Difference between revisions of "Trance" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[File:Collier-priestess of Delphi.jpg|300px|thumb|The [[Pythia|Oracle at Delphi]] was famous for her [[divination| divinatory]] trances throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Oil painting, [[John Collier (painter)|John Collier]], 1891]]
 
[[File:Collier-priestess of Delphi.jpg|300px|thumb|The [[Pythia|Oracle at Delphi]] was famous for her [[divination| divinatory]] trances throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Oil painting, [[John Collier (painter)|John Collier]], 1891]]
  
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'''Trance''' is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the directions of the person (if any) who has induced the trance. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.
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'''Trance''' is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the directions of the person (if any) who has induced the trance. Trance states may be induced by various means or occur involuntarily and unbidden.
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The term ''trance'' may be associated with [[hypnosis]], [[meditation]], [[magic (paranormal)|magic]], [[flow (psychology)|flow]], [[prayer]], and [[altered states of consciousness]].
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The trance state may be associated with [[hypnosis]], [[meditation]], [[mediumship|channeling]], [[prayer]], and [[altered states of consciousness]]. The person may experience healing, or in cases of [[religious ecstasy]] they may have visions of [[spirit]]s and receive [[revelation]]s. Generally, while the trance state may be a challenging experience, it has positive impact on the life of the person experiencing it and often on the lives of others. Still, there is potential for harm, given that during the trance state various cognitive functions are disabled, usually including volition.  
  
 
==Etymology==
 
==Etymology==
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Trance in its modern meaning comes from an earlier meaning of "a dazed, half-conscious or insensible condition or state of fear", via the Old French ''transe'' "fear of evil", from the [[Latin]] ''transīre'' "to cross", "pass over".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=trance |access-date=2012-11-07 |publisher=Etymonline.com}}</ref>
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The word "trance" derives from an earlier meaning of "state of extreme dread or suspense," or "a half-conscious or insensible condition, state of insensibility to mundane things," via the Old French ''transe'' "fear of coming evil," from ''transir'' "be numb with fear," originally "die, pass on," from Latin ''transire'' "cross over, go over, pass over, hasten over, pass away."<ref>[https://www.etymonline.com/word/trance trance (n.)] ''Online Etymology Dictionary''. Retrieved October 27, 2022.</ref>
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==Types and varieties==
 
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* ''[[Bhakti]]'': ([[Devanāgarī]]: भक्ति) is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning "devotion" and also "the path of devotion" itself, as in ''[[Bhakti yoga|Bhakti-yoga]]''. Within [[Hinduism]] the word is used exclusively to denote devotion to a particular [[deity]] or form of [[God]]. Within [[Vaishnavism]] ''bhakti'' is only used in conjunction with [[Vishnu]] or one of his associated [[incarnation]]s, it is likewise used towards [[Shiva]] by followers of [[Shaivism]]. Saints in these traditions exhibit different trance states or ecstasy.
 
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* Communion: In the [[monotheistic]] [[tradition]], [[religious ecstasy]] is usually associated with communion and [[henosis|oneness]] with [[God]]. Indeed, ecstasy is the primary vehicle for the type of [[prophetic]] [[hallucination|visions]] and [[revelation]]s found in the [[Bible]]. However, such experiences can also be personal [[mystical]] experiences with no significance to anyone but the person experiencing them.
 
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* In [[Christianity]], the ecstatic experiences of the [[Twelve Apostles|Apostles]] [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] are recorded in [[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] 10:10, 11:5 and 22:17.
 
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* In [[hagiography]] (writings on the subject of Christian [[saint]]s) many instances are recorded in which saints are granted ecstasies. According to the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Ecstasy |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05277a.htm |website=newadvent.org}}</ref> religious ecstasy (called ''supernatural ecstasy'') includes two elements: one, interior and invisible, in which the mind rivets its attention on a religious subject, and another, corporeal and visible, in which the activity of the senses is suspended, reducing the effect of external sensations upon the subject and rendering him or her resistant to awakening.
 
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* ''[[Maenads]]'' and ''[[Bacchae]]'': in [[Greek mythology]], ''Maenads'' were female [[worshipper]]s of [[Dionysus]], the [[Greek mythology|Greek]] god of [[Greco-Roman mysteries|mystery]], [[wine]] and [[substance intoxication|intoxication]], and the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] god [[Dionysus|Bacchus]]. The word literally translates as "raving ones". They were known as wild, insane women who could not be reasoned with. The mysteries of Dionysus inspired the women to [[ecstasy (emotion)|ecstatic]] frenzy; they indulged in copious amounts of violence, bloodletting, sexual activity, self-intoxication, and mutilation. They were usually pictured as crowned with [[vine]] leaves, clothed in [[deer|fawnskins]] and carrying the [[thyrsus]], and dancing with wild abandon. They were also characterized as entranced women, wandering through the forests and hills.<ref>Wiles, David (2000). ''Greek Theatre Performance: An Introduction''. Cambridge University Press. Source: [http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=052164027X]</ref> The ''Maenads'' were also known as ''Bassarids'' (or ''Bacchae'' or ''Bacchantes'') in [[Roman mythology]], after the penchant of the equivalent Roman god, Bacchus, to wear a [[fox]]-skin, a ''bassaris''.
 
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* [[Peak experiences]]: is a term developed by [[Abraham Maslow]] and used to describe certain extra-personal and [[ecstatic states]], particularly ones tinged with themes of unification, [[harmonization]] and [[Oneness (metaphysics)|interconnectedness]]. Participants characterize these experiences, and the revelations imparted therein, as possessing an ineffably [[mystical]] (or overtly [[religious]]) quality or essence.
 
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* [[Rapture]] or [[religious ecstasy]]: is an [[altered state of consciousness]] characterized by greatly reduced external [[awareness]] and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness which is frequently accompanied by [[hallucination|visions]] and emotional/intuitive (and sometimes physical) [[euphoria (emotion)|euphoria]]. Although the experience is usually brief in physical time, there are records of such experiences lasting several days or even more, and of recurring experiences of ecstasy during one's lifetime. [[Subjectivity|Subjective]] [[perception]] of [[time]], [[space]] and/or [[self (philosophy)|self]] may strongly change or disappear during ecstasy.
 
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* ''[[Samādhi]]'': [[yoga]] provides techniques to attain a state of [[religious ecstasy|ecstasy]] called ''samādhi''. According to practitioners, there are various stages of ecstasy, the highest of which is called ''[[Nirvikalpa|Nirvikalpa samādhi]]''. Different traditions have different understanding of ''Samādhi''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sarbacker |first=Stuart Ray |url=http://www.sunypress.edu/p-4162-samadhi.aspx |title=Samadhi: The Numinous and Cessative in Indo-Tibetan Yoga |publisher=SUNY Press |year=2012 |page=13}}</ref>
 
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* Some [[Charismatic movement|charismatic Christians]] practice ecstatic states (called, e.g., "being [[slain in the Spirit]]") and interpret these as given by the [[Holy Spirit]].
 
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* Trance states have also long been used by [[shamans]], [[mysticism|mystics]], and [[fakirs]] in [[healing]] [[rituals]], being particularly cultivated in some [[religions]], such as [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. Australian shamanism has been observed.<ref>Lawlor (1991: p.&nbsp;374) states that:
 
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"The supernormal, super sensory powers of Aboriginal wise woman and men of high degree, by their own accounts, comes directly from initiations administered by the ancestral sky heroes themselves and by the totemic spirits. Those who have gone through these initiations alone, in a deep trance that makes them lose their personal identities and confront manifestations of the ancestral powers, are held in the highest regard."</ref><ref>Lawlor (1991: p.&nbsp;303) states that: "One such animal dance ceremony was observed and photographed by Gillen and Spencer. More than 30 naked men gathered in a large circle. One by one, each man performed the dance of the animal to be hunted while the others sang and slapped their buttocks to create a percussive beat for the dancer. The slapping sound was so loud that it could be heard for miles across the surrounding desert. The dance continued for hours, with each man dancing frenetically until he dropped from exhaustion. The eyes of the onlookers soon became glazed with entrancement; their penises were erect in a state of ecstatic arousal. Finally, after the last man had performed the animal dance and collapsed in exhaustion, the entire group leaped on him, emitting a loud abandoned cry. The next day the hunt began."</ref>
 
  
 
==Historical examples==
 
==Historical examples==
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Trance states have been recorded in numerous cultures throughout history, with a variety of interpretations.
  
 
===Sleep temples===
 
===Sleep temples===
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Sleep temples also existed in Ancient Greece where they were called Asclepieions, built in honor of [[Asclepios]] the Greek god of medicine. The Greek treatment was referred to as incubation and focused on prayers to Asclepios for healing. These sleep chambers were filled with [[snake]]s, the symbol of the rod of Asclepios, the serpent-entwined rod thay symbolizes [[medicine]] to this day.
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[[Sleep temple]]s in Ancient Greece were called Asclepieions, built in honor of [[Asclepios]] the Greek god of medicine. [[Pilgrims]] visited such temples for healing.<ref name=Hoffman>Kay Hoffman, ''The Trance Workbook: Understanding & Using The Power Of Altered States'' (Sterling, 1999, ISBN 978-0806917658).</ref> Seekers of healing would be received by a [[priest]] who would welcome and [[blessing|bless]] them. The Greek treatment was referred to as [[incubation (ritual)|incubation]], and focused on [[prayers]] to Asclepios for healing. The sleep chambers were filled with [[snake]]s, the symbol of the rod of Asclepios, the serpent-entwined rod that symbolizes [[medicine]] to this day.
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According to Hoffman (1998: p.&nbsp;10), [[pilgrims]] visited the [[Temple]] of [[Epidaurus]], an [[asclepeion]], in [[Greece]] for healing sleep. Seekers of healing would make [[pilgrimage]] and be received by a [[priest]] who would welcome and [[blessing|bless]] them. This temple housed an ancient [[religious]] [[ritual]] promoting [[dreams]] in the seeker that endeavored to promote healing and the solutions to problems, as did the [[oracles]]. This temple was built in honor of [[Asclepios]], the Greek god of medicine. The Greek treatment was referred to as [[incubation (ritual)|incubation]], and focused on [[prayers]] to Asclepios for healing. The [[asclepion]] at [[Epidaurus]] is both extensive and well-preserved, and is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of [[Asclepius]]. (For a comparable modern tool see [[Dreamwork]].)
 
