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An Ethno‐Methodological Approach to Cannabis and Music Perception, with EEG Brain Mapping in a Naturalistic Setting
Author(s) -
Fachner Jörg
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
anthropology of consciousness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1556-3537
pISSN - 1053-4202
DOI - 10.1525/ac.2006.17.2.78
Subject(s) - perception , electroencephalography , psychology , brain activity and meditation , narrative , cognitive psychology , auditory perception , audiology , association (psychology) , naturalism , neuroscience , medicine , art , psychotherapist , philosophy , literature , epistemology
Cannabis is known to change auditory perception and music appreciation as many musicians and music listeners report in narratives, interviews and biographies. An ethnographic pre/post study was conducted in a habituated naturalistic setting, combining qualitative and quantitative methods with four single case studies. Physiological results were gained with a mobile bedside EEG imaging machine in an authentic setting of the consumer's life‐world. Results represent explorative data of participants' spontaneous EEG‐activity, referable to results of psychological and medical studies. Increasing Alpha‐signal strength in parietal association cortex and significant Theta band changes in temporal and on Alpha in occipital areas seem to represent an intraindividual constant EEG correlate of temporarily intensified attention ("high"), resulting in an altered music perception by hyperfocusing on acoustic space and broadened insight into the "space between the notes." THC has a measurable influence on cerebral music processing and seems to enhance acoustic perception temporarily.