characteristics.

In 2002 Persinger, Roll, Tiller, Korea, and Cook considered whether there are physical processes by which recondite information exists within the space and time of objects or events. The stimuli that compose this information might be directly detected within the whole brain without being processed by the typical sensory modalities. We tested the artist Ingo Swann who can reliably draw and describe randomly selected photographs sealed in envelopes in another room. In the present experiment the photographs were immersed continuously in repeated presentations (5 times per sec.) of one of two types of computer-generated complex magnetic field patterns whose intensities were less than 20 nT over most of the area, WINDOWS-generated but not DOS-generated patterns were associated with a marked decrease in Mr. Swann's accuracy. Whereas the DOS software generated exactly the same pattern, WINDOWS software phase-modulated the actual wave form resulting in an infinite bandwidth and complexity. We suggest that information obtained by processes attributed to “paranormal” phenomena have physical correlates that can be masked by weak, infinitely variable magnetic fields.

Relative power within the delta, theta, low-alpha, high-alpha, and gamma electroencephalographic spectra of 8 human volunteers was recorded over the left and right frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes during and after the circumcerebral application through an array of 8 solenoids of 6 different configurations of weak (5 to 10 microTesla) magnetic fields. The solenoids were equally spaced around the subject's head along a horizontal plane above the ears. An approximately 30% increase in power within the theta band occurred transcerebrally during the application of a specific configuration, previously shown to affect subjective time, involving 20-msec. rates of change in the duration of delivery of the magnetic fields to each successive solenoid. Compared to the left hemisphere, the right hemisphere displayed a 20% increase in power within the 5.0- to 5.9-Hz range for all 6 configurations. The results suggest that very complex magnetic fields with the appropriate temporal parameters rotated around and within brain space can interact with the cerebral processes, measured as specific bands of frequencies, generating consciousness. Implications for the roles of hippocampal theta activity, cortical resonance, and Goldstone bosons in these processes are discussed.

On the basis of results from a special subject who reported information at a distance during exposure to weak, circumcerebral magnetic fields rotating within the horizontal plane. we designed an experiment to discern if the subjective narratives of normal people exposed to these fields could be similar to the comments of emotionally related individuals who were concurrently generating shared memories about a randomly selected stimulus. Blind matching of the comments indicated that the proportions of 44 students who accurately paired the narratives of the field-exposed subject and the comments of the stimulus person as congruent were statistically significant for 5 of the 7 pairs whose narratives were of sufficient length for analysis. The ratings for congruence of the pairs of verbal behaviors for the 7 pairs of subjects were negatively correlated (rho= −.72) with the geomagnetic activity during the 24-hr. interval within which the experiences were conducted. The results suggested consciousness might also be an insulator to myriad stimuli which might be accessible when brain activity is modified by circumcerebral magnetic fields with temporal configurations in the order of 20 msec.

To identify means to enhance the laboratory production of alleged paranormal phenomena, 15 pairs of men and women involved emotionally were tested by male and female experimenters who were not familiar with the hypothesis that ambient (geomagnetic) activity could modulate this production. While the female of the pair was exposed to six different patterns of complex magnetic fields designed to affect states of consciousness, the male wrote his reminiscences about shared experiences evoked by a postcard randomly selected from a collection of five. Increased global geomagnetic activity (k values between 0 and 5) at the time of the experiments was significantly and moderately correlated with the more accurate ranking of the stimulus cards. These results were similar to those of a previous study. We suggest that alleged paranormal phenomena involve processes that might be produced by experimentally altering the electroencephalographic correlates of consciousness with circumcerebral applications of counterclockwise weak magnetic fields. However, these processes may be enhanced if global geomagnetic activity is increasing during the periods of exposure.