  
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In Egypt, sleep temples (also known as dream temples) functioned as [[hospital]]s, healing a variety of ailments, perhaps many of them psychological in nature. Patients were taken to an unlit chamber to sleep and be treated for their specific ailment.The treatment involved [[chanting]], placing the patient into a [[trance]]-like or hypnotic state, and analyzing their [[dream]]s in order to determine treatment. [[Meditation]], [[fasting]], baths, and [[sacrifice]]s to the patron deity or other spirits.
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In [[Egypt]], sleep temples (also known as dream temples) functioned as [[hospital]]s, healing a variety of ailments, perhaps many of them psychological in nature. Patients were taken to an unlit chamber to sleep and be treated for their specific ailment.The treatment involved [[chanting]], placing the patient into a trance-like, and analyzing their [[dream]]s in order to determine treatment. [[Meditation]], [[fasting]], baths, and [[sacrifice]]s to the patron deity or other spirits were often involved as well.
  
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===Oracles, prophets, psychics ===
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===Divination===
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The [[Pythia|Oracle at Delphi]] was also famous for trances in the ancient Greek world; priestesses there would make [[divination|predictions about the future]] in exchange for [[gold]].<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]] 16.26.1–4.</ref>
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[[Divination]] is a cultural universal, present in many [[religions]] and [[culture]]s in all ages up to the present day. Divination may be defined as a mechanism for [[fortune-telling]] by ascertaining information by interpretation of [[omen]]s or an alleged supernatural agency. Divination often entails [[ritual]], and is often facilitated by trance.
  
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'''Edgar Cayce''' (March 18, 1877 &ndash; January 3, 1945) was an American [[parapsychology|psychic]] who could [[Channelling (mediumistic)|channel]] answers to questions on many spiritual topics, including [[history]], [[astrology]], and [[health]]. Most of his work consisted of diagnosing and prescribing cures for individuals with physical ailments. These readings involved many alternative health concepts and practices. He performed the readings while in a self-induced [[trance]] state. When he awoke from trance, he remembered nothing, and thus, he is commonly referred to as "The Sleeping Prophet."
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The [[Pythia]] was the priestess presiding over the [[Oracle]] of [[Apollo]] at [[Delphi]], located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The Pythia was widely credited with giving [[prophecy|prophecies]] inspired by Apollo, giving her a prominence unusual for a woman in male-dominated [[ancient Greece]]. The Delphic oracle was established in the eighth century B.C.E.<ref>Catherine Morgan, ''Athletes and Oracles: The Transformation of Olympia and Delphi in the Eighth Century B.C.E.'' (Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0521035682).</ref> The last recorded response was given in 393 C.E., when the emperor [[Theodosius I]] ordered [[paganism|pagan]] temples to cease operation. During this period the Delphic Oracle was the most prestigious and authoritative oracle in the Greek world.
  
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===Oral lore and storytelling===
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In [[Tibet]], [[oracle]]s have played, and continue to play, an important part in [[revelation]], religion, [[doctrine]], and [[prophecy]]. Oracles have also played principal roles assisting governmental decision-making and providing intelligence on pressing matters of state. The word ''oracle'' is used by Tibetans to refer to the [[spirit]], [[deity]], or [[Non-physical entity|entity]] that enters those men and women who act as [[mediumship|media]] between the natural and the [[spirit world|spiritual realm]]s. The media are, therefore, known as ''kuten'', which literally means, "the physical basis."
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Stories of the [[saints]] in the [[Middle Ages]], [[mythology|myths]], [[parables]], [[fairy tales]], [[oral lore]] and [[storytelling]] from different cultures are themselves potentially inducers of trance. Often [[rhetorical device|literary devices]] such as [[repetition (rhetorical)|repetition]] are employed which is evident in many forms of trance induction. [[Milton Erickson]] used stories to induce trance as do many [[Neuro-linguistic programming|NLP]] practitioners.
 
  
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===Mystics===
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The ''[[tulku]]'' of the institution of the [[Dalai Lama]] consults the oracle known as the [[Nechung Oracle]], which is considered the Official State Oracle of the government of Tibet. The fourteenth Dalai Lama gives a complete description of the process of trance and possession in his book, ''Freedom in Exile''.<ref>Dalai Lama, ''Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of The Dalai Lama'' (HarperPerennial, 2008, ISBN 978-0060987015).</ref>
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As the mystical experience of [[mysticism|mystics]] generally entails direct connection, communication and communion with the [[divine]]; trance and cognate experience are endemic. (see [[Yoga]], [[Sufism]], [[Shaman]], [[Umbanda]], [[Crazy Horse]], etc.)
 
  
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As shown by [[Jonathan Garb]],<ref>(Shamanic Trance in Modern Kabbalah, 2011)</ref> trance techniques also played a role in [[Lurianic Kabbalah]], the mystical life of the circle of [[Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto]] and [[Hasidism]].
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In the 1860s and 1870s in America, trance [[medium]]s were very popular. [[Spiritualism]] generally attracted female adherents, many who had strong interests in social justice.<ref>Ann Braude, ''Radical Spirits, Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth Century America'' (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0253215024).</ref> In the typical deep trance, the medium may not have clear recall of all the messages conveyed while in an altered state; such people generally work with an assistant. That person selectively wrote down or otherwise recorded the medium's words. Rarely did the assistant record the responding words of the sitter and other attendants. An example of this kind of relationship can be found in the early twentieth century collaboration between the trance medium Mrs. Cook of the [[William T. Stead]] Memorial Center in Chicago and the journalist [[Lloyd Kenyon Jones]]. The latter was a non-medium Spiritualist who transcribed Cook's messages in [[shorthand]] and transcribed and published them in 1919.<ref> Ellen A. Pennan Cook and Lloyd Kenyon Jones (ed.), ''God's World V1: A Treatise On Spiritualism Founded On Transcripts Of Shorthand Notes Taken Down, Over A Period Of Five Years (1919)'' (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010,  ISBN 978-1165454396).</ref>
  
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===Christian mystics===
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Another example of a medium who did not recall what was said during his trance state is [[Edgar Cayce]] (March 18, 1877 &ndash; January 3, 1945), an American [[psychic]] who could [[mediumship|channel]] answers to questions on many spiritual topics, including [[history]], [[astrology]], and [[health]]. Much of his work consisted of diagnosing and prescribing cures for individuals with physical ailments. These readings, which he performed while in a self-induced trance state, involved many alternative health concepts and practices. When he awoke from his trance, he remembered nothing, and thus, he is commonly referred to as "The Sleeping Prophet."
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Many [[Christian mystics]] are documented as having experiences that may be considered as cognate with trance, such as: [[Hildegard of Bingen]], [[John of the Cross]], [[Meister Eckhart]], Saint Theresa (as seen in the Bernini sculpture) and [[Francis of Assisi]].
 
  
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===Hypnosis===
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===Mysticism and religious ecstasy===
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[[Franz Anton Mesmer]] (1734-1815) was an influential but discredited promoter of trance states and their curative powers. He discovered the curative powers of what he called ''magnétism animal'' (animal magnetism). Mesmer applied magnets to his patients’ bodies and produced remarkable results, especially in the case of a young woman suffering from hysteria. He did not attribute his cures to any power in the magnets themselves; instead, he argued that the body was analogous to a magnet and contained a fluid that ebbed and flowed according to the laws of magnetic attraction. Mesmer's ideas and practices, often called "Mesmerism," would later be developed by [[James Braid]] as modern [[hypnosis]].  
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[[Mysticism]] provides meaning for mystical and visionary experiences, and related experiences like trances: "Mysticism is the practice of religious ecstasies (religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness), together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them."<ref>Dan Merkur, ''Mystical Moments and Unitive Thinking'' (State University of New York Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0791440643).</ref>
  
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Hypnosis is normally preceded by a "hypnotic induction" technique. Traditionally, this was seen as a method of putting the subject into a "hypnotic trance," whereby critical thinking faculties of the human mind are bypassed and a type of selective thinking, [[attention]], and [[perception]] is established. There is reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion, often interpreted as an [[altered state of consciousness]] or trance, marked by a level of awareness different from the ordinary state of [[consciousness]].  
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[[File:Baeza - Convento de la Encarnacion 08.jpg|thumb|300px|The religious ecstasy of [[Saint Teresa of Avila]] of the [[Carmelite Order]].]]
  
