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Spirituality and complex partial epileptic-like signs
Douglas A MacDonald1, Daniel Holland
1Department of Psychology, University of Detroit Mercy, MI 48219-0900, USA. macdonda@udmercy.edu
Psychological Reports
|January 18, 2003
Summary
Spirituality, particularly paranormal beliefs and existential well-being, significantly predicts complex partial epileptic-like signs in undergraduates. Religiousness showed no association with these signs.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Spirituality Studies
Background:
- Complex partial epileptic-like signs are sometimes associated with altered states of consciousness.
- Spirituality is a multidimensional construct encompassing beliefs, experiences, and existential perspectives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between self-reported complex partial epileptic-like signs and a five-dimensional model of spirituality.
- To determine which dimensions of spirituality predict these signs.
Main Methods:
- Correlational and regressional analyses were performed on data from 262 undergraduate volunteers.
- The Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI) was used to assess spirituality.
Main Results:
- Spirituality was a significant predictor of complex partial epileptic-like signs.
- Paranormal Beliefs, Experiential/Phenomenological Dimension, and Existential Well-being uniquely predicted these signs.
- ESI Religiousness was not significantly related to complex partial epileptic-like signs.
Conclusions:
- Specific dimensions of spirituality, excluding religiousness, are associated with complex partial epileptic-like signs.
- These findings suggest a nuanced relationship between spiritual experiences and neurological-like phenomena.