Remedy’s Tribute to Dr.Michael Persinger, Laurentian
University, Sudbury, Ontario Canada
This document has been
prepared to overview some of the work of Laurentian University’s Behavioural
Neuroscience Group, organized by Dr Michael Persinger in the early ’70s. What
follows is background on Dr. Persinger and selected items:
Background
Bioelectromagnetic Field Effects
Sensed Presences and
Mystical States
Behavioural Geomagnetic
Correlates
Clinical Neuropsychology
(Acquired Brain Injury)
Tectonic Strain Hypothesis for Anomalous Luminous Events
Background of Dr.Michael Persinger
I was born 26 June 1945 in Jacksonville Florida. I was
reared primarily in Virginia, Maryland and Wisconsin. After attending Carroll
College (1963-1964), I was graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison
(1967). Psychology ("Psychochemistry") was selected as a major
because it was the interface between the social and physical sciences. I
obtained my M.A. (Physiological Psychology) from the University of Tennessee
and my Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba (1971). I have been employed as a
professor at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario Canada since 1971.
During this period I have published more than 200 technical articles in
referred journals and have written six books.
My
primary philosophical goal is to discern the commonalities that exist between
the sciences and to integrate the fundamental concepts. I assume that the human
brain, its microstructure and intricate activity are the source of all human
knowledge. To that end I have emphasised geophysics because it is a central
focus for the physical sciences and neuroscience (originally physiological
psychology) because it is a central focus for the emerging biosocial sciences.
One of the major consequences of this bilateral interest has been the pursuit
and discovery of subtle interactions between the geophysical/ meteorological
environment and human behaviour.
Because
scientific explanations and attributions are transient labels applied to the
largely inferred and unseen shared sources of variance within numerical data
(or verbal responses that serve as nominal data), I have pursued methodology
and multivariate (statistical) approaches. Magnetic fields were selected as a
focus because they are one of the few stimuli that evoke changes across all
levels of scientific discourse. This perspective was summarized in ELF and VLF
Electromagnetic Field Effects (1974) and Space-Time Transients and Unusual
Events (1977). These approaches in conjunction with the goal of integrating
concepts have influenced my decision to investigate interdisciplinary problems
and to apply these skills both within academic and practical settings.
Within
academic settings, I organized the Behavioural Neuroscience Program at
Laurentian University. This program was one of the first to integrate
Chemistry, Biology and Psychology. The program was developed because there is a
subset of students with integrative capacity who are not "A" students
but who are extraordinary problem solvers who love to learn. Within clinical
settings, I became a Registered Psychologist, specializing in Clinical
Neuropsychology, in order to facilitate the integration of neurology,
neuropsychology and psychology and to develop quantitative methods whose
results could help facilitate the adaptation of people who have sustained mild
to moderate brain traumas. Within the commercial setting, we have pursued the
possibility that control of experience, from depression to memory, may be
simulated by transcerebral application of complex magnetic field patterns
associated with activity of either endogenous or exogenous ligands at the
synapses.
As a
human being, I am concerned about the illusionary explanations for human
consciousness and the future of human existence. Consequently after writing the
Neuropsychological Base of God Beliefs (1987), I began the systematic
application of complex electromagnetic fields to discern the patterns that will
induce experiences (sensed presence) that are attributed to the myriad of
ego-alien intrusions which range from gods to aliens. The research is not to
demean anyone's religious/mystical experience but instead to determine which
portions of the brain or its electromagnetic patterns generate the experience.
Two thousand years of philosophy have taught us that attempting to prove or
disprove realities may never have discrete verbal (linguistic) solutions
because of the limitation of this measurement. The research has been encouraged
by the historical fact that most wars and group degradations are coupled
implicitly to god beliefs and to the presumption that those who do not believe
the same as the experient are somehow less human and hence expendable. Although
these egocentric propensities may have had adaptive significance, their utility
for the species' future may be questionable.
Because
our work is interdisciplinary and may be different from what others have done,
I insist that the techniques and results are published within the public forum
(the scientific literature). This procedure will hopefully decrease the
probability that the technology or knowledge will be employed only by a
privileged few. Except for $10,000 given to us in 1983 by a researcher (from
the U.S. Navy) who was interested in magnetic fields and brain activity, all of
my work has been supported out of my pocket primarily from my private practice.
Laurentian University has been consistently supportive by supplying space and
infrastructure. We have been fortunate that the topics of research our
laboratory have preceded the interests of the scientific social community by
about 10 to 15 years.
Bioelectromagnetic
Field Effects
Why Study
Them?