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===Trance in American Christianity===
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[[Religious ecstasy]] is a type of [[altered state of consciousness]] characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness, frequently accompanied by visions and emotional (and sometimes physical) [[Euphoria (emotion)|euphoria]]. Such experiences are known in all faiths, however they may also happen in a spontaneous and natural way, to people who are not committed to any religious tradition. Although the experience is usually brief in time, there are records of such experiences lasting several days or even more, and of recurring experiences of ecstasy during one's lifetime.<ref>Marghanita Laski, ''Ecstasy in Secular and Religious Experience '' (J. P. Tarcher, 1990, ISBN 978-0874775747). </ref>
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[[Ann Taves|Taves]] (1999) charts the synonymic language of trance in the American Christian traditions: ''power'' or ''presence'' or ''indwelling'' of God, or Christ, or the Spirit, or spirits. Typical expressions include "the indwelling of the Spirit" ([[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]]), "the witness of the Spirit" ([[John Wesley]]), "the power of God" (early American [[Methodists]]), being "filled with the Spirit of the Lord" (early [[Adventists]]; see [[charismatic Adventism]]), "communing with spirits" ([[Spiritualists]]), "the Christ within" ([[New Thought]]), "streams of holy fire and power" (Methodist [[Holiness movement|holiness]]), "a religion of the Spirit and Power" (the [[Emmanuel Movement]]), and "the baptism of the Holy Spirit" (early [[Pentecostal]]s). (Taves, 1999: 3)
 
  
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===Trance and Anglo-American Protestants===
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In [[Sufism]], it is referred to as ''[[wajad]]'' and is induced by ''dhikr'', a form of [[Islam]]ic [[meditation]] in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly [[chant]]ed in order to remember [[God]]. As described by the Indian spiritual teacher [[Meher Baba]], God-intoxicated souls known in Sufism as [[Mast (Sufism)|mast]]s experience a unique type of spiritual ecstasy:
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Taves (1999) well-referenced book on trance charts the experience of Anglo-American Protestants and those who left the Protestant movement beginning with the transatlantic awakening in the early 18th century and ending with the rise of the [[psychology of religion]] and the birth of [[Pentecostalism]] in the early 20th century. This book focuses on a class of seemingly involuntary acts alternately explained in [[religious]] and [[secular]] terminology. These involuntary experiences include uncontrolled bodily movements ([[Seizure|fits]], bodily exercises, falling as dead, [[catalepsy]], [[convulsions]]); spontaneous vocalizations (crying out, shouting, [[speaking in tongues]]); unusual sensory experiences (trances, [[hallucination|visions]], voices, [[clairvoyance]], [[out-of-body experiences]]); and alterations of [[consciousness]] and/or [[memory]] ([[dream]]s, [[somnium]], [[somnambulism]], mesmeric trance, mediumistic trance, [[hypnosis]], [[spirit possession|possession]], alternating personality) (Taves, 1999: 3).
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<blockquote>
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[M]asts are desperately in love with God{{snd}}or consumed by their love for God. Masts do not suffer from what may be called a disease. They are in a state of mental disorder because their minds are overcome by such intense spiritual energies that are far too much for them, forcing them to lose contact with the world, shed normal human habits and customs, and civilized society and live in a state of spiritual splendor but physical squalor. They are overcome by an agonizing love for God and are drowned in their ecstasy. Only the divine love embodied in a Perfect Master can reach them.<ref>Bhau Kalchuri, ''Lord Meher Prabhu: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba'' (Manifestation, Inc., 1986).</ref></blockquote>
  
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==Theories and explanations==
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[[Yoga]] provides techniques to attain an ecstasy state called [[samādhi]]. [[Bhakti Yoga]] especially, places emphasis on ecstasy as being one of the fruits of its practice.<ref> Stuart Ray Sarbacker, ''Samadhi: The Numinous and Cessative in Indo-Tibetan Yoga'' (State University of New York Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0791465547).</ref>
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Wier, in his 1995 book, ''Trance: from magic to technology'', defines a simple trance (p.&nbsp;58) as a state of mind being caused by cognitive loops where a cognitive object (a thought, an image, a sound, an intentional action) repeats long enough to result in various sets of disabled cognitive functions. Wier represents all trances (which include sleep and watching television) as taking place on a dissociated trance plane where at least some cognitive functions such as volition are disabled; as is seen in what is typically termed a 'hypnotic trance'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Gentle Introduction to Trance Theory &#124; the Trance Institute |url=http://www.trance.edu/drupal/node/26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208040631/http://www.trance.edu/drupal/node/26 |archive-date=8 December 2009 |access-date=2009-07-24}}</ref> With this definition, meditation, hypnosis, addictions and charisma are seen as being trance states. In Wier's 2007 book, ''The Way of Trance'', he elaborates on these forms, adds ecstasy as an additional form and discusses the ethical implications of his model, including magic and government use which he terms "trance abuse".
 
  
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[[John Horgan (American journalist)|John Horgan]] in ''Rational Mysticism'' (2003) explores the neurological mechanisms and psychological implications of trances and other [[mystical]] manifestations. Horgan incorporates literature and case-studies from a number of disciplines in this work: [[chemistry]], [[physics]], [[psychology]], [[radiology]] and [[theology]].
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Within [[Hinduism]], ''[[Bhakti]]'' denotes devotion to a particular [[deity]] or form of [[God]]. Within [[Vaishnavism]] ''bhakti'' is only used in conjunction with [[Vishnu]] or one of his associated [[incarnation]]s, it is likewise used towards [[Shiva]] by followers of [[Shaivism]]. Saints in these traditions exhibit different trance states or ecstasy.
  
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==Trance states==
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In [[Buddhism]], especially in the [[Pali Canon]], there are eight states of [[trance]] also called absorption. The first four states are Rupa or, materially-oriented. The next four are Arupa or non-material. These eight states are preliminary trances which lead up to final saturation. In [[Visuddhimagga]], great effort and years of sustained [[meditation]] are practiced to reach the first absorption, and not all individuals are able to accomplish it.
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{{Essay-like|section|date=September 2022}}
 
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Trance conditions include all the different states of [[mind]], [[emotion]]s, [[mood (psychology)|moods]] and [[daydream]]s that human beings experience. All activities which engage a human involve the filtering of information coming into sense modalities, and this influences brain functioning and consciousness. Therefore, trance may be understood as a way for the mind to change the way it filters information in order to provide more efficient use of the mind's resources.
 
  
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Trance states may also be accessed or induced by various [[wikt:modality|modalities]] and may be a way of accessing the [[unconscious mind]] for the purposes of [[relaxation technique|relaxation]], [[healing]], [[intuition (knowledge)|intuition]] and [[Artistic inspiration|inspiration]]. There is an extensive documented history of trance as evidenced by the case-studies of anthropologists and ethnologists and associated and derivative disciplines. Hence trance may be perceived as endemic to the [[human condition]] and a [[cultural universal|Human Universal]]. Principles of trance are being explored and documented as are methods of trance induction. Benefits of trance states are being explored by medical and scientific inquiry. Many traditions and rituals employ trance. Trance also has a function in religion and mystical experience.
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In the [[Dionysian Mysteries]] of [[ancient Greece]], initiates used intoxicants, [[ecstatic dance]], and music to remove inhibitions and social constraints.
  
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Castillo (1995) states that: "Trance phenomena result from the behavior of intense focusing of attention, which is the key psychological mechanism of trance induction. Adaptive responses, including institutionalized forms of trance, are 'tuned' into neural networks in the brain and depend to a large extent on the characteristics of culture. Culture-specific organizations exist in the structure of individual neurons and in the organizational formation of neural networks."<ref>Castillo, Richard J. (1995). Culture, Trance, and the Mind-Brain. In Anthropology of Consciousness. Volume 6, Number 1, March 1995, pp.&nbsp;17–34.</ref>
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[[File:Khagdaev1.JPG|thumb|400px|right|Shaman of Olkhon (Baikal)]]
  
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Hoffman (1998: p.&nbsp;9) states that: "Trance is still conventionally defined as a state of reduced [[consciousness]], or a somnolent state. However, the more recent [[anthropological]] definition, linking it to '[[altered states of consciousness]]' ([[Charles Tart]]), is becoming increasingly accepted."<ref name="Hoffman 1998">Hoffman, Kay (1998). ''The Trance Workbook: understanding & using the power of altered states''. Translated by Elfie Homann, Clive Williams, and Dr Christliebe El Mogharbel. Translation edited by Laurel Ornitz. {{ISBN|0-8069-1765-2}} p. 9</ref>
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[[Shamanism]] involves a practitioner reaching an [[altered state of consciousness]] in order to perceive and interact with [[spirit]]s, and channel transcendental energies into this world. The shaman typically enters into a trance state and practices [[divination]] and [[healing]]. Shamanism can be regarded as a "technique of religious ecstasy."<ref>Mircea Eliade, ''Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy'' (Princeton University Press, 2020, ISBN 978-0691210667).</ref>
  
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Hoffman (1998, p.&nbsp;9) asserts that: "...the trance state should be discussed in the plural, because there is more than one altered state of consciousness significantly different from everyday consciousness."<ref name="Hoffman 1998" />
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[[Australian aborigine]]s shamans have long been held in high regard for their ability to connect with spirits:
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<blockquote>The supernormal, super sensory powers of Aboriginal wise woman and men of high degree, by their own accounts, comes directly from initiations administered by the ancestral sky heroes themselves and by the totemic spirits. Those who have gone through these initiations alone, in a deep trance that makes them lose their personal identities and confront manifestations of the ancestral powers, are held in the highest regard.<ref>Robert Lawlor, ''Voices of the First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime'' (Inner Traditions, 1991, ISBN 978-0892813551).</ref></blockquote>
  
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In the [[monotheism|monotheistic tradition]], ecstasy is usually associated with [[Communion (Christian)|communion]] and [[Henosis|oneness]] with [[God]]. However, such experiences can also be personal mystical experiences with no significance to anyone but the person experiencing them. Some [[Charismatic movement|charismatic Christians]] practice ecstatic states (such as "being [[slain in the Spirit]]") and interpret these as given by the [[Holy Spirit]]. The firewalkers of [[Greece]] dance themselves into a state of ecstasy at the annual [[Anastenaria]], when they believe themselves under the influence of [[Constantine the Great|Saint Constantine]].<ref>Dimitris Xygalatas, "Firewalking and the Brain: The Physiology of High-Arousal Rituals" in Joseph Bulbulia, Richard Sosis, Erica Harris, Russell Genet, Cheryl Genet, and Karen Wyman (eds.) ''Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques'', Santa Margarita, CA: Collins Foundation Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0978844110).</ref>
  
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==Trance induction and sensory modality==
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[[File:Pompeo Batoni - The Ecstasy of St Catherine of Siena - WGA01501.jpg|thumb|300px|The Ecstasy of St. [[Catherine of Siena]] by [[Pompeo Batoni]].]]
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Trance-like states are often interpreted as [[religious ecstasy]] or [[vision (religion)|visions]] and can be deliberately induced using a variety of techniques, including [[prayer]], [[religious ritual]]s, [[meditation]], [[pranayama]] ([[breathwork]] or breathing exercises), [[physical exercise]], [[sexual intercourse]], [[music]], [[dancing]], [[sweating]] (e.g. [[sweat lodge]]), [[fasting]], [[thirst]]ing, and the consumption of [[psychotropic]] drugs such as [[spiritual use of cannabis|cannabis]]. [[Sensory modality]] is the [[Mediumship|channel]] or [[Conduit (spiritualism)|conduit]] for the induction of the trance. Sometimes an ecstatic experience takes place in occasion of contact with something or somebody perceived as extremely [[beauty|beautiful]] or [[holy]]. It may also happen without any known reason. The particular technique that an individual uses to induce ecstasy is usually one that is associated with that individual's particular [[religious]] and [[cultural]] [[traditions]]. As a result, an ecstatic experience is usually interpreted within the context of a particular individual's religious and cultural traditions. These interpretations often include statements about contact with [[supernatural]] or [[Non-physical entity|spiritual beings]], about receiving new information as a [[revelation]], also religion-related explanations of subsequent change of [[values]], [[attitude (psychology)|attitudes]] and [[behavior]] (e.g. in case of [[religious conversion]]).
 
