Taken By The Spirit: A Cognitive Psychological Study of Varieties of Possession Experiences (An International Study)

[Shashi Kiran Reddy]

Dear All,

We are conducting an international study on the cognitive psychological aspects of varieties of possession experiences among subjects belonging to different cultural, traditional and religious backgrounds across the globe. As we know, in general, possession (or related) experiences are usually demonstrated/reported by individuals some times in normal health conditions (in trance-like states during religious rituals and spiritual practices – a form of deity possession), as well as during ill health and neuropsychological conditions. In addition, some even report experiences of possession by evil spirits. Even though all such experiences may not offer deeper insights into the presence/denial of the existence of deities/gods or spirits, the respective experiences cannot be overlooked. In fact, in some experiences, individual’s (or group’s) psychological, lifestyle and cultural components are strongly reflected, whereas, in others, they seem to be more spontaneous. So, through this study, we are interested in understanding the varieties of experiences associated with feeling in very close contact with a spiritual force; where you may lose control over your body, what is sometimes described as being possessed by the spirit of God, or by other spirits. This study will allow us to understand better how different people, from different cultures and religious/spiritual backgrounds, describe these experiences. In addition, the study will also help in categorizing varieties of possession experiences based on numerous parameters.

This research study has been titled - 'Taken by the Spirit,' and is carried out by the 'Brain, Belief & Behaviour' (BBB) lab led by Prof. Miguel Farias (https://miguelfarias.co.uk/) at Coventry University, UK.

We invite you to kindly fill in the survey to share your own and close one's experiences through the link (‘Original Study Survey Link’ provided below). Since having a greater number of participants from diverse backgrounds will better help in analyzing the data, we request active students, researchers, academic staff to share the study link (either directly or via social platform links) with the concerned and interested individuals/participants. The present survey confines only to the first part of the study, and thus, it is a brief one. The second part of the study survey would be robust involving more data collection and information analysis, which we would be sharing soon.


Original Study Survey Link:
https://coventryhls.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9NYB1vGNEWkcSUt?Q_CHL=social&Q_SocialSource=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1OXrh7nN5yHQRPwF8LUdx9a-JyawseWnqKjCeintsU1uDygHGpF28SOBg

Study Promotion on Social Platforms:

Facebook Link:
https://www.facebook.com/takenbythespirit/

Instagram Link:
https://www.instagram.com/taken_by_thespirit/?fbclid=IwAR1rtSUvp1KK1M13-l1hXOirhpsjyxjKRh7-eFfpbIoPQbEErBHmL605VwM


We request you to kindly extend your help and support. Thank you.


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Regards
J. Shashi Kiran Reddy
Research Scholar

ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/J_Reddy2
Google Scholar:
https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=E24n90EAAAAJ&hl=en#
Poems:
https://mycosmichappenings.wordpress.com/

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'I am a reflection of the glory of life, trying to understand its own nature and functioning.'
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'Know that - the one who is seeking for true and essential nature of life in you is the end purpose.'