All
matter, including molecular aggregates, cellular organizations, and whole
organisms, displays magnetic properties. The information, which controls the
reactions of molecules, the actions of cells, and the behaviours of organisms,
is determined by the spatial and temporal complexity of electromagnetic fields.
We have found that the more we simulate natural electromagnetic patterns
displayed by living systems the less the amount of energy is required to affect
the organism, including its most complex behaviours such as memory, learning
and social interaction. Whereas the effects of chemicals, including
pharmacological agents (drugs), are determined by the specific complexity of
their spatial structures, the effects of electromagnetic fields are determined by
the complexity of their temporal structures. Theoretically, we might simulate
all of the effects of drugs as well as the chemical pathways within biological
systems by the direct application of appropriate weak, complex magnetic fields.
What We
Have Found
Temporal
complexity and its subordinate spatial heterogeneity (rather than homogeneity
of intensity) are the keys to affecting living systems. About fifteen years
ago, when the personal computer became easily available, Stan Koren generated
columns of numbers between 1 and 257. Values above 127 were positive polarity
(up to +5V); those below 127 were negative polarity (down to -5 V). The
duration of the voltage associated with each number can be programmed to
between 1 msec to several tens of msec. The numbers of values in each row have
ranged from a few hundred to several tens of thousands. We have applied
mathematical, reiterative and chaotic algorithms as well. This meant we could
generate patterns of any complexity ranging from those derived from digital
records of neuronal activity to those produced by the most complex mathematical
formula. We then apply them through the brain or the entire body.
In
summary we have found that: 1) burst-firing patterns produce reliable analgesia
that is similar to 4 mg/kg of morphine, 2) a theta-frequency pattern known to
produce long-term potentiation, the fundamental correlate of memory
consolidation, can enhance or completely disrupt learning, 3) a specific
sequence designed to affect gene expression produced specific long term
behavioural and histological alterations in rats exposed to this pattern during
their prenatal development. One specific pattern, designed to simulate
continuous pulsations (pc1) with intensities between 1 nT and 50 nT may be
involved with sudden infant death in rats. Other patterns when applied over the
right hemisphere of the human brain can elicit mystical experiences such as the
sensed presence. One particular pattern, when applied for 30 min once per week
for three weeks, reduced depression in patients who had sustained acquired
brain injuries.
Sensed
Presences and Mystical States
Why Study
Them?
Understanding
the neurobehavioural correlates of the sense of self is one of the last
challenges for neuroscience. In general the sense of self is involved with
language processes traditionally associated with the left hemisphere of the
human brain. However we were interested in the source of discovery: the
neurocognitive processes of creativity. We had been impressed by the many
historical and cross-cultural examples of ordinary people who accessed
sophisticated knowledge well beyond their level of education or intellect when
the right hemisphere was likely to have been stimulated. To test this
association we experimentally simulated the condition. We applied specific
complex magnetic fields of less than 1 microTesla over the right hemisphere.
The most frequent result was the experience of the sense of a presence or of
another Sentient Being.
We have
hypothesised that this sense of a presence is the transient awareness of the
right hemispheric equivalent to the left hemispheric sense of self. We suspect
that the general properties of this "other" reflect right hemispheric
functions that include a feeling of extended space (beyond the self, infinity),
widened time (eternity) and marked emotion. Our data suggest that the sensed
presence is the prototype for experiences of gods, incubi, succubae, demons,
and other "supernatural" beings. Most cultures have words to describe
a process that is everywhere and forever. They usually call it God or some
equivalent. Whether or not the idea is valid or not (if God exists or does not
exit) is not the issue. What is important is that we have a technology that may
allow the identification of those portions of the brain and those activities of
the brain that generate the experience. Consequently the experimental study of
these phenomena may allow us a more precise understanding of their origins
within the brain and the stimuli, man-made and natural, that produce them.
The
primary experimental method to study the "presence" is to place the
person in a simulated "cave", an acoustic chamber, where they are
blindfolded and sit in the dark for about 30 min. The person wears a helmet or
a collection of solenoids arranged around the head (like a crown) through which
complex magnetic fields are generated. By applying specific patterns of weak
magnetic fields that imitate the brains own activities, about 80% of the normal
population report the experience of "another". Only specific patterns
produce the experience; a reversed presentation of the pattern does not. People
exposed to sham-field conditions rarely report the experience.
