Oops...inadvertently sent the following to Tips-Methods, and since that was the first message I had received from that list in months, thought I should redirect here where I had meant to send it. Apologies to those who are also on the methods list for the repeat. If anyone is interested in another one of those pseudoscientific treatments that we like to entertain ourselves with, last night's 20/20 included a segment featuring Peter Halvorson, who advocates the use of trepanation (or what I had always known as trephining) for making all of life's miseries disappear. Halvorson did this to himself back in 1972, claiming of course that it produced numerous benefits. The 20/20 segment followed a group of young people who were also going to do it, although only 1 managed to complete it (the locals came in and put up a fuss). Gruesome. Other highlights: presenting it as a religious ritual in an attempt to avoid charges of practicing medicine without a license; the mother who is encouraging her emotionally-disturbed daughter to do it so as to cure her problems; the rented farmhouse (I think it was) where they were performing the procedure; apparently John Lennon seriously considered doing it (but didn't); etc. Couldn't find anything on the 20/20 site about the segment, but a quick web search turned up an interview with Halvorson and others from 1998: http://jobs.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/features/trepan.htm Among other sites on the web, there is also the International Trepanation Advocacy Group http://www.trepan.com/ Although this group's pages say that it does not advocate self-trepanation, Halvorson apparently does. Although he assists (e.g., by holding up the hand mirror so the person can see what he/she is doing), the person is supposed to do it himself. This should make for some interesting discussion in bio psych this afternoon... John ---------- John Serafin Professor of Psychology Saint Vincent College 300 Fraser Purchase Rd. Latrobe, PA 15650 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
