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Our Thanks to misterpoll for their invaluable help in gathering
this data. Over 200 responses in less than six months without one penny of research funding. |
EXPERIENCES IN CONSCIOUSNESS |
| Here is some basic data about how often a 'normal' population (a group of internet users willing to answer a 'poll') experiences the most common spontaneous altered states of consciousness (known as Temporal Lobe Signs). |
| Even though internet users are a 'normal' group, we can't consider this to represent the 'general population'. We should assume that only those who are interested in altered states to begin with would choose to participate in the online 'poll' used here. Those who never have these experiences might easily lack any motivation to participate. One study found that the frequency of these experiences in a group of university psychology students formed a continuum with the frequencies of temporal lobe signs pretty evenly distributed across the group. These students did not volunteer as readily as the internet group represented below. They were given credit for participating, while this group was given no compensation whatever. The frequencies of their experiences should be expected to be higher than a more 'typical' group, because of the method used to gather the data. Nevertheless, the relative frequencies of specific experiences within this group that emerge in this data make it worth examining. |
