God helmet 3597541 194555393 2008-02-28T01:22:29Z Morgan Leigh 339954 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 194500538 by [[Special:Contributions/Mattisse|Mattisse]] ([[User talk:Mattisse|talk]]) category not irrelevant The term '''God Helmet''' refers to a controversial experimental apparatus in [[neurotheology]]. The apparatus, placed on the head of an experimental subject, stimulates the brain with magnetic fields. Some subjects reported experiences similar to spiritual experiences.<ref>{{cite news| author=[[Michael Shermer|Shermer, Michael]]| url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1374/is_6_59/ai_57800244| title= Why People Believe in God: An Empirical Study on a Deep Question| publisher=American Humanist Association| pages=2| date=[[1999-11-01]]| accessdate=2006-04-05}}</ref> The leading researcher in this area is [[Michael Persinger]]. Persinger uses a modified snowmobile helmet or a head-circlet device nicknamed the Octopus that contain [[solenoids]] which create a weak but complex magnetic field over the [[brain]]'s right-hemisphere [[parietal lobe|parietal]] and [[temporal lobe]]s. Persinger reports that at least 80 per cent of his participants experience a presence beside them in the room, which they variously say feels like [[God]] or someone they knew who had died. There is controversy as to whether Persinger measured actual effects or just led his subjects into believing they experienced an electronically-induced epiphany. In December 2004 ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' [http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041206/pf/041206-10_pf.html reported] that a group of Swedish researchers, replicating the experiment under [[double-blind]] conditions, was not able to verify the effect. [[Susan Blackmore]], experimental psychologist and experienced researcher of "paranormal" experiences, was reluctant to give up on the theory just yet. She said "When I went to Persinger's lab and underwent his procedures I had the most extraordinary experiences I've ever had....I'll be surprised if it turns out to be a [[placebo]] effect." Persinger, however, takes issue with the Swedish attempts to replicate his work. "They didn't replicate it, not even close," he says. He argues that the Swedish group did not expose the subjects to magnetic fields for long enough to produce an effect. He also stresses that some of his studies were double blinded. A [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=P8&targetRule=\10&xml=%2Fconnected%2F2003%2F03%2F19%2Fecfgod119.xml report] of an experiment on [[Richard Dawkins]] in 2003 said: :The experiment is based on the recent finding that some sufferers from temporal lobe epilepsy, a neurological disorder caused by chaotic electrical discharges in the temporal lobes of the brain, seem to experience devout hallucinations that bear a striking resemblance to the mystical experiences of holy figures such as St Paul and Moses. Dawkins was reported not to have experienced a religious feeling. The report said: :Dr Persinger has explained away the failure of this Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator. Before donning the helmet, Prof Dawkins had scored low on a psychological scale measuring proneness to temporal lobe sensitivity. ==See also== *[[Temporal lobe epilepsy]] *[[Faith-sufferer]] *[[Neurotheology]] *[[Michael Persinger]] *[[Richard Dawkins]] *[[Kevin Warwick]] ==References== <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> {{reflist}} <!-- comment out until it can be properly cited *Granqvist P., et al. Neurosci. Lett., published online doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2004.10.057 (2004).--> ==External links== *[http://www.clinicallypsyched.com/neurotheologywithgodinmind.htm Neurotheology: With God in Mind] - Article describing neurotheology and Dr. Persinger's work with the God helmet *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2003/godonbrain.shtml God on the Brain], BBC, 2003 *[http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041206/full/news041206-10.html Electrical brainstorms busted as source of ghosts: Doubt cast on theory that magnetic fields spark religious feelings] - ''[[Nature]]'' 9 December 2004 *[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.11/persinger.html This is your brain on God], ''Wired Magazine'' November 1999, article on Persinger's work * [http://www.shaktitechnology.com/god_helmet.htm About the God Helmet] An article that describes the God Helmet as well as the settings for the experiments it's used in. Includes a photo of the latest version of the apparatus, which no longer uses a helmet at all.- . [[Category:Psychology experiments]] [[Category:Neurotheology]] [[Category:Devices to alter consciousness]]