The use of the term ‘trance’ in anthropology, however, is particularly broad, and may appear meaningless without further descriptive detail. 76 For instance, while many spirit possession traditions undoubtedly do employ some form of altered state of consciousness during their incorporation rituals, it is not necessarily true that all of these various traditions employ the same alteration of consciousness to initiate the incorporation. 77 How can we say, for example, that the form of trance utilized in Haitian Vodun possession rites 78 is the same as that employed by Spiritualist trance mediums in the UK, or that the trance of the Candomblé medium is the same as that of traditional Taiwanese spirit mediums? We may well find similarities in terms of neurophysiological activity, but the subjective element may vary considerably.

Almost everyone would agree that it would be “preferable” to conduct séances in some degree of light, Scott and other physical mediums included. Who would not want to see a spirit person ‘in the flesh’, so to speak? But would they really wish to do this if it meant the physical medium in question could well suffer injury?

Why Produce Physical Manifestations?

This is why the decision was made, under the guidance of the spirit world, for us to return to the darkness of the séance so that they can develop my mediumship, allowing my body time to get used to this form of phenomena.I tried to express this in the meeting but it fell on deaf ears. Lambek, M. (1998). ‘The Sakalava Poiesis of History: Realizing the Past through Spirit Possession in Madagascar.’ American Ethnologist, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 106-127. By contrast, in the parapsychological literature the term ‘spirit possession’ seldom refers to mediumship, as it carries connotations of involuntary and demonic possession, while mediumship is usually held to be a voluntary and deliberately initiated activity. Taves, A. (2006). ‘Where (Fragmented) Selves Meet Cultures: Theorising Spirit Possession.’ Culture and Religion, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 123-138. Mediumship is a complicated discipline with many different areas of interest and expertise. The one that captures the interest of many sitters and clients is that of physical mediumship, as it offers the chance to see greater physical proof of the presence of spirits and connect with them on another level. Here we will look at what it really means to be a physical medium, the way that the medium and spirit communicate and the different types of physical manifestation that are produced. We will also look at some of the issues regarding scepticism over these abilities and phenomena, as well as the rarity of these physical mediums.

Functionalist analyses of spirit possession in this vein have been popular among anthropologists, applied to numerous societies worldwide. 9 These include accounts of the Zar possession cult of Northern Sudan, 10 spirit possession amongst the Digo in Southern Kenya, 11 the case of spontaneous epidemics of involuntary spirit possession in Malaysian factories, 12 and even in a Spiritualist home-circle in 1960s Wales. 13 Delorme, A., Beischel. J., Michel, L., Boccuzzi, M., Radin, D., & Mills, P. J. (2013). ‘Electrocortical activity associated with subjective communication with the deceased.’ Frontiers in Psychology, No. 4, p. 834. Clairsentience is a French word which means ‘clear sensing’ and is an enhanced form of intuition. The majority of what most mediums perceive comes in this form and it requires some interpretation by them, which is where it can sometimes break down. However, it is the string on which the other two types can be threaded. Most mediums are primarily, or exclusively, clairsentients.Entry and exit to and from the room should be monitored at all times as someone entering or leaving without permission can have detrimental effects on the medium. PerformanceMost spirit possession practices involve some form of bodily performance, again ranging from elaborate culturally-recognized dances, movements and gestures, to subtle transformations in bodily demeanour. PM is a unique form of mediumship, entirely different from the much better known type of mediumship that offers messages from spirit communicators relayed through a medium who is fully conscious (albeit perhaps in a somewhat altered state) and is essentially acting as a telephone line for those who have moved on from this life to communicate with loved ones still on earth. they must be filmed with infrared cameras. It would be invaluable if the AFC invested in a video system that uses multiple cameras that could be linked not only to a recording device but also to a monitor outside the seance room.