Nociceptive thresholds to a 55°C hot surface were measured for female Wistar rats before treatments and 30 min. and 60 min. after the treatments. After injection with either naloxone or saline following baseline measurements, the rats were exposed for 30 min. to either sham fields or to weak (about 1 microTesla) burst-firing magnetic fields composed of 230 points (4 msec. per point) presented once every 3 sec. The rats that had received the burst-firing magnetic fields exhibited elevated nociceptive thresholds that explained about 50% of the variance. A second pattern, designed after the behaviour of individual thalamic neurons during nociceptive input and called the “activity rhythm magnetic field” produced only a transient analgesic effect. These results replicated previous studies and Suggest that weak, extremely low frequency, pulsed magnetic fields with biorelevant temporal structures may have utility as adjuncts for treatment of pain.

In the present study, the artist Ingo Swann, who helped develop the process of remote viewing (awareness of distant objects or places without employing normal senses), was exposed during a single setting of 30 min. to specific patterns of circumcerebral magnetic fields that significantly altered his subjective experiences. Several times during subsequent days, he was asked to sit in a quiet chamber and to sketch and to describe verbally distant stimuli (pictures or places) beyond his normal senses. The proportions of unusual 7-Hz spike and slow wave activity over the occipital lobes per trial were moderately correlated (rho= .50) with the ratings of accuracy between these distal, hidden stimuli and his responses. A neuropsychological assessment and Magnetic Resonance Imaging indicated a different structural and functional organization within the parieto-occipital region of the subject's right hemisphere from organizations typically noted. The results suggest that this type of paranormal phenomenon, often dismissed as methodological artifact or accepted as proofs of spiritual existence, is correlated with neurophysiological processes and physical events. Remote viewing may be enhanced by complex experimentally generated magnetic fields designed to interact with the neuromagnetic “binding facror” of consciousness.

During 96 nonsequential days over a 3-yr. period, a total of 53 men and 86 women were exposed only once for 30 min. to transcerebral, weak complex magnetic fields while they sat alone within a quiet chamber. They were asked to record the frequency of specific experiences after the exposure was completed. There was a significant interaction between sex and global geomagnetic activity for the incidence of experiences attributed to memories. Women reported more experiences attributed to “childhood memories” when geomagnetic activity was less than 20 nT, while men reported more of these experiences when the activity was more than 20 nT. Re-analyses of a database of “paranormal experiences” reported by 395 separate individuals over a 100-yr. period indicated that more men than women reported “precognitive experiences” on days the geomagnetic activity was above 20 nT while women reported such experiences if the geomagnetic activity was below 20 nT. These results suggest that these experiences, be they veridical or illusory, may be influenced by global geomagnetic activity that affect the neuroelectrical or neurochemical processes associated with memory consolidation or the attribution of the serial order of experiences during retrieval.

68 first-year university students and 37 patients, after a 1-mo. or a 2-yr. interval, respectively, were re-administered the MMPI–168 (the first 168 items of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory). The mean of the test-retest correlation coefficients between the first and second administrations for the 13 scales (3 validity, 10 clinical) was about .62 for the students and the patients. The mean absolute change in standardized scores for the scales between the two administrations for both groups was only 0.2 of a standard deviation. Compared to the students, however, the patients who had been referred for neuropsychological assessments displayed elevated (>2 SD) mean scores for several of the scales during both administrations. These results indicate that the MMPI-168 profiles of the patients did not change appreciably even though several years had elapsed since the injuries. The correlation coefficients between means of the scaled scores between the first and second administrations for the students and patients were .91 and .95, respectively.

Since the year 1992 individuals and groups of people have reported religious experiences near Marmora, Ontario, Canada. The experiences, attributed to Christ or Mary, have occurred near the top of a hill adjacent to an open pit magnetite mine that has been accumulating about 15 million gallons of water per month for more than a decade. During the period between 1992 and 1997 epicentres for local seismic events moved significantly closer to this site. Most of the messages attributed to spiritual beings by “sensitive” individuals occurred one or two days after increased global geomagnetic activity. We suggest that conditions produced by local geophysical and geological properties created the odd lights and induced physiological changes within the thousands of people who visited the area. Direct measurements indicated that weak (0.1 microTesla to 1 microTesla) complex magnetic fields, the temporal patterns of which were similar to the experimental fields we have employed to evoke the sensed presence and altered states within the laboratory, may have been generated within the area.

