Researchers study why some people “hear” the voices of the dead: shocking results



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A tendency to be highly involved in tasks, unusual auditory experiences in childhood, and a high susceptibility to auditory hallucinations are more common in people who call themselves clairvoyants than in the population, according to the findings of a new study. general, writes sciencealert.com.

These findings may help better understand the depressing auditory hallucinations faced by people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, the researchers say.

The supposed clairvoyance and clairvoyance that spiritists experience (watching a video or hearing a sound in the absence of an external stimulus, usually associated with the spirits of the dead) is of great interest to scholars: both anthropologists studying religious and spiritual experiences like scholars who study pathologies. hallucinations

Researchers in particular would like to better understand why some people who experience auditory hallucinations automatically attribute them to the supernatural world, although for others they cause more serious problems and often end up being diagnosed with a mental illness.

“Spiritualists tend to report unusual hearing experiences that are positive, start early, and often even control,” explained Peter Moseley, a psychologist at the University of Northumbria in the UK. “It’s important to find out why they occur, because perhaps this knowledge can help us better understand distressed or uncontrolled auditory hallucinations.”

Together with fellow psychologist Adam Powell from Durham University in the UK, Moseley invited and researched 65 clairvoyants from the UK National Spiritual Union, as well as 143 ordinary people selected on social media to determine on what are different spiritualists from other people who do not. they usually report on the supposedly audible voices of the dead.

The results of the study were astonishing.

44.6 percent. the spiritists surveyed said they heard voices daily. 79 percent indicated that these experiences became an integral part of life. By the way, although many of them claimed to hear voices in their minds, 31.7 percent. the subjects said that the votes were also external.

Compared to ordinary people, spiritists have admitted to believing in supernatural things much more strongly and paying more attention to other people’s opinions of themselves. They also stated that they encountered their first auditory hallucinations quite early, at an average age of 21.7 years, and noted that they were able to participate tremendously in specific activities and simply distance themselves from the world around them.

Spiritists are also said to be more prone to hallucinations. The researchers noted that the subjects in general had not heard of spiritism before encountering auditory hallucinations and began to take an interest in the field in search of answers.

With respect to the common population included in the study, high participation was also strongly correlated with belief in supernatural things, but almost no association was found with the appearance of auditory hallucinations. Furthermore, there were no differences in both groups between the strength of supernatural belief and the susceptibility to visual hallucinations.

According to the researchers, these results suggest that “hearing the voices of the dead” is not the result of peer influence, a positive social context, or a greater indulgence in belief in supernatural phenomena. The so-called spiritists assimilate the philosophy of spiritism because it coincides with their experiences and gives meaning to their lives.

“The study findings speak volumes about ‘learning and desire.’ For our study participants, the doctrines of spiritism seem logical both in terms of unusual childhood experiences and the frequent auditory hallucinations they experience during spiritualism sessions. ”Explained A. Powell.

“However, all these experiences may be due to a certain predisposition or early onset of skills, rather than the belief that a great effort can be made to connect with the dead,” added the researcher.

The researchers concluded that further studies should examine the diversity of cultural contexts to better understand the relationship between immersion in a particular action, faith, and strange experiences when ghosts are supposedly whispered in the ear.

The research was published in the journal Mental Health, Religion and Culture.

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