  
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Benevolent, neutral and malevolent trances may be induced (intentionally, spontaneously and/or accidentally) by different methods:
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Many [[Catholic]] [[mystics]] and [[saint]]s are documented as having experiences that may be considered as cognate with trance, including [[Hildegard of Bingen]], [[John of the Cross]], [[Catherine of Siena]], [[Teresa of Avila]], [[Meister Eckhart]], and [[Francis of Assisi]]. The Catholic Church defines religious ecstasy (called "supernatural ecstasy") as having two elements:
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* [[Hearing (sense)|Auditory]]: driving through the [[sense]] of [[hearing (sense)|hearing]] by [[chanting]], auditory [[story telling]], [[mantra]], [[overtone singing]], [[drum]]ming, [[music]], etc.;,
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<blockquote>the one, interior and invisible, when the mind rivets its attention on a religious subject;<br>
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* Disciplines: [[Yoga]], [[Sufism]], [[Surat Shabd Yoga]]; [[meditation]];
 
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* [[Gustatory]]: driving through the [[sense]] of [[taste]] and [[indigestion]]; including: [[starvation]], [[herbs]], [[hallucinogens]] and [[drugs]]. As the intake of food and beverage entails intra-bodily chemical reactions through [[digestion]], some infer that all food may be considered medicine or drugs and therefore contribute to the induction of discernible psycho-physical states (see [[Ancient Medicine]]). Trance states can be attained through the ingestion of [[psychoactive drugs]], particularly [[psychedelic drug|psychedelics]], such as [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]], [[Ketamine|ketamine]], [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]], [[Peyote|peyote]], [[psilocybin mushrooms]], [[N,N-Dimethyltryptamine|DMT]], and [[MDMA]].
 
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* [[Kinesthetic]]: driving through the [[sense]] of [[feeling]] and movement through the [[Laban Movement Analysis|kinesphere]] by [[ecstatic dance]], [[story telling]] by movement, [[mudra]], embodying [[ritual]]s, [[yoga]], [[breathwork]], [[oxygen]] deprivation, [[sexual stimulation]] etc.;
 
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* Miscellaneously: [[psychological trauma|traumatic]] accident, [[sleep deprivation]], [[nitrogen narcosis]] (deep diving), [[fever]], by the use of a [[sensory deprivation]] tank or mind-control techniques, [[hypnosis]], [[meditation]], [[prayer]];
 
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* Naturally occurring: [[dreams]], [[lucid dreaming|lucid dreams]], [[euphoria (emotion)|euphoria]], [[ecstasy (state)|ecstasy]], [[psychosis]] as well as purported [[premonitions]], [[out-of-body experience]]s, and [[Mediumship|channeling]].
 
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* [[Olfactory]]: driving via [[scent]] through the [[sense]] of [[olfaction|smell]] by [[perfume]], [[pheromones]], [[incense]], [[flowers]], [[pollen]], indeed any scent for which we have an association or memory, etc.;
 
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* Photic or Visual: driving through the [[sense]] of [[Visual perception|sight]] by [[yantra]], visual [[story telling]], [[mandala]], [[film|cinema]], [[theater]], [[art]], [[architecture]], [[beauty]], [[strobe lights]], [[form constants]], [[symmetry]];
 
  
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===Auditory driving and auditory art===
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the other, corporeal and visible, when the activity of the senses is suspended, so that not only are external sensations incapable of influencing the soul, but considerable difficulty is experienced in awakening such sensation, and this whether the ecstatic himself desires to do so, or others attempt to quicken the organs into action.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05277a.htm Ecstasy] ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. Retrieved October 28, 2022.</ref></blockquote>
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[[Charles Tart]] provides a useful working definition of auditory driving. It is the induction of trance through the sense of hearing. Auditory driving works through a process known as [[Brainwave entrainment|entrainment]].{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}
 
  
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The usage of repetitive [[rhythms]] to induce trance states is an ancient phenomenon. Throughout the world, [[Shamanism|shamanistic practitioners]] have been employing this method for [[millennia]]. [[Anthropologists]] and other researchers have documented the similarity of shamanistic auditory driving [[rituals]] among different cultures.
+
Historically, large groups of individuals have experienced religious ecstasies during periods of [[Christian]] revivals, to the point of causing controversy as to the origin and nature of these experiences.<ref>Charles Chauncy, ''Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in New England'' (HardPress Publishing, 2013 (original 1743), ISBN 978-1314371710).</ref><ref>Jonathan Edwards, ''Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival in New England and the Way it Ought to be Acknowledged and Promoted'' (Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1742), ISBN 978-1014879776).</ref> In response to claims that all emotional expressions of religious ecstasy were attacks on order and theological soundness from the Devil, [[Jonathan Edwards]] published his influential ''Treatise on Religious Affections'' in which he argued that religious ecstasy could come from oneself, the Devil, or God, and it was only by observing the fruit, or changes in inner thought and behavior, that one could determine if the religious ecstasy had come from God.<ref name=Edwards>Jonathan Edwards, ''A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections'' (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010 (original 1746), ISBN 978-1169321397).</ref>
  
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Said simply, entrainment is the synchronization of different rhythmic cycles. Breathing and heart rate have been shown to be affected by auditory stimulus, along with brainwave activity. The ability of rhythmic sound to affect human brainwave activity, especially [[theta rhythm|theta brainwaves]], is the essence of auditory driving, and is the cause of the altered states of consciousness that it can induce.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}
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In modern [[Pentecostal]], [[Charismatic Christianity|charismatic]] and [[Baptism of the Holy Spirit|spirit-filled]] Christianity, numerous examples of religious ecstasy have transpired, similar to historic revivals. Also, however, a number of new movements have reported controversial experiences, which some have called [[demon]]ic in nature and more [[occult]]-like than Christian. Religious ecstasy in these movements has been witnessed in the form of squealing, shrieking, an inability to stand or sit, uttering apocalyptic prophecies, holy laughter, crying and barking. Some people have made dramatic claims of sighting "gold dust," "angel feathers," "holy clouds," or the spontaneous appearance of precious gemstones during ecstatic worship events.<ref> Geoffrey Grider, [https://www.nowtheendbegins.com/demoniac-false-preacher-todd-bentley-says-angel-feathers-manifesting-at-revival-meetings/ Demoniac False Preacher Todd Bentley Says Angel Feathers Are Manifesting at His 'Revival' Meetings] ''Now the End Begins'', April 17, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2022.</ref>
  
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===Visual driving and visual art===
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===Hypnosis===
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[[Franz Anton Mesmer]] (1734-1815) was an influential but discredited promoter of trance states and their curative powers. He discovered the curative powers of what he called ''magnétism animal'' (animal magnetism). Mesmer applied magnets to his patients’ bodies and produced remarkable results, especially in the case of a young woman suffering from hysteria. He did not attribute his cures to any power in the magnets themselves; instead, he argued that the body was analogous to a magnet and contained a fluid that ebbed and flowed according to the laws of magnetic attraction. Mesmer's ideas and practices, often called "Mesmerism," would later be developed by [[James Braid]] as modern [[hypnosis]].<ref>James Braid, ''Neurypnology; or, The Rationale of Nervous Sleep'' (Ayer Co Publisher, 1976 (original 1943), ISBN 0405074182).</ref>
  
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Nowack and Feltman published an article entitled "Eliciting the Photic Driving Response" which states that the EEG photic driving response is a sensitive neurophysiological measure which has been employed to assess chemical and drug effects, forms of epilepsy, neurological status of Alzheimer's patients, and physiological arousal. Photic driving also impacts upon the psychological climate of a person by producing increased visual imagery and decreased physiological and subjective arousal. In this research by Nowack and Feltman, all participants reported increased visual imagery during photic driving, as measured by their responses to an imagery questionnaire.
+
Hypnosis is normally preceded by a "hypnotic induction" technique. Traditionally, this was seen as a method of putting the subject into a "hypnotic trance," whereby critical thinking faculties of the human mind are bypassed and a type of selective thinking, [[attention]], and [[perception]] is established. There is reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion, often interpreted as an [[altered state of consciousness]] or trance, marked by a level of awareness different from the ordinary state of [[consciousness]].
  
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Dennis Wier<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wier |first=Dennis R. |date=15 September 2006 |title=A Suggested Model for Trance |url=http://www.trance.edu/papers/theory.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060915232957/http://www.trance.edu/papers/theory.htm |archive-date=15 September 2006 |access-date=26 February 2021 |website=The Trance Institute}}</ref> states that over two millennia ago [[Ptolemy]] and [[Apuleius]] found that differing rates of flickering lights affected states of awareness and sometimes induced epilepsy. Wier also asserts that it was discovered in the late 1920s that when light was shined on closed eyelids it resulted in an echoing production of brainwave frequencies. Wier also opined that in 1965 Grey employed a [[stroboscope]] to project rhythmic light flashes into the eyes at a rate of 10–25&nbsp;Hz (cycles per second). Grey discovered that this stimulated similar brainwave activity.
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==Trance induction==
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[[File:Hypnotic Séance (Richard Bergh) - Nationalmuseum - 18855.jpg|thumb|400px|
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''Hypnotic séance'', painting by Swedish artist Richard Bergh, 1887]]
 +
Trance-like states can be deliberately induced using a variety of techniques, including [[prayer]], [[religious ritual]]s, [[meditation]], [[pranayama]] ([[breathwork]] or breathing exercises), [[physical exercise]], [[sexual intercourse]], [[music]], [[dancing]], [[sweat lodge]], [[fasting]], and the consumption of [[psychotropic]] drugs such as [[peyote]]. The particular technique that an individual uses to induce the trance is usually one that is associated with their particular [[religious]] and [[cultural]] [[tradition]]s. As a result, the experience is usually interpreted within the context of those traditions. These interpretations often include statements about contact with [[supernatural]] or [[spiritual being]]s and about receiving new information as a [[revelation]].
  