The role of precipitation as a modulator of processes that influence the numbers of reports of anomalous luminous phenomena was investigated within the San Francisco Basin for the years 1950 through 1969. More than 50% of the variance in the numbers of these reports was accommodated by the amount of rainfall during the months of January. The relationship was strongest for events within 100 km of the city. Years in which January rainfall exceeded 8.5 in. and the numbers of earthquakes within the basin increased were associated with the largest numbers of general reports within 400 km from the city, particularly if the previous year had been drier and displayed Jess seismic activity. Application of the equation to years 1970 through 1995 predicted that above average (zscore >1.5) numbers of luminous displays should have occurred during the years 1973, 1993, and 1995. The results support the corollary of the tectonic strain theory that fluid injection or hydrological loads, natural or man-made, can affect the processes of tectonic strain which facilitate the creation of unusual luminous phenomena.

A total of 45 litters were exposed during their entire prenatal development to one of two complex patterns of magnetic fields whose strengths varied within one of four intensity ranges between 10 nT and 1000 nT or to sham-field conditions. The litters exposed to the most complex pattern, composed of 50 200-msec. presentations of different pulses for 10 sec. every 50 sec., displayed more ambulation in an open field at 21 days of age than the litters that had been exposed continuously to a repetitive frequency-modulated field or to sham-field conditions. This treatment explained 25% of the variance in the numbers of squares traversed. The results suggest that complexity of the applied magnetic field during prenatal development may be more important than intensity for permanently affecting neuronal organization and behavior.

Chronic, limbic epilepsy was induced in male rats by a single systemic injection of lithium and pilocarpine. In two separate experiments, each 6 mo. in duration, the proportion of the population that displayed an overt motor seizure (head nodding, rearing, and forelimb clonus) within 10 min. each day after delivery of food pellets (despite food provided ad libitum) was recorded. Cumulative records for the numbers of rats in each population that displayed overt seizure for the first time during the observation period were plotted as a function of time. The occurrence of the saturated (approaching 100%) asymptote at about five months was interpreted to indicate that brief (10 min.) sampling over the 144 successive days that would compose a single 24-hr. period could serve as an estimate of the average probability of an overt seizure during an average 24-hr. period. If this assumption is correct, then these rats would have displayed about one overt seizure per day.

Gordon and Carmon (1976) reported that repeated presentations of an initially novel stimulus were associated with a transfer of cerebral dominance over time (trials) from the right to the left hemisphere. To test the generalizability of these results the proportions of alpha rhythms over the left and right occipital and parietal lobes were measured following the presentation of recurring and nonrecurring complex visual patterns (the Kimura Figures) to the upper or lower, left or right peripheral visual fields. Analysis showed increased electrical activation (as inferred by attenuated proportions of alpha rhythms) of the left occipital lobe but decreased activation of the right occipital lobe. This shift occurred during repeated presentations of the same stimuli but not during single presentations of different novel stimuli. There was no significant shift in this activity over the parietal lobes. These results are consistent with the reports of other researchers who have found a shift of dominant neuroelectrical activity from the right to the left hemisphere as the novelty of a visuospatial stimulus decreases.

A total of 200 girls and boys between the ages of 6 years and 15 years were administered Roberts' Dichotic Word Listening Test. A statistically significant relatively abrupt and maintained increase in left ear accuracy was noted after 9 years of age (eta = .55). Except for a mild improvement after 6 to 7 years of age, comparable changes were not observed for the right ear. The magnitude of the effect was not significantly diminished even after covariance for verbal fluency and semantic categorization. These results are compatible with the observations that myelination of the cerebral commissures and electroencephalographic phase relations of the right hemisphere achieve near-adult characteristics after 9 years of age. Boys displayed less accuracy for dichotic word listening, particularly for the left ear, compared to the girls (eta = .20).

