What does mediumship tell us about the mind beyond the brain?

Mediums claim to communicate with the deceased or non-material beings. Controlled studies show they can provide accurate information that cannot be explained by normal sensory means or inference. This review examines conventional explanations—fraud, sitter gullibility, wishful thinking, chance, mental disorder, and unconscious personification—alongside the non-conventional hypothesis that the mind exists beyond the brain. The paper critically analyzes evidence from mediumship studies that supports a mind independent of the physical brain, aiming to inform the understanding of consciousness and the mind-brain problem.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mediums are individuals who claim to communicate with deceased persons or non-material beings. Rigorous studies have reported that mediums can provide accurate anomalous information (i.e. information not obtained through the conventional senses or inferential reasoning). This paper reviews the evidence about these claims and explores the main conventional explanatory hypotheses: fraud, sitter's gullibility and wishful thinking, lucky chance, medium's mental disorder, and involuntary personification of the unconscious mind. Additionally, we examine non-conventional explanations, specifically the hypothesis of the mind beyond the brain, highlighting the types of evidence that mediumship studies provide to support the existence of a mind independent of the physical brain. Through a critical analysis of both conventional and non-conventional explanations, this paper aims to contribute to the understanding of mediumship and its potential implications for our comprehension of consciousness and the mind-brain problem.