The phenomenology of mediumship

Practising as a medium requires a two-fold authentication: between mediums and their client, and between mediums and their own experience. The latter requirement leads mediums to perform actions that generate in themselves the directly felt sensation of simultaneously acting and being acted upon. ‘T...

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Main Author: Benjamin, Geoffrey
Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Format: Conference or Workshop Item
Language:English
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/79618
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/7245
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-796182019-12-06T13:29:29Z The phenomenology of mediumship Benjamin, Geoffrey School of Humanities and Social Sciences Shamans and Spirit mediums: A Conference at the Asian Civilisations Museum (2007:Singapore) DRNTU::Social sciences Practising as a medium requires a two-fold authentication: between mediums and their client, and between mediums and their own experience. The latter requirement leads mediums to perform actions that generate in themselves the directly felt sensation of simultaneously acting and being acted upon. ‘Trance’ – which seems not to be a unitary altered state of consciousness – labels the kind of performance that mediums must actively perform in order to convince themselves that some other agency is acting on (or through) them. In a mediumistic performance, only partial dissociation is of any use ritually. Complete dissociation or spontaneous dissociation – in which the medium no longer performs appropriately – are of no ritual use, and measures are usually taken to ensure that it does not occur. Accepted version 2011-10-12T06:46:40Z 2019-12-06T13:29:29Z 2011-10-12T06:46:40Z 2019-12-06T13:29:29Z 2007 2007 Conference Paper Benjamin, G. (2007). The phenomenology of mediumship. Shamans and Spirit mediums: a Conference at the Asian Civilisations Museum. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/79618 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/7245 136419 en © 2007 Geoffrey Benjamin. 5 p. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
country Singapore
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic DRNTU::Social sciences
spellingShingle DRNTU::Social sciences
Benjamin, Geoffrey
The phenomenology of mediumship
description Practising as a medium requires a two-fold authentication: between mediums and their client, and between mediums and their own experience. The latter requirement leads mediums to perform actions that generate in themselves the directly felt sensation of simultaneously acting and being acted upon. ‘Trance’ – which seems not to be a unitary altered state of consciousness – labels the kind of performance that mediums must actively perform in order to convince themselves that some other agency is acting on (or through) them. In a mediumistic performance, only partial dissociation is of any use ritually. Complete dissociation or spontaneous dissociation – in which the medium no longer performs appropriately – are of no ritual use, and measures are usually taken to ensure that it does not occur.
author2 School of Humanities and Social Sciences
author_facet School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Benjamin, Geoffrey
format Conference or Workshop Item
author Benjamin, Geoffrey
author_sort Benjamin, Geoffrey
title The phenomenology of mediumship
title_short The phenomenology of mediumship
title_full The phenomenology of mediumship
title_fullStr The phenomenology of mediumship
title_full_unstemmed The phenomenology of mediumship
title_sort phenomenology of mediumship
publishDate 2011
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/79618
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/7245
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