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A controlled investigation of right hemispheric processing enhancement after restricted environmental stimulation (REST) with floatation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Jody Raab  and
John Gruzelier
Jody Raab
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychology, London School of Economics; and Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London
John Gruzelier*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychology, London School of Economics; and Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London
*
1 Address for correspondence: Dr John Gruzelier, Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London, St Dunstan's Road, London W6 8RF
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Synopsis

Two groups of 16 subjects, 8 of each gender, were examined on two occasions, one group before and after restricted environmental stimulation with floatation, and the other group without floatation was the control group. They were examined with a tactile object discrimination task carried out with each hand separately while blindfolded, and with a recognition memory test for words and unfamiliar faces, a test validated on neurological patients with left and right hemispheric lesions respectively. Consistent with both tasks the floatation group showed a significantly greater enhancement of right hemispheric processing after floatation than was found when retesting the controls. The results were distinguished from previous research on hypnosis where the same relative state of hemispheric imbalance was achieved with the same tasks, but largely through inhibitory influences on the left hemisphere.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , May 1994 , pp. 457 - 462
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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