To test the hypothesis that experiences of apparitional phenomena with accompanying fear can be simulated within the laboratory, a 45-yr.-old Journalist and professional musician who had experienced a classic haunt four years previously was exposed to 1 microTesla, complex, transcerebral magnetic fields. Within 10 min. after exposure to a frequency-modulated pattern applied over the right hemisphere, the man reported “rushes of fear” that culminated in the experience of an apparition. Concurrent electroencephalographic measurements showed conspicuous 1-sec-to-2-sec. paroxysmal complex spikes (15 Hz) that accompanied the reports of fear. A second magnetic field pattern, applied bilaterally through the brain, was associated with pleasant experiences. The subject concluded that the synthetic experience of the apparition was very similar to the one experienced in the natural setting. The results of this experiment suggest that controlled simulation of these pervasive phenomena within the laboratory is possible and that this experimental protocol may help discern the physical stimuli that evoke their occurrence in nature.

Over a 3-yr period, 19 patients who had sustained brain traumas during motor vehicle incidents and who exhibited abnormal scores for a dichotic word-listening task and Roberts' Epileptic Spectrum Disorder Inventory more than one year after the injury were recommended for treatment with carbamazepine (Tegretol). The psychiatric profile of these patients, as defined by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, was similar to the profile of patients from other studies who had displayed more objective improvement following this treatment. Of the 14 patients 12 who followed the recommendation retrospectively reported that within a few weeks after treatment they experienced marked reductions in the incidence of sudden confusion and depression, increased attention and focus and either elimination or attenuation of an aversive sensed presence. Such results suggest that many of the debilitating symptoms that persist for months to years after a traumatic brain injury may be electrical in nature rather than due to “psychological responses” and might be treatable by appropriate dosages of carbamazepine or other, e.g., Gabapentin (Neurontin) antiepileptic compounds.

zscores for measures of intelligence, memory, educational achievement, and neuropsychological impairment were obtained for 193 patients who had sustained impacts of mechanical energy to their skulls. Two sets of normative data, adjusted for age and sex and not adjusted for these variables, were employed to compute indices of neurocognitive proficiency (the inverse of impairment). 80% or 76 of the 96 patients whose Halstead-Reitan Indices were greater than 0.4 displayed scores for neurocognitive proficiency that were two or more standard deviations below the averages of their scores for intelligence, memory, and educational achievement. None of the patents whose Impairment Indices were 0.4 or less displayed this discrepancy. There were no statistically significant differences between these two groups of patients with respect to the presence of unconsciousness following the injury or the duration of posttraumatic memory disruptions. The results indicate that quantitative scores for neuropsychological impairments are still the most accurate criteria to discern brain dysfunction within the mild to moderate range.

On three separate sessions 24 male rats with histories of limbic epilepsy were exposed to 10 temporal configurations for 5 min. each of one of two patterns of magnetic fields. Their intensities averaged about 1 microTesla (μT). The numbers of Level 5 (Racine) seizures, inferred by the rat's rearing, rapid forelimb clonus, and falling, were statistically more frequent for the frequency-modulated (Thomas) pattern when its pixel duration and interstimulus presentation were 3 msec. The effectiveness of this temporal configuration was replicated in a second within-subjects experiment (n= 9) that directly compared the numbers of seizures during exposures to each of the two patterns and to a sham-field. These results suggest that brains with sensitive limbic systems might respond to weak magnetic fields, generated from multiple overlapping fields from communication and computer systems whose temporal derivatives emerge as complex sequences with pixel durations within the millisecond range.