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Research by [[Thomas Budzynski]], [[Oestrander]] et al., in the use of brain machines suggest that [[photic]] driving via the [[suprachiasmatic nucleus]] and direct electrical stimulation and driving via other mechanisms and modalities, may [[entrainment (physics)|entrain]] processes of the brain facilitating [[learning theory (education)|rapid and enhanced learning]], produce deep [[relaxation (psychology)|relaxation]], [[euphoria (emotion)|euphoria]], an increase in [[creativity]], [[problem solving]] propensity and may be associated with enhanced concentration and accelerated learning. The [[theta rhythm|theta]] range and the border area between [[alpha wave|alpha]] and [[theta rhythm|theta]] has generated considerable research interest.
+
Benevolent, neutral, and malevolent trances may be induced intentionally, spontaneously, and/or accidentally by different methods and through focus on different modalities:
 +
* [[Hearing (sense)|Auditory]]: through the [[sense]] of [[hearing (sense)|hearing]] by [[chanting]], auditory [[story telling]], [[mantra]], [[overtone singing]], [[drum]]ming, [[music]], etc.
 +
* Disciplines: [[Yoga]], [[Sufism]], and [[meditation]]
 +
* [[Gustatory]]: through the [[sense]] of [[taste]] and [[indigestion]], including [[starvation]], [[herbs]], [[hallucinogens]], and other [[drugs]]. As the intake of food and beverage entails intra-bodily chemical reactions through [[digestion]], some infer that all food may be considered medicine or drugs and therefore contribute to the induction of discernible psycho-physical states . Trance states can be attained through the ingestion of [[psychoactive drug]]s
 +
* [[Kinesthetic]]: through the [[sense]] of [[feeling]] and movement through [[ecstatic dance]], [[mudra]], embodying [[ritual]]s, [[yoga]], [[breathwork]], [[oxygen]] deprivation, [[sexual stimulation]] etc.
 +
* Miscellaneously: [[psychological trauma|traumatic]] accident, [[sleep deprivation]], [[nitrogen narcosis]] (deep diving), [[fever]], by the use of a [[sensory deprivation]] tank or mind-control techniques, [[hypnosis]], [[meditation]], [[prayer]]
 +
* Naturally occurring: [[dreams]], [[lucid dreaming|lucid dreams]], [[euphoria (emotion)|euphoria]], [[ecstasy (state)|ecstasy]], [[psychosis]] as well as purported [[premonitions]], [[out-of-body experience]]s, and [[Mediumship|channeling]].
 +
* [[Olfactory]]: via [[scent]] through the [[sense]] of [[olfaction|smell]] by [[perfume]], [[pheromones]], [[incense]], [[flowers]], [[pollen]], or any scent for which there is a strong association or memory
 +
* Photic or Visual: through the [[sense]] of [[Visual perception|sight]] by [[yantra]], [[mandala]], [[film|cinema]], [[theater]], [[art]], [[architecture]], [[beauty]], [[strobe lights]], [[form constants]], [[symmetry]].
  
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===Kinesthetic driving and somatic art===
+
==Theories and explanations==
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[[Charles Tart]] provides a useful working definition of [[kinesthetic]] driving. It is the induction of trance through the [[sense]] of [[touch]], [[feeling]] or [[emotions]]. Kinesthetic driving works through a process known as [[Brainwave entrainment|entrainment]].
+
Trances and other mystical manifestations may be explained through neurological or psychological mechanisms as well as religious interpretations involving spiritual activity. Thus, research attempting to interpret the phenomena incorporate literature and case-studies from a number of disciplines, including [[chemistry]], [[physics]], [[psychology]], [[radiology]], and [[theology]].<ref>John Horgan, ''Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment'' (HarperOne, 2004, ISBN 978-0618446636).</ref>
  
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The [[rituals]] practiced by some [[sportsperson|athletes]] in preparing for contests are dismissed as [[superstition]], but this is a [[tool|device]] of [[sport psychologist]]s to help them to attain an ecstasy-like state. [[Joseph Campbell]] had a peak experience whilst [[running]]. [[Roger Bannister]] on breaking the four-minute mile (Cameron, 1993: 185): "No longer conscious of my movement, I discovered a new unity with nature. I had found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never dreamt existed." Roger Bannister later became a distinguished [[neurologist]].
+
===Religious===
 +
As noted above, experiences of trance states are well reported in diverse religions. It is acknowledged that religious ecstasy could come from oneself, the [[Devil]], or [[God]].<ref name=Edwards/>
  
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Mechanisms and [[discipline]]s that include kinesthetic driving may include: [[dancing]], [[walking meditation]], [[yoga]] and [[asana]], [[mudra]], [[juggling]], [[poi (juggling)]], etc.
+
In the American Christian traditions, descriptions of religious ecstasy include a variety of terms which have developed over the years. Typical expressions include "the indwelling of the Spirit" ([[Jonathan Edwards]]), "the witness of the Spirit" ([[John Wesley]]), "the power of God" (early American [[Methodists]]), being "filled with the Spirit of the Lord" (early [[Adventists]], "communing with spirits" ([[Spiritualists]]), "the Christ within" ([[New Thought]]), "streams of holy fire and power" (Methodist [[Holiness movement|holiness]]), "a religion of the Spirit and Power" (the [[Emmanuel Movement]]), and "the baptism of the Holy Spirit" (early [[Pentecostal]]s).<ref> Ann Taves, ''Fits, Trances, and Visions: Experiencing religion and explaining experience from Wesley to James'' (Princeton University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0691010243).</ref>
  
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[[Sufism]] (the [[mystical]] branch of [[Islam]]) has [[theoretical]] and [[metaphoric]] [[writing|texts]] regarding [[religious ecstasy|ecstasy]] as a state of connection with [[Allah]]. [[Sufi]] practice [[rituals]] (''[[dhikr]]'', ''[[sema]]'') use body movement and music to achieve the state.
+
For Christians, this trance state is biblical: "Trances are not relegated to the realm of witches and warlocks, though these dark agents do use trances to enter into astral projection, a counterfeit of the biblical concept of being transported in the Spirit."<ref>Jennifer LeClaire, [https://www.destinyimage.com/blog/2019/09/19/christians-and-the-trance-realm Entering the Trance Realm] ''Destiny Image''. Retrieved October 27, 2022.</ref> The religious interpretation of the trance state is based on the understanding that it involves the [[spirit world|spiritual realm]] where one may experience communication with [[spiritual being]]s, who may be benevolent or malevolent, and even [[God]] or [[Satan]].
 +
 +
Thus, in [[Noah Webster]]’s 1828 Dictionary, trance is defined as: “An ecstasy; a state in which the soul seems to have passed out of the body into celestial regions, or to be rapt into visions.”<ref>[https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/trance Trance] ''Websters Dictionary 1828''. Retrieved October 27, 2022.</ref> Similarly, it denotes the state of one who is "out of himself," in "a preternatural, absorbed state of mind preparing for the reception of the vision," such as the trances of Peter (Acts 10:10; 11:5) and Paul (Acts 22:17), who appeared to be asleep but with their eyes open.<ref> [https://www.kingjamesbibledictionary.com/Dictionary/trance Easton's Bible Dictionary: Trance] ''King James Bible Dictionary''. Retrieved October 27, 2022.</ref>
  
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==Divination==
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''Ekstatis'' from which "ecstasy" is derived, means:
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[[Divination]] is a cultural universal which [[anthropologists]] have observed as being present in many [[religions]] and [[cultures]] in all ages up to the present day (see [[sibyl]]). {{Citation needed|date=August 2017}} Divination may be defined as a mechanism for [[fortune-telling]] by ascertaining information by interpretation of [[omens]] or an alleged supernatural agency. Divination often entails [[ritual]], and is often facilitated by trance.
+
A throwing of the mind out of its normal state, alienation of mind, whether such as makes a lunatic or that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within, and thinks that he perceives with his bodily eyes and ears realities shown him by God.<ref>[https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/ekstasis.html Ekstasis] ''The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon''. Retrieved October 27, 2022.</ref>
  
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===Nechung Oracle===
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This trance state is considered the highest spiritual experience, a challenging one which brings a great change to the person who experiences it. They may have visions of God or revelation of truth, and this is interpreted as initiated by God to one chosen to bear the message:
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In [[Tibet]], [[oracle]]s have played, and continue to play, an important part in [[religion]] and [[government]]. The word ''oracle'' is used by Tibetans to refer to the [[Spirit (animating force)|spirit]], [[deity]] or [[Non-physical entity|entity]] that enters those men and women who act as [[mediumship|media]] between the natural and the spiritual realms. The media are, therefore, known as ''kuten'', which literally means, "the physical basis".
+
<blockquote>The ekstasis (i.e. trance) is the state in which a man has passed out of the usual order of his life, beyond the usual limits of consciousness and volition, being rapt in causes of this state are to be traced commonly to strong religious impressions. Whatever explanation may be given of it, it is true of many, if not of most, of those who have left the stamp of their own character on the religious history of mankind, that they have been liable to pass at times into this abnormal state. ... and is connected with "visions and revelations of the Lord." In some cases, indeed, it is the chosen channel for such revelations.<ref> [https://www.christianity.com/bible/dictionary/smiths-bible-dictionary/trance.html Trance] ''Smith’s Bible Dictionary''. Retrieved October 27, 2022.</ref></blockquote>
  