What we
have found
We have
found that: 1) the verbal label (usually supplied by the culture) the person
places upon the experience strongly affects how it is recalled even within a
few seconds after the end of the experiment, 2) experiences along the left side
are usually aversive while those associated with the right side are more
positive and may have "thoughts" associated with them, 3) increased
geomagnetic activity in association with right hemispheric stimulation
encourages the incidence of a sensed presence, 4) when a person attempts to
"focus" upon the sensed presence it appears to become dynamic (to
"move") since the act of focusing alters brain activity and hence how
the applied complex fields interact with the brain, 5) an inordinate number of
people who experience a sensed presence attribute them to gods or deceased
individuals, 6) about 7% of the population, particularly males with enhanced
temporal lobe lability and who attend a religious place frequently), report
that if god told them to kill they would in his name, and 7) certain patterns
of applied magnetic fields produce subjective experiences that are sometimes
considered "parapsychological" or "paranormal". By applying
a specific sequence of magnetic fields through the brain of a person who had
experienced a "haunt", we generated the experience as well as paroxysmal
electrical activity that suggested a source deep within the right temporal
lobe.
Behavioural
Geomagnetic Correlates
Why Study
Them?
The cells
of all living systems are immersed within the earth's magnetic field. Life is
likely to have evolved within and have been guided by the intrinsic temporal
variations within the geomagnetic field. Most of their peak-to-peak intensities
range between 1 picoTesla (one-trillionth of a Tesla) to over 1000 nT (1
millionth of a Tesla) within frequencies between 0.001 Hz (1 mHz) and 100 Hz.
The larger intensities, between 50 nT and 1000 nT, involve slower variations. A
component of this band is well within the major spectrum of
electroencephalographic activity of the human brain and looks very similar to
the classic shapes of "brain waves".
The complexities
of these variations have not been measured because of their immensity. However
they have the potential to simulate every known electromagnetic pattern that
mediates the effects of the brain's own neurotransmitters upon cell receptors
and to imitate all of the consequences of pharmacological agents (drugs). Many
of these complex geomagnetic patterns occur during or following geomagnetic
storms whose yearly frequency is in large part controlled by solar activity.
Because the nearly seven billion (almost identical) brains of human beings on
this planet are immersed in this field there may be emergent fields that under
certain conditions affect large populations. The effect would be analogous to
applying a magnetic field through billions of copper wires. Magnetic fields
(tenors) would emerge that would have the capacity to be affected by and to
affect the characteristics of the individual conductors (wires) that generated
them.
What We
Have Found
We have
found moderately strong correlations between the amount of daily global
geomagnetic activity and the occurrence of epileptic seizures, aggression,
immunological responses, and ambulatory behaviour. Even the propensity to
report experiences about death and crisis of others is associated with quiet periods
of geomagnetic activity. Certain increments of activity, which are likely to
reflect different "complex patterns", have been implicated in the
occurrence of Sudden Infant Death and electrical cardiac anomalies resulting in
death in subpopulations of adults. A correlation between two variables does not
necessarily mean causation. Consequently we have imitated specific geomagnetic
patterns by the special application of a computer technology. When we simulated
these natural conditions in the laboratory by applying experimentally generated
magnetic fields within the 50 nT range seizures in epileptic rats were elicited
with the same incidence and latency as those associated with increases in
natural geomagnetic activity.
Why Study
Them?
One of
the great philosophical questions is "what is real?" Stated
alternatively, the question might be phrased "is what we perceive really
what is there in the space and time around us?" The general answer is that
what is "really out there" is determined by the organization of the
brain, the ultimate measurer of reality. Structure dictates function and
microstructure dictates microfunction. Consequently we can only detect and be
affected by stimuli that can be discerned by molecular responses, and hence by
aggregation, cellular and organ (brain) structure. Without changing the
organization of the brain in a manner that allows a "reconfiguration"
of functions we might never know if the reality we perceive is determined by
the brain or independent of it.
Limbic seizures induced in rats by lithium and pilocarpine result in ranges of
neuronal loss that involves more than 100 structures within the brain volume.
These focal, variable losses produce a neuromatrix. The pattern of this
"matrix" (that is the pattern of this neuronal loss) can be
experimentally manipulated by treating the rat with different compounds such as
acepromazine, ketamine, or prazosin, immediately after the onset of the
seizures. One of the theoretical possibilities of "reconfiguring" the
neuromatrix is the emergence of qualitatively new or novel behaviours. Single
lesions or gross damage, where all neurons are lost, does not have the spatial
complexity to allow this "reconfiguration".