Human beings are extremely aggressive animals who are emersed within a steady-state geomagnetic field. A small component of this field displays periodic changes in amplitude. Symmetrical lag/lead analysis (−6 years to +6 years) in the present study, involving annual global geomagnetic activity, inferences of solar activity, and the release of the total, global seismic energy indicated that the numbers of armed conflicts (wars) for the first half of the twentieth century were moderately associated (rs approximately .50; 25% of the variance) only with the global geomagnetic activity of the same year. When the residuals between the predicted annual geomagnetic activity from the solar cycle and the observed geomagnetic activity were allowed to enter the equations, a comparable proportion of the variance in numbers of wars was accommodated. A factor associated with geomagnetic activity might, it is speculated, modulate changes within emergent processes that control the relative dominance of large aggregates of humans. Wars may have been the more obvious manifestations of these changes.

The birth dates of 163 men and 245 women who were born between the years 1958 and 1969 were extracted from our data base for first-year university students. Daily aa values, measures of the amplitude of global geomagnetic activity, were obtained for the birthdays and for each of the seven days before and after the birthdays. Analyses of variance indicated no significant differences in the magnitudes of the geomagnetic activity during these 15 days; however, men were born when the geomagnetic activity was significantly higher than when the women were born. The effect, which was equivalent to a correlation coefficient of about .20, was largest for the day of birth and for the two or three days before birth. The means of the aa values for the day of birth and the day before birth for the men were about 7 nanoTesla higher than the values for the women.

All sciences contain words that define events or aggregates of events from which new properties emerge. There are also words for processes They require sequential increments of time to be perceived. Systematic relationships exist between the increments of space (meters) and the increments of time (seconds) required to perceive a phenomenon. These relationships suggest that at the largest increment of space, the universe, the processes cannot be perceived. The measurement of femtometer (10−15m) and attometer (10−18m) space by millisecond increments (human perception) allows temporal and spatial increments to be nested into higher order organizations. Whether or not these systematic relationships between the increments of space and time required to perceive a phenomenon and the similarity of fundamental operations relating events and processes that occurs across the sciences imply an externally structured order or simply reflect the fundamental organization of ail human brains is discussed.

If the emergence of higher order consciousness is produced by transcerebral electromagnetic processes recreated every 20 msec, to 25 msec., then any frequency band in addition to the 40-Hz range could serve as a binding factor for this process. Second order differences or “derivatives,” obtained by lagging differences in real time between adjacent frequency integers, indicate that 20 msec, to 25 msec, intervals could be continuously recreated by shifts in frequency within approximately 6.3 and 7.8 Hz. Higher order differences indicate that variations within very narrow band widths between 5 Hz and 6 Hz would generate continuous recreations of 20-msec. to 25-msec. intervals.

Pcls (continuous pulsations) within the geomagnetic field, whose durations are about 30 minutes but which can reoccur several times nightly, are observed during periods when global geomagnetic activity is very low (less than 10 nT). The hypothesis that these 0.2 to 5 Hz synchronized micropulsations or hydromagnetic emissions might stimulate physical chemical cascades within the brain that precipitate the sudden death in infants was tested by correlational analysis for a two-year period (1960–1961) for Ontario. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that the monthly incidences of these unexpected deaths, pcl micropulsations and geomagnetic activity less than 10 nT displayed a shared source of variance. Implications are discussed.

During each of four successive sessions (once per week), 21 university students attended 3-hr. lectures. During alternative weeks the fans of the room's ventilation system were either on or off. When operating, they generated an average sound pressure that varied continuously between 60 and 65 dB. The dominant frequency of this 5-dB amplitude modulation of sound pressure was within the electroen cephalographic range (5 Hz to 25 Hz). At the end of each hour of the lecture for each session each student estimated on 7-point summated rating scales fatigue (none to maximum) and concentration (poor to excellent). As a group, the students reported more fatigue during lectures when the fans were operating relative to lectures when the fans were not operating. This environmental effect explained about 30% of the variance in fatigue ratings and may be sufficient to affect adversely the attention of students within these settings.

