Paranormal phenomena

In our days the prevalence of human beliefs in paranormal manifestation is highly widespread
amongst people of all classes, education, gender and religion. The interest for the occult, for the
paranormal phenomena, such as extrasensory perception, ghost, mediums, possession, talking to
the dead, telepathy and many other uncanny manifestations is deeply embedded in the human
mind. Throughout centuries of evolution, humans always tried to explain the unknown through
metaphysical explanations, such as deities, fortune, horoscopes and other great powers beyond
human knowledge boundaries. One only has to look in Antiquity, at the Oracle of Delphi, who
according to legends, could foretold the future for everyone who asked. Common people,
warriors, scholars and kings alike flocked in so they may know what their future might be like.
Today, modern science can tell that Pythia’s bubblings were caused by some volcanic gases
from a gach under the mountain that induced her state of trance. But , in modern days just like in
Antiquity the human mind is sensitive to metaphysical explanations for the unknown. Moreso,
we find these beliefs in every human culture over the Globe, in their myths, lore, religion and
practices.

There are several ways paranormal was conceptualized. Throughout its hypothesis we note
several. According to Christopher Bader, F. Carson Mencken and Joseph O. Baker, “the
paranormal” designates beliefs and experiences that ‘are dually rejected’ by both science and
mainstream religion (Tidelius, C. ​The Paranormal​, 2020). Another definition is offered by
Harvey J. Irwin, who theoreticized that paranormal beliefs are: ” proposition that has not been
empirically attested to the satisfaction of the scientific establishment but is generated within the
nonscientific community and extensively endorsed by people who might normally be expected
by their society to be capable of rational thought and reality testing” (Tidelius, 2020). One can
define paranormal from the point of view of religion and Jeffrey Krippal, a renowned historian of
religion, offered this explanation: “the sacred in transit from the religious and scientific registers
into a parascientific or “science mysticism” register” (Tidelius, 2020).

Modern research has found stunning information. It is estimated that the prevalence in
paranormal beliefs is amongst 48%-67% in the range of global population (Merced, M. 2018).
According to Merced: “a Gallup survey found that nearly 75% of Americans believe in at least
one type of paranormal phenomenon, including demonic possession, extrasensory perception,
ghosts, communicating with the dead, psychic healing, and reincarnation” (2018).

The beginning of studying paranormal phenomena from a scientific perspective can be found in
the late XIX-tn century, when a group of victorian scholars founded a society named Society of
Psychical Research. The main objective of this society was to make an: “ organised and
systematic attempt to investigate that large group of debatable phenomena designated by such
terms as mesmeric, psychical and Spiritualistic” (Noakes, R. 2019). That being said, one can
notice a boost in research for psychic phenomena in the late of the XIX-th century and the
beginning of XX-th century. It is widely known that Sigmund Freud has shown a keen interest in
these types of manifestations and in his essay “The Uncanny” he explored topics such as
telepathy, ghosts, demonic possession, and numerology. These matters often reoccurred
throughout his research, but in a positive and critical manner.

So giving this information we could pose the following question: Is there a science that studies
paranormal phenomena? Or better said should it be? In his book ​Pseudoscience and
Paranormal​, author Terence Hines, a neurolog and a professor of psychology at Pace University,
New York, argues in the first chapter the idea that, in fact, paranormal is a pseudoscience. A
pseudoscience promotes a common characteristic, that of the non falsifiable or irrefutable
hypothesis. Also the hypotheses are not non verifiable. Through definition a pseudoscience is in
search of mysteries that science could not explain, or there isn't enough scientific evidence to
prove (Hines, 1988). In his entire book, Hines brings forth many proofs which dismantle the
many paranormal beliefs, such as: psychic predictions, psychic crime detection, prophetic
dreams, demonic possession, ghosts, reincarnation, ESP, UFO’s, and other parapsychological
subjects. So the final conclusion is that parapsychology is not a science with hard evidence, with
methodology of its own nor does it bring proof of the studied phenomena, at the very least one
can consider parapsychology a pseudoscience (Hines, 1988).

As a practitioner in the field of psychology, one could be confronted with clients who express
beliefs in paranormal phenomena or report having experienced extrasensory perceptions. So it is
necessary to understand this phenomena through scientific explanations. One of the most
frequent beliefs is that of spirit possession. In that case as a professional one must be highly
documented in this regard and provide strong evidence and scientific explanation for that type of
behavior.

In this essay I will try to argue the spirit possession phenomena from various points of view:
religious, medicine, psychology, media, common sense and culture.
Arguments for demon possession phenomena
According to recent studies and surveys, beliefs in possession is found in 77% of a sample of 488
societies. In one of his article professor Pieter Craffert, from University South Africa defines
possession as a: “form of a spirit (or entity) entering a person’s body and replacing the agency
(that is, the mind, soul or spirit) of the host, thereby causing a change in identity ” (2015). He
continues his argument showing that the majority of possession cases are linked to dissociative
disorders people experience and the nature of this type of illness could be adaptive (see Zar
phenomena in Ethiopia) or nonadaptive, and emerge involuntary or in purpose (Craffert, 2020).