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The [[Dalai Lama]], who lives in exile in northern India, still consults an oracle known as the ''[[Nechung Oracle]]'', which is considered the official state oracle of the government of Tibet. He gives a complete description of the process of trance and possession in his book ''Freedom in Exile''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nechung - the State Oracle of Tibet |url=http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/nechung_hh.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205234136/http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/nechung_hh.html |archive-date=5 December 2006 |access-date=2007-01-23}}</ref>
+
===Psychological===
 +
The trance state of altered consciousness has much in common with that of [[hypnosis]], and thus one can look for a common explanation of the two. However, theories of hypnosis are divided between "state" "nonstate" explanations. The first recognizes the phenomenon as involving an involuntary abnormal psychological and/or physiological basis for the altered state of consciousness. Thus, a simple trance is defined as a state of mind being caused by cognitive loops where a cognitive object (a thought, an image, a sound, an intentional action) repeats long enough to result in various sets of disabled cognitive functions, usually including volition.<ref>Dennis R. Wier, ''Trance: From magic to technology'' (Trans Media Inc, 1996, ISBN 978-1888428384). </ref>
  
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==Scientific research==
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The second explanation views the phenomenon more as the result of deliberate action on the part of the person exhibiting the behavior. Such nonstate theorists reject the idea of hypnotic trance and interpret the phenomenon as due to a combination of multiple task-specific factors derived from normal cognitive, behavioral, and social psychology, such as social role-perception and favorable motivation, active imagination and positive cognitive set, response expectancy, and the active use of task-specific subjective strategies:
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Convergent disciplines of [[neuroanthropology]], [[ethnomusicology]], [[electroencephalography]] (EEG), [[neurotheology]] and [[cognitive neuroscience]], amongst others, are conducting research into the trance induction of [[altered states of consciousness]] resulting from [[brainwave entrainment|neuron entrainment]] with the driving of sensory modalities, for example [[polyharmonics]], [[multiphonics]], and [[percussive]] [[polyrhythms]] through the channel of the auditory and [[kinesthetic]] [[Modality (semiotics)|modality]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-11-18 |title=Les étranges pouvoirs de la transe sur le cerveau étudiés à l'université |language=fr |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2021/11/18/les-etranges-pouvoirs-de-la-transe-sur-le-cerveau-etudies-a-l-universite_6102495_3224.html |access-date=2021-11-20}}</ref>
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<blockquote>Hypnotic behavior is meaningful, goal-directed striving, its most general goal being to behave like a hypnotized person as this is continuously defined by the operator and understood by the client.<ref>White, Robert W., [https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/1942-00577-001 A preface to the theory of hypnotism] ''Journal of Abnormal Psychology'' 36(4) (October 1941): 477-505. Retrieved October 24, 2022.</ref></blockquote>
  
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[[Neuroanthropology]] and [[cognitive neuroscience]] are conducting research into the trance induction of [[altered states of consciousness]] (possibly engendering [[higher consciousness]]) resulting from [[neuron]] firing [[Brainwave entrainment|entrainment]] with these [[polyharmonics]] and [[multiphonics]]. Related research has been conducted into neural entraining with [[percussive]] [[polyrhythms]]. The [[timbre]] of traditional singing bowls and their [[polyrhythms]] and [[multiphonics]] are considered meditative and calming, and the harmony inducing effects of this [[tool]] to potentially alter consciousness are being explored by scientists, medical professionals and therapists. {{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}
+
[[Abraham Maslow]], the American psychologist who helped found the school of transpersonal psychology, suggested that people who have reached self-actualization will sometimes experience a state he referred to as "transcendence" or "peak experience" in which they become aware of not only their own fullest potential, but the fullest potential of human beings at large. Those who reached such extra-personal and [[ecstatic states]], particularly ones tinged with themes of unification, [[harmonization]], and [[Oneness (metaphysics)|interconnectedness]], characterized their experiences, and the revelations imparted therein, as possessing an ineffably [[mystical]] (or overtly [[religious]]) quality or essence.<ref>Abraham H. Maslow, ''The Farther Reaches of Human Nature'' (Penguin, 1994 (original 1971), ISBN 978-0140194708).</ref>
  
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===Brainwaves and brain rhythms===
+
===Scientific research===
 +
Scientific advancement and new technologies, such as computerized [[EEG]], [[positron emission tomography]], regional cerebral blood flow, and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, are providing measurable tools to assist in understanding trance phenomena. Studies utilizing such neuroimaging techniques have helped elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms associated with spiritual practices. Some coherence of findings has been observed, with the frontal lobes, parietal lobes, thalamus, and limbic system frequently related in a network associated with such practices. However, different practices also yield distinct brain function patterns. For example, [[meditation]] practices often demonstrate increased frontal lobe function while trance practices often demonstrate decreased frontal lobe function.<ref>Andrew B. Newberg, [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00215/full The neuroscientific study of spiritual practices] ''Frontiers in Psychology'', March 18, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2022.</ref>
  
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+
Research has also been conducted into the trance induction of [[altered states of consciousness]] (possibly engendering [[higher consciousness]]) resulting from [[neuron]] firing [[Brainwave entrainment|entrainment]] with [[polyharmonics]] and [[multiphonics]], as well as [[Percussion|percussive]] [[polyrhythms]]. The [[timbre]] of traditional singing bowls and their polyrhythms and multiphonics are known to be calming and induce a [[meditation|meditative]] trance-like state. The harmony inducing effects of this [[tool]] to potentially alter consciousness are also being explored by scientists, medical professionals, and therapists.
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Scientific advancement and new technologies such as computerized [[EEG]], [[positron emission tomography]], regional cerebral blood flow, and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, are providing measurable tools to assist in understanding trance phenomena.
 
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There are four principal brainwave states that range from high-amplitude, low-frequency delta to low-amplitude, high-frequency beta. These states range from deep dreamless sleep to a state of high arousal. These four brainwave states are common throughout humans. All levels of brainwaves exist in everyone at all times, even though one is foregrounded depending on the activity level. When a person is in an aroused state and exhibiting a beta brainwave pattern, their brain also exhibits a component of alpha, theta and delta, even though only a trace may be present.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is the function of the various brainwaves? |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-function-of-t-1997-12-22/ |access-date=4 April 2019 |publisher=[[Scientific American]]}}</ref>
 
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The University of Philadelphia study on some Christians at the Freedom Valley Worship Center in [[Gettysburg, Pennsylvania]], revealed that [[glossolalia]]-speaking (vocalizing or praying in unrecognizable form of language which is seen in members of certain Christian sects) activates areas of the brain out of voluntary control. In addition, the [[frontal lobe]] of the brain, which monitors speech, significantly diminished in activity as the study participants spoke glossolalia.<ref>Newberg A, Wintering NA, Morgan D, Waldman MR. The measurement of regional cerebral blood flow during glossolalia: A preliminary SPECT study. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 148(1):67–71, 2006.</ref> Dr. [[Andrew B. Newberg]], in analysis of his earlier studies as opposed to the [[MRI scans]] of the test subjects, stated that Buddhist monks in meditation<ref>Newberg AB, Alavi A, Baime M, Pourdehnad M, Santanna J, d'Aquili EG. The measurement of regional cerebral blood flow during the complex cognitive task of meditation: A preliminary SPECT study. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 106: 113–122, 2001.</ref> and Franciscan nuns in prayer<ref>Newberg A, Pourdehnad M, Alavi A, d’Aquili E. Cerebral blood flow during meditative prayer: Preliminary findings and methodological issues. Perceptual and Motor Skills 97: 625–630, 2003.</ref> exhibited increased activity in the frontal lobe, and subsequently their behaviors, very much under voluntary control. The investigation found this particular beyond-body-control characteristic only in tongue-speakers (also see [[xenoglossia]]).
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
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==References==
 