What We
Have Found
Rats in
which ketamine was given after the induction of lithium-pilocarpine seizures
display similar amounts of damage throughout the brain compared to those who
received acepromazine. However the ketamine-treated rats showed normal
behaviours. They did not show the adverse effects of aging and developed an
unusual type of fat. This normality is consistent with the concept that
specific classes of neuroelectromagnetic patterns generate all behaviours. As
long as these neuroelectromagnetic patterns can be supported by the brain's
microstructure (which requires a large matrix of "pin-point" foci or
partial loss of neurons), the behaviours will be displayed. These
"ketamine" rats appear normal behaviourally but they become sensitive
to stimuli, such as weak (100 microTesla) magnetic fields, that do not affect
the normals.
Rats in
which seizures were followed by acepromazine exhibited: 1) complete abolishment
of one of the most powerful mammalian properties: maternal behaviour, 2)
hypersexual even within groups of same-sexed (males) animals, 3) marked
aggression, 4) sensitivity to increased nocturnal geomagnetic activity, 5)
marked impairments for spatial learning, and, 6) spontaneous seizures that can
be synchronized and actually conditioned (learned)
by presentation of food before the scotophase (even when food is available ad
libitum) and precipitated by sudden geomagnetic activity.
Consciousness,
like the sense of self, defines the person. The electromagnetic basis of
consciousness appears to involve cohesive waves of electromagnetic fields,
generated from the cortical manifold, that are recreated
("refreshed") within the 40 Hz range. These quanta of consciousness
occur too quickly to be discerned within the range of what we experience as
"now" which is the ability to discriminate between sequences
separated by more than about 40 msec to 50 msec. There may be different types
or states of consciousness, such as dreaming, each of which have different
characteristics and properties. If consciousness is "recreated" every
20 to 25 msec ("40 Hz") rather than maintained as a continuous
stream, then what happens between the end of one increment and the beginning of
the next?
This
question generates several interesting questions. Could information from
outside of the brain be acquired during this "infinite infinitesimal"
interval? Could this information then be incorporated into the stream of
experience generated by the normal volleys of sensory neurons? Could normal
consciousness be considered a type of "insulation" that prevents
access from the myriad of stimuli that we typically do not detect? If there are
only a few algorithms of neuroelectromagnetic patterns and what define the
"individual" are random variations (neuroelectrical chaos) around
these fundamentals, would experimental simulation of this complexity actually
be the individual? Do these electromagnetic patterns that define the individual
induce changes within its physical environment that allow its representation to
remain (a type of memory) when the brain deteriorates, in a manner analogous to
a hologram or to an image of an event upon a photograph?
What we
have learned
We have
found consciousness can be described as an emergent property of the complex
electromagnetic process generated from predictable biochemical and biological
processes. Although the terms soul and mind may have been useful at one time to
describe this process, they are no longer required. They are more like the term
"phlogiston" that was employed to describe why things burned before
modern chemistry emerged. When there is no electrical current moving through
the parts of a television, there is no picture. When the specific
electromagnetic patterns are not generated within the brain structures there is
no consciousness or awareness.
Some
individuals with very different brain structures show different electromagnetic
correlates that are associated with their ability to discern stimuli others
cannot detect. Counter clockwise rotation of weak magnetic fields around the
skull at specific rates of change (derivatives) can affect subjective time and
allow the average person to experience many of the altered states reported by
practitioners of mystical traditions as well as "paranormal"
phenomena. The critical variables, like any chemical reaction, are the complexity
and specificity of the temporal parameters. One component of consciousness may
be "sequestered" within second or third derivatives of very narrow
bands of changes in frequency within the theta range. Our calculations of
resonance, based upon the power changes within quantitative
electroencephalographic measures, suggest that one electromagnetic source of
consciousness may actually exist within the 10 cm region outside of and
surrounding the cranium.
Clinical
Neuropsychology (Acquired Brain Injury)
Why study
it?
Millions
of people every year sustain a mechanical impact to the skull or body that does
not necessarily result in suspension of consciousness. The source can range
from a motor vehicle incident to an impact from striking the top of the skull
upon a cabinet door. The consequences depend upon the nuances of the
derivatives and vectors of forces that are generated through brain space.
Within the weeks to months that follow these injuries the individual's
personality changes. The person begins to exhibit the epileptic spectrum
disorder including reduced concentration, poorer memory, depression, pain, and
odd experiences. Sometimes the blood vessels within the brain are affected. The
most common system is the Anterior Cerebral Artery. Because it supplies regions
involved with communication between the two hemispheres and regions of the
brain involved with experience of pain and depression, dysfunction in neurons
associated with these areas generate behaviours that are misclassified as
"psychological".