An interesting aspect of spirit or demon possession is reflected by the rituals of exorcism

conducted by the Catholic and Orthodox Church as well. Inside the article: ​Mastering the devil:
A sociological analysis of the practice of a Catholic exorcist,​ sociologists Adam Possamai and
Giuseppe Giordan, analyze the practices of exorcism proffered by a Catholic priest during a time
span of 10 years. They analysed the notes collected by the priest from 1000 people who sought
his help in matters of demon possession, and 5% of them have requested an exorcist ritual. Their
research was not founded by theological dogma, but they follow the social definition of this
process used by Sluhovsky, that: “exorcism is defined as a curing technique against evil spirits
that have taken over a possessed person, an animal, or an object” (Giordan and Possamai, 2017).
The conclusion to this study affirms that these rituals are similar to psychotherapy, but they
appear to happen for: “what are seen as legitimate cases ” , meaning the individuals are deeply
convinced of their demonic possession (Giordan and Possamai, 2017).

Possession as a cultural phenomena is accurately described inside a recent research regarding the
Brasilian religion of Umbanda. The implication of this study, realised among the followers of
this religion, refer to an anthropological understanding of possession “as having cosmogonic
rather than just expressive effects” (Santo, D. E. 2016). The author sees these possession
phenomena linked to a high understanding of the principles of cosmology and integrating in it
the religious self of the practitioner. So the transition from an unconscious to a conscious state of
possession is realised through cosmological and religious transgression, rather than dissociation
(Santo, D.E. 2016).

Arguments against the existence of spirit possession phenomena

First, a recent study conducted by a multidisciplinary team from the University of Mato Grosso
do Sul, Brasil, tested the hypothesis according to which the pineal gland is responsible for
spiritual experience in the population of mediums. The study only referred to women claiming to
possess such abilities (Bastos and all, 2020). It is commonly considered, since Galenus, that the
pineal gland is associated with spiritual issues. The conducted experiment, realized with modern
technology, blood and urine tests, and brain activity monitoring, has shown that individuals with
psychotic-like symptoms, linked to the cultural context have “have normal secretory and
structural characteristics” of the pineal gland. They concluded that the mediumship is a non
pathological dissociative phenomena (Bastos and all, 2020).
Second, the prevalence of possession phenomena is attributed to dissociative disorder. It is
proved by modern research that brain functioning is related to depersonalization, and at a close
monitoring trough magnetic resonance imaging, patients having been diagnosed with this type of
illness showed “less activation in regions of the brain associated with emotion sensitivity (i.e.,
occipito-temporal cortex) and more activity in regions associated with emotion regulation”
(Seligman and Kiermayer, 2008). Dissociation is also linked to a neurobiologically regulation
pattern of attentional mechanism. It refers to a compartmentalisation of memory and experience,
and it might be caused by a stressful context in which human perception is altered permitting
people to cope with stressful stimuli (Seligman and Kiermeyer, 2008).

Another scientific evidence is offered by the study ​Experiences of Possession and Paranormal
Phenomena Among Women in the General Population: Are They Related to Traumatic Stress
and Dissociation?​, conducted by a team of experts in psychotherapy from Istanbul University,
Turkey. Their study revealed that women with PTSD reported possession experiences “more
frequently than those without” (Sar, Alioglu and Akyuz, 2014). Analysing the data sets, they
concluded that possession phenomena are as well present among the healthy individuals and in
those suffering from PTSD or dissociative disorders, and it seems to be a normal human capacity
in response to a traumatic experience (Sar, Alioglu and Akyuz, 2014).
Finally, from an anthropological point of view, spirit possession could be interpreted as a
cultural technique to “transform the alien in experience into a symbolic other” (Leistle, 2014).
Possession phenomena seem to appear in every culture around the globe and it surpasses the
medical or psychiatric boundaries. According to Leistle, from an anthropological point of view
“possession was characterized as a technique centering on the self, guided by the intentionality to
reconstitute a cultural self threatened by disintegration and dissolution” (2014).

In conclusion possession phenomena are complex, and as a psychologist one must muster solid
information regarding biological, medical, psychiatric, antropologic and social context. Evidence
offered by religion, common sense and media are not sustained by science. But, one must notice
that there is still an increasing need so that it can be proved without any trace of doubt, that
possession is linked with dissociative disorders or brain damages. One must look over these
types of manifestation with skepticism and a critical eye and find the real causes of possession
phenomena. As future scientists, we must leave an open door to all possibilities and try through
methodological scientific procedures to give an irrefutable answer regarding paranormal
phenomena.
This text contains 1761 words.

References
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