Geopsychology and geopsychopathology: mental processes and disorders associated with geochemical and geophysical factors

Temporal and regional variations in psychological processes have been associated with three geological factors. They are geochemical profiles, geomagnetic variations, and tectonic stresses. In the geochemical domain, copper, aluminum, zinc, and lithium may influence the incidence of thought disorders such as schizophrenia and senile dementia. These common elements are found in many soils and ground water. Geomagnetic variations have been correlated with enhanced anxiety, sleep disturbances, altered moods, and greater incidences of psychiatric admissions. The effects are usually brief but pervasive. Transient and very local epidemics of bizarre and unusual behaviors are sociological phenomena that sometimes precede increases in earthquake activity within a region; they have been hypothesized to be associated with tectonic strain. Many of the contemporary correlations between geological factors and human behavior are also apparent within historical data. The effects of geophysical and geochemical factors upon human behavior are not artifactual, but they are complex and often not detected by the limited scope of most studies.

Geophysical variables and behavior: XXVI. A response to Rutkowski's critique of the tectonic strain hypothesis for UFO phenomena

The tectonic strain hypothesis for many reports of UFOs (UFORs), primarily odd luminosities and metallic-looking phenomena, has been criticized on the basis of inadequate data. This reply begins with the distinction between the empirical basis for the association between UFORs and seismic activity, the hypothesis, and laboratory experiments. It is emphasized that criticisms of data should be based upon empirical criteria rather than value judgments about scientific credibility. Multivariate and bivariate analyses have indicated systematic relationships between UFORs and earthquake measures within several different areas and for different historical periods. However, the physical mechanisms for the generation of individual UFO events and their relationship to UFORs require closer examination.

Geophysical variables and behavior: XXII. The tectonogenic strain continuum of unusual events

Transient and very localized geophysical forces are hypothesized to be a major source of phenomena that have been traditionally labelled as haunts and poltergeists. They would be generated by increasing tectonic stresses and would display electromagnetic and gravitational characteristics. Materials would be influenced according to their physical properties. Dielectric materials would respond differently from conductors. Organic semiconductors, of which the human being is an important subcategory, would be affected as well. The conspicuous overlaps between (non-convulsive) complex partial epilepsy and many episodes of poltergeists and haunts are expected in light of the direct stimulation of the observer's brain by the transient, intense magnetic fields and the liability of temporal lobe structures. Implications and some general predictions for the distribution of these phenomena in time and space are discussed.