Measures of monopolar alpha and theta rhythm activity over the left and right temporal lobes were correlated with the subjects' hemisphericity (Vingiano) scores, temporal lobe signs, and concurrent subjective experiences during partial sensory deprivation. There was a positive association (rho= .49) between the scores for right hemisphericity and the relative amount of right/left theta rhythm but not right/ left alpha rhythm activity. Significant intercorrelations between right hemisphericity, an history of ego-alien intrusions and experiences of a sensed presence, “detachment from the body,” and fear during the recordings were noted. These results support the hypothesis that this class of mystical experiences is encouraged by hemispheric mismatch in temporal-lobe theta activity.

The vectorial hemisphericity concept predicts that endorsements of beliefs in paranormal phenomena are associated with elevated subcortical (complex partial epileptic-like signs) temporal lobe experiences while endorsements of religious beliefs are associated with experiences of the right (cortical) hemispheric equivalent (the sensed presence) of the linguistic sense of self. Partial correlation analyses, which removed the expected shared variance, supported this hypothesis for 400 men and 400 women; religious affiliation did not contribute any statistically significant influence. However, agreements with extreme religious beliefs, such as killing others in God's name, were associated with weekly church attendance and were primarily endorsed by men but not by women.

Scores for the inference of Temporal Lobe Signs, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and the Hemispheric Quotient were obtained for men and women. Moderately strong positive correlations (.70) were found between indices of complex partial epileptic-like signs and the Dissociative Experiences Scale; there were no correlations between the Hemispheric Quotient and the Dissociative Experiences Scale or Temporal Lobe Signs. However, factor-derived left hemispheric items (related to religiosity, verbal meaning, and sense of presence) and right hemispheric items (depersonalization, automatic behaviors) displayed the appropriate Hemispheric Quotient. Scores on the Dissociative Experiences Scale were most strongly correlated with the right hemispheric factor.

This study provides the first quasi-experimental evidence for the Tectonic Strain Theory for luminous phenomena. Approximately 1500 earthquakes occurred near Derby, Colorado during the years 1962 through 1967 as a result of injection of several millions of gallons of industrial waste fluid into the crystalline bedrock. Correlations between numbers of luminous phenomena within successive 100-km rings from the injection site and the release of seismic energy gave significant coefficients for distances as great as 400 km. Lag/lead analyses between the monthly volume of fluid injection and the monthly numbers of luminous phenomena at various distances indicated that some process was diffusing away from the injection site at a rate of 50 to 100 km/month to distances as far as 300 km. Partial correlation analyses supported the hypothesis that both the luminous phenomena and the Derby quakes were generated by the stresses evoked by the amount of fluid injection during that period. Unprecedented increases in luminous phenomena occurred before releases of strain energy that exceeded magnitudes of 1017ergs/month.

Bivariate correlation analyses indicated that people who reported greater numbers of different types of paranormal experiences also reported greater numbers of temporal lobe signs. Whereas responses of one group (n= 108) of male and female university students gave a correlation of 0.60 between the two measures, for another group (n= 41) the correlation was 0.72. Partial correlation analyses, which involved holding the shared variance with affirmative responses to mundane psychological statements or odd sensations constant, did not alter the strength of the relationship. These results support the hypothesis that spontaneous paranormal experiences and the psychological components of complex partial (psychomotor) epilepsy may exist along the same continuum of temporal lobe sensitivity.

The tectonic strain hypothesis for many reports of UFOs (UFORs), primarily odd luminosities and metallic-looking phenomena, has been criticized on the basis of inadequate data. This reply begins with the distinction between the empirical basis for the association between UFORs and seismic activity, the hypothesis, and laboratory experiments. It is emphasized that criticisms of data should be based upon empirical criteria rather than value judgments about scientific credibility. Multivariate and bivariate analyses have indicated systematic relationships between UFORs and earthquake measures within several different areas and for different historical periods. However, the physical mechanisms for the generation of individual UFO events and their relationship to UFORs require closer examination.