==References==
−
 
+
* Braude, Ann. ''Radical Spirits, Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth Century America''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0253215024
−
* [[Julia Cameron|Cameron, Julia]] (1993). ''The Artist's Way''. Oxford, London: Pan Books. {{ISBN|0-330-34358-0}}
+
* Bulbulia, Joseph,Richard Sosis, Erica Harris, Russell Genet, Cheryl Genet, and Karen Wyman (eds.). ''Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques''. Santa Margarita, CA: Collins Foundation Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0978844110
−
* Castillo, Richard J. (1995). Culture, Trance, and the Mind-Brain. In Anthropology of Consciousness. Volume 6, Number 1, March 1995, pp.&nbsp;17–34.
+
* Chauncy, Charles. ''Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in New England''. HardPress Publishing, 2013 (original 1743). ISBN 978-1314371710
−
* Goodman, Felicitas D. (1999). Ritual Body Postures, Channeling, and the Ecstatic Body Trance. In Anthropology of Consciousness. Volume 10, Number 1 (March 1999).
+
* Cook, Ellen A. Pennan, and Lloyd Kenyon Jones (ed.). ''God's World V1: A Treatise On Spiritualism Founded On Transcripts Of Shorthand Notes Taken Down, Over A Period Of Five Years (1919)''. Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010. ISBN 978-1165454396
−
* Heinze, Ruth-Inge (1994). Applications of Altered States of Consciousness in Daily Life. In Anthropology of Consciousness. Volume 5, Number 3, September 1994, pp.&nbsp;8–12.
+
* Dalai Lama. ''Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of The Dalai Lama''. HarperPerennial, 2008. ISBN 978-0060987015
−
* Hoffman, Kay (1998). ''The Trance Workbook: understanding & using the power of altered states''. Translated by Elfie Homann, Clive Williams, and Dr Christliebe El Mogharbel. Translation edited by Laurel Ornitz. {{ISBN|0-8069-1765-2}}
+
* Edwards, Jonathan. ''Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival in New England and the Way it Ought to be Acknowledged and Promoted''. Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1742). ISBN 978-1014879776
−
* [[John Horgan (American journalist)|Horgan, John]] (2003). ''Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality.'' New York: Houghton Mifflin. {{ISBN|978-0618446636}}
+
* Edwards, Jonathan. ''A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections''. Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010 (original 1746). ISBN 978-1169321397
−
* Hubbard, Timothy L. (2003). Some Correspondences and Similarities of Shamanism and Cognitive Science: Interconnectedness, Extension of Meaning, and Attribution of Mental States. In Anthropology of Consciousness. Volume 14, Number 1, March–June 2003, pp.&nbsp;26–45
+
* Eliade, Mircea. ''Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy''. Princeton University Press, 2020. ISBN 978-0691210667
−
* [[Brian Inglis|Inglis, Brian]] (1990). ''Trance: A Natural History of Altered States of Mind''. London, Paladin. {{ISBN|0-586-08933-0}}
+
* Hoffman, Kay. ''The Trance Workbook: Understanding & Using The Power Of Altered States''. Sterling, 1999. ISBN 978-0806917658
−
* [[William James|James, William]] ''The varieties of religious experience'' (1902) {{ISBN|0-14-039034-0}}
+
* Horgan, John. ''Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment''. HarperOne, 2004. ISBN 978-0618446636
−
* Lawlor, Robert (1991). ''Voices of the First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal dreamtime.'' Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, Ltd. {{ISBN|0-89281-355-5}}
+
* Laski, Marghanita. ''Ecstasy in Secular and Religious Experience''. J. P. Tarcher, 1990. ISBN 978-0874775747
−
* Lewis, I.M. (2003). Trance, Possession, Shamanism and Sex. In Anthropology of Consciousness. Volume 14, Number 1, March–June 2003, pp.&nbsp;20–39.
+
* Lawlor, Robert. ''Voices of the First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime''. Inner Traditions, 1991. ISBN 978-0892813551
−
* McDaniel, June (1989). ''The Madness of the Saints: Ecstatic Religion in Bengal''. University of Chicago Press. {{ISBN|0-226-55723-5}} (Paper); 0-226-55722-7 (Cloth) & {{ISBN|978-0-226-55723-6}} (Paper); 978-0-226-55722-9 (Cloth).
+
* Maslow, Abraham H. ''The Farther Reaches of Human Nature''. Penguin, 1994 (original 1971). ISBN 978-0140194708
−
* [http://www.metatronics.net/lit/dovbaer.html Michaelson, Jay (1997). "Paths to the Divine: Ecstatics and Theology in R. Dov Baer of Lubavitch" (6 December 2006)]
+
* Merkur, Dan. ''Mystical Moments and Unitive Thinking''. State University of New York Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0791440643
−
* Narr. Maybrey, Vicki. "Speaking in Tongues Medical Study proves Holy Spirit praying." Nightline. ABC. Gettysburg, Philadelphia, 17 July. 2008.
+
* Morgan, Catherine. ''Athletes and Oracles: The Transformation of Olympia and Delphi in the Eighth Century B.C.E.''. Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0521035682
−
* Neophytou, Charles (1996). The Encyclopedia of Mind Body and Spirit. Millennium Edition. Yanchep, Western Australia: Lindlahr Book Publishing. {{ISBN|0-646-26789-2}}
+
* Sarbacker, Stuart Ray. ''Samadhi: The Numinous and Cessative in Indo-Tibetan Yoga''. State University of New York Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0791465547
−
* Nowack, William J & Feltman, Mary L. (date?) "Eliciting the Photic Driving Response". American Journal of Electroneurodiagnostic Technology. Vol. 38, No. 1, pp.&nbsp;43–45.
+
* Taves, Ann. ''Fits, Trances, and Visions: Experiencing religion and explaining experience from Wesley to James''. Princeton University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0691010243
−
* Rich, Grant Jewell (2001). Domestic Paths to Altered States and Transformations of Consciousness. Volume 12, Number 2 (September–December 2001).
+
* Wier, Dennis R. ''Trance: From magic to technology''. Trans Media Inc, 1996. ISBN 978-1888428384
−
* [[Huston Smith|Smith, Huston]] (2000). ''Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals''. Tarcher/Putnam, {{ISBN|1-58542-034-4}}, Council on Spiritual Practices, {{ISBN|1-889725-03-X}}
 
−
* [[Charles Tart|Tart, Charles T.]] ''States of Consciousness'' (2001) {{ISBN|0-595-15196-5}}
 
−
* [[Charles Tart|Tart, Charles T.]], editor. ''Altered States of Consciousness'' (1969) {{ISBN|0-471-84560-4}}
 
−
* [[Ann Taves|Taves, Ann]] (1999). ''Fits, Trances, & Visions: Experiencing Religion and Explaining Experience from Wesley to James''. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
 
−
* [[Piers Vitebsky|Vitebsky, Piers]], ''The Shaman: Voyages of the Soul&nbsp;– Trance, Ecstasy and Healing from Siberia to the Amazon'', Duncan Baird, 2001. {{ISBN|1-903296-18-8}}
 
−
* Von Gizycki, H., Jean-Louis, G., Snyder, M., Zizi, F., Green, H., Giuliano, V., Spielman, A., Taub, H. (1998). "The effects of photic driving on mood states" in ''Journal of Psychosomatic Research''. Vol. 44, N. 5, pp.&nbsp;599–604. New York, NY: Elsevier. {{ISSN|0022-3999}}
 
−
* Vyner, Henry M. (2002). The Descriptive Mind Science of Tibetan Buddhist Psychology and the Nature of the Healthy Human Mind. In Anthropology of Consciousness. Volume 13, Number 2, September–December 2002, pp.&nbsp;1–25.
 
−
* Wallis, Robert (1999). Altered States, Conflicting Cultures: Shamans, Neo-Shamans and Academics. In Anthropology of Consciousness. Volume 10, Numbers 2–3 (June–September 1999).
 
−
* {{Cite book |last=Warren |first=Jeff |title=The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness |publisher=Random House Canada |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-679-31408-0 |location=Toronto |chapter=The Trance}}* Wier, Dennis R. ''Trance: from magic to technology'' (1995) {{ISBN|1-888428-38-4}}
 
−
* Wier, Dennis R. (2007). ''The Way of Trance'' Laytonville, California: Trance Research Foundation. {{ISBN|978-1-888428-10-0}}.
 
−
* [[Stuart Wilde|Wilde, Stuart]]. (1996). ''The Art of Meditation''. Carlsbad: Hay House. {{ISBN|978-1-56170-530-6}}
 
−
 
 
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
 +
All links retrieved May 1, 2023.
  
−
* [http://www.thehoodedsage.com/2009/01/trance-state-meditation/ "Trance State Meditation"] Khris Krepcik, The Hooded Sage
+
* [http://www.thehoodedsage.com/2009/01/trance-state-meditation/ Trance State Meditation] Khris Krepcik, ''The Hooded Sage''.
−
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070602153909/http://www.hypnosisandsuggestion.org/ HypnosisAndSuggestion.org] Exploring the science behind hypnosis and suggestion
+
* [http://www.thinkingapplied.com/trance_folder/trance.htm#.Y1qxU-TMK70 The Emergence of Novel Information during Trance] by Lee Humphries, ''Thinking Applied''.
−
* [http://www.inducetrance.com InduceTrance.com] Induce Hypnotic Trance Naturally
+
* [https://www.positivehealth.com/article/hypnosis/a-gentle-introduction-to-trance-theory A Gentle Introduction to Trance Theory] by Dennis R Wier, ''Positive Health Online''.
−
* [http://www.thinkingapplied.com/trance_folder/trance.htm The Emergence of Novel Information during Trance]
+
* [https://www.destinyimage.com/blog/2019/09/19/christians-and-the-trance-realm Entering the Trance Realm] by Jennifer LeClaire, ''Destiny Image''.
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[[Category:Psychology]]
 
[[Category:Psychology]]
 
[[Category:Social sciences]]
 
[[Category:Social sciences]]
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{{Credit|Trance|1112829024}}
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{{Credit|Trance|1112829024|Religious_ecstasy|1076595091}}

Latest revision as of 00:39, 2 May 2023


The Oracle at Delphi was famous for her divinatory trances throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Oil painting, John Collier, 1891

Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the directions of the person (if any) who has induced the trance. Trance states may be induced by various means or occur involuntarily and unbidden.

The trance state may be associated with hypnosis, meditation, channeling, prayer, and altered states of consciousness. The person may experience healing, or in cases of religious ecstasy they may have visions of spirits and receive revelations. Generally, while the trance state may be a challenging experience, it has positive impact on the life of the person experiencing it and often on the lives of others. Still, there is potential for harm, given that during the trance state various cognitive functions are disabled, usually including volition.

Etymology

The word "trance" derives from an earlier meaning of "state of extreme dread or suspense," or "a half-conscious or insensible condition, state of insensibility to mundane things," via the Old French transe "fear of coming evil," from transir "be numb with fear," originally "die, pass on," from Latin transire "cross over, go over, pass over, hasten over, pass away."[1]

Historical examples

Trance states have been recorded in numerous cultures throughout history, with a variety of interpretations.

Sleep temples

Sleep temples in Ancient Greece were called Asclepieions, built in honor of Asclepios the Greek god of medicine. Pilgrims visited such temples for healing.[2] Seekers of healing would be received by a priest who would welcome and bless them. The Greek treatment was referred to as incubation, and focused on prayers to Asclepios for healing. The sleep chambers were filled with snakes, the symbol of the rod of Asclepios, the serpent-entwined rod that symbolizes medicine to this day.

In Egypt, sleep temples (also known as dream temples) functioned as hospitals, healing a variety of ailments, perhaps many of them psychological in nature. Patients were taken to an unlit chamber to sleep and be treated for their specific ailment.The treatment involved chanting, placing the patient into a trance-like, and analyzing their dreams in order to determine treatment. Meditation, fasting, baths, and sacrifices to the patron deity or other spirits were often involved as well.

Divination

Divination is a cultural universal, present in many religions and cultures in all ages up to the present day. Divination may be defined as a mechanism for fortune-telling by ascertaining information by interpretation of omens or an alleged supernatural agency. Divination often entails ritual, and is often facilitated by trance.