The
person may begin to experience a sensed presence that is attributed to a
recently deceased member of the family or to a cultural icon. Frequently the
person feels as if he or she is "going crazy". Because these
individuals often show normal CT scans and ordinary electroencephalographic
records and they did not display suspension of consciousness, some medical
personnel conclude there were no brain injuries. The problems are simply
"psychological". Yet the person is never the same again and often cannot
return to full productivity. In more than half of these cases personal
relationships deteriorate and separations or divorces occur. The microstructure
of the brain has been changed; the personality is altered forever.
What we
have found
We have
found that these profound changes in personality and capacity cannot be
accurately detected by casual clinical observation. Only quantitative,
norm-referenced testing allows the resolution to discern the changes. These
individuals display accelerated "aging" for cognitive tasks. Many of
these individuals respond best to anticonvulsants rather than to classic and
SSRI-type antidepressants. The personal terror of the sensed presences can be
minimized by explaining the source of the experiences (right hemispheric
intrusions) and by neurocognitively restructuring their explanations.
Experimental
simulations of mechanical impacts to the brain in rats have shown that neurons
may shrink in size during the days to weeks following the single injury. The
small areas within which this "shrinkage" occurs are very small and
may be long distances from the point of impact. They would not be discerned by
the limited resolution of even the most sophisticated MRIs and CTs. In some
cases there are infiltrations of mononuclear cells, associated with the immune
system, throughout regions whose functions are very similar to those reported
as deficient by people diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic
fatigue).
Tectonic
Strain Hypothesis for Anomalous Luminous Events
Why Study
Them?
Anomalous lights that display unusual colors and movements have been observed
for centuries. Every culture and historical period have employed different
labels to describe and to explain their origins. These labels have ranged from
demons to "UFOs"; explanations for their origins have ranged from
dragons to extraterrestrial crafts. Charles Fort was the first to associate
these "space-time transients" with earthquakes. About 30 years ago
John Derr and I realized these phenomena were natural geophysical processes,
similar to earthquake lights, that are associated with strain within the
earth's crust. We anticipated that quantitative mapping of their places and
times of occurrence might help forecast earthquakes. We did not realize that by
discovering a natural explanation for these phenomena technical organizations
would have another explanation for the appearance of these events upon their
surveillance equipment. This explanation would not require the assumptions of
either "aliens" or "new weapons" of an enemy.
What We
Have Found
Quantitative
multivariate analyses have indicated that most unusual balls of light, which
occur in temporal clusters over geological regions, occur within weeks to
months before an increased release of seismic energy within the area. The
typical strength of the correlation the numbers of luminous phenomena and the
amount of energy released is around 0.80 for optimal temporal increments of
analyses (3-month to 6-month intervals). When the specific equations between
UFO reports (the contemporary label for luminous events) and earthquakes in the
central U.S.A. between 1950 and 1980 were applied to the 19th century
(earthquakes were recorded then), there were predictable peaks in the numbers
of luminous events for specific years. Although there were no reports of
"UFOs" in the historical newspapers, there were reports of "odd
air ships" and "phantom balloons". The massive "flap"
of 1897 through several tens of states in the southeastern U.S.A. was followed
by one of the largest earthquakes in the region.
Luminous
phenomena occur within areas of strain load and release such as near rivers,
reservoirs and fault lines. Sudden or excessive changes in water levels (and
hence mass) are the most common predisposing factor. The pressures required to
generate these phenomena are within the range created by human technology. For
example the Derby, Colorado microquake swarm produced by pumping millions of
gallons of fluid per month into the upper crust was associated with a "flap"
of luminous phenomena that were labelled as "UFOs". Spatial and
temporal gradient analysis indicated that luminous events slowly moved
"away" from the source of injection. The velocity of this potentially
"aseismic" wave moved at about 100 km/month. If these waves are
associated with movement of water then the contaminants at the point of
injection could be diffusing over hundreds of km although the time period would
require several months to years.
The
luminous event itself appears to be a powerful energetic source that generates
powerful magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation over a large spectrum.
When the energy is within the visible wavelength, it can be seen. If the ball
emerges from the ground radon residuals are measurable. If the ball strikes the
ground the essential components of the upper crust, silicon, magnesium and
sometimes iron materials can be found. The electrical currents induced by these
powerful fields are sufficient to affect electronic circuits (lights, power
grids, etc) and to directly stimulate the human body. Because of the brain's
electrical sensitivity, altered perceptions, tingling sensations and
"dream-like" states can be induced. If the current induction is
excessive, convulsions occur followed by unconsciousness, posttraumatic
amnesia, and reconstructive confabulation. In extreme cases death from cardiac
failure or frank carbonization could occur.occur.
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