The Pythia was the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The Pythia was widely credited with giving prophecies inspired by Apollo, giving her a prominence unusual for a woman in male-dominated ancient Greece. The Delphic oracle was established in the eighth century B.C.E.[3] The last recorded response was given in 393 C.E., when the emperor Theodosius I ordered pagan temples to cease operation. During this period the Delphic Oracle was the most prestigious and authoritative oracle in the Greek world.

In Tibet, oracles have played, and continue to play, an important part in revelation, religion, doctrine, and prophecy. Oracles have also played principal roles assisting governmental decision-making and providing intelligence on pressing matters of state. The word oracle is used by Tibetans to refer to the spirit, deity, or entity that enters those men and women who act as media between the natural and the spiritual realms. The media are, therefore, known as kuten, which literally means, "the physical basis."

The tulku of the institution of the Dalai Lama consults the oracle known as the Nechung Oracle, which is considered the Official State Oracle of the government of Tibet. The fourteenth Dalai Lama gives a complete description of the process of trance and possession in his book, Freedom in Exile.[4]

In the 1860s and 1870s in America, trance mediums were very popular. Spiritualism generally attracted female adherents, many who had strong interests in social justice.[5] In the typical deep trance, the medium may not have clear recall of all the messages conveyed while in an altered state; such people generally work with an assistant. That person selectively wrote down or otherwise recorded the medium's words. Rarely did the assistant record the responding words of the sitter and other attendants. An example of this kind of relationship can be found in the early twentieth century collaboration between the trance medium Mrs. Cook of the William T. Stead Memorial Center in Chicago and the journalist Lloyd Kenyon Jones. The latter was a non-medium Spiritualist who transcribed Cook's messages in shorthand and transcribed and published them in 1919.[6]

Another example of a medium who did not recall what was said during his trance state is Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945), an American psychic who could channel answers to questions on many spiritual topics, including history, astrology, and health. Much of his work consisted of diagnosing and prescribing cures for individuals with physical ailments. These readings, which he performed while in a self-induced trance state, involved many alternative health concepts and practices. When he awoke from his trance, he remembered nothing, and thus, he is commonly referred to as "The Sleeping Prophet."

Mysticism and religious ecstasy

Mysticism provides meaning for mystical and visionary experiences, and related experiences like trances: "Mysticism is the practice of religious ecstasies (religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness), together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them."[7]

The religious ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Avila of the Carmelite Order.

Religious ecstasy is a type of altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness, frequently accompanied by visions and emotional (and sometimes physical) euphoria. Such experiences are known in all faiths, however they may also happen in a spontaneous and natural way, to people who are not committed to any religious tradition. Although the experience is usually brief in time, there are records of such experiences lasting several days or even more, and of recurring experiences of ecstasy during one's lifetime.[8]

In Sufism, it is referred to as wajad and is induced by dhikr, a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to remember God. As described by the Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba, God-intoxicated souls known in Sufism as masts experience a unique type of spiritual ecstasy:

[M]asts are desperately in love with God – or consumed by their love for God. Masts do not suffer from what may be called a disease. They are in a state of mental disorder because their minds are overcome by such intense spiritual energies that are far too much for them, forcing them to lose contact with the world, shed normal human habits and customs, and civilized society and live in a state of spiritual splendor but physical squalor. They are overcome by an agonizing love for God and are drowned in their ecstasy. Only the divine love embodied in a Perfect Master can reach them.[9]

Yoga provides techniques to attain an ecstasy state called samādhi. Bhakti Yoga especially, places emphasis on ecstasy as being one of the fruits of its practice.[10]

Within Hinduism, Bhakti denotes devotion to a particular deity or form of God. Within Vaishnavism bhakti is only used in conjunction with Vishnu or one of his associated incarnations, it is likewise used towards Shiva by followers of Shaivism. Saints in these traditions exhibit different trance states or ecstasy.

In Buddhism, especially in the Pali Canon, there are eight states of trance also called absorption. The first four states are Rupa or, materially-oriented. The next four are Arupa or non-material. These eight states are preliminary trances which lead up to final saturation. In Visuddhimagga, great effort and years of sustained meditation are practiced to reach the first absorption, and not all individuals are able to accomplish it.

In the Dionysian Mysteries of ancient Greece, initiates used intoxicants, ecstatic dance, and music to remove inhibitions and social constraints.

Shaman of Olkhon (Baikal)

Shamanism involves a practitioner reaching an altered state of consciousness in order to perceive and interact with spirits, and channel transcendental energies into this world. The shaman typically enters into a trance state and practices divination and healing. Shamanism can be regarded as a "technique of religious ecstasy."[11]

Australian aborigines shamans have long been held in high regard for their ability to connect with spirits:

The supernormal, super sensory powers of Aboriginal wise woman and men of high degree, by their own accounts, comes directly from initiations administered by the ancestral sky heroes themselves and by the totemic spirits. Those who have gone through these initiations alone, in a deep trance that makes them lose their personal identities and confront manifestations of the ancestral powers, are held in the highest regard.[12]

In the monotheistic tradition, ecstasy is usually associated with communion and oneness with God. However, such experiences can also be personal mystical experiences with no significance to anyone but the person experiencing them. Some charismatic Christians practice ecstatic states (such as "being slain in the Spirit") and interpret these as given by the Holy Spirit. The firewalkers of Greece dance themselves into a state of ecstasy at the annual Anastenaria, when they believe themselves under the influence of Saint Constantine.[13]

The Ecstasy of St. Catherine of Siena by Pompeo Batoni.

Many Catholic mystics and saints are documented as having experiences that may be considered as cognate with trance, including Hildegard of Bingen, John of the Cross, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Meister Eckhart, and Francis of Assisi. The Catholic Church defines religious ecstasy (called "supernatural ecstasy") as having two elements:

the one, interior and invisible, when the mind rivets its attention on a religious subject;
the other, corporeal and visible, when the activity of the senses is suspended, so that not only are external sensations incapable of influencing the soul, but considerable difficulty is experienced in awakening such sensation, and this whether the ecstatic himself desires to do so, or others attempt to quicken the organs into action.[14]

Historically, large groups of individuals have experienced religious ecstasies during periods of Christian revivals, to the point of causing controversy as to the origin and nature of these experiences.[15][16] In response to claims that all emotional expressions of religious ecstasy were attacks on order and theological soundness from the Devil, Jonathan Edwards published his influential Treatise on Religious Affections in which he argued that religious ecstasy could come from oneself, the Devil, or God, and it was only by observing the fruit, or changes in inner thought and behavior, that one could determine if the religious ecstasy had come from God.[17]

In modern Pentecostal, charismatic and spirit-filled Christianity, numerous examples of religious ecstasy have transpired, similar to historic revivals. Also, however, a number of new movements have reported controversial experiences, which some have called demonic in nature and more occult-like than Christian. Religious ecstasy in these movements has been witnessed in the form of squealing, shrieking, an inability to stand or sit, uttering apocalyptic prophecies, holy laughter, crying and barking. Some people have made dramatic claims of sighting "gold dust," "angel feathers," "holy clouds," or the spontaneous appearance of precious gemstones during ecstatic worship events.[18]

Hypnosis

Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was an influential but discredited promoter of trance states and their curative powers. He discovered the curative powers of what he called magnétism animal (animal magnetism). Mesmer applied magnets to his patients’ bodies and produced remarkable results, especially in the case of a young woman suffering from hysteria. He did not attribute his cures to any power in the magnets themselves; instead, he argued that the body was analogous to a magnet and contained a fluid that ebbed and flowed according to the laws of magnetic attraction. Mesmer's ideas and practices, often called "Mesmerism," would later be developed by James Braid as modern hypnosis.[19]

Hypnosis is normally preceded by a "hypnotic induction" technique. Traditionally, this was seen as a method of putting the subject into a "hypnotic trance," whereby critical thinking faculties of the human mind are bypassed and a type of selective thinking, attention, and perception is established. There is reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion, often interpreted as an altered state of consciousness or trance, marked by a level of awareness different from the ordinary state of consciousness.

Trance induction

Hypnotic séance, painting by Swedish artist Richard Bergh, 1887

Trance-like states can be deliberately induced using a variety of techniques, including prayer, religious rituals, meditation, pranayama (breathwork or breathing exercises), physical exercise, sexual intercourse, music, dancing, sweat lodge, fasting, and the consumption of psychotropic drugs such as peyote. The particular technique that an individual uses to induce the trance is usually one that is associated with their particular religious and cultural traditions. As a result, the experience is usually interpreted within the context of those traditions. These interpretations often include statements about contact with supernatural or spiritual beings and about receiving new information as a revelation.

Benevolent, neutral, and malevolent trances may be induced intentionally, spontaneously, and/or accidentally by different methods and through focus on different modalities:

  • Auditory: through the sense of hearing by chanting, auditory story telling, mantra, overtone singing, drumming, music, etc.
  • Disciplines: Yoga, Sufism, and meditation
  • Gustatory: through the sense of taste and indigestion, including starvation, herbs, hallucinogens, and other drugs. As the intake of food and beverage entails intra-bodily chemical reactions through digestion, some infer that all food may be considered medicine or drugs and therefore contribute to the induction of discernible psycho-physical states . Trance states can be attained through the ingestion of psychoactive drugs
  • Kinesthetic: through the sense of feeling and movement through ecstatic dance, mudra, embodying rituals, yoga, breathwork, oxygen deprivation, sexual stimulation etc.
  • Miscellaneously: traumatic accident, sleep deprivation, nitrogen narcosis (deep diving), fever, by the use of a sensory deprivation tank or mind-control techniques, hypnosis, meditation, prayer
  • Naturally occurring: dreams, lucid dreams, euphoria, ecstasy, psychosis as well as purported premonitions, out-of-body experiences, and channeling.
  • Olfactory: via scent through the sense of smell by perfume, pheromones, incense, flowers, pollen, or any scent for which there is a strong association or memory
  • Photic or Visual: through the sense of sight by yantra, mandala, cinema, theater, art, architecture, beauty, strobe lights, form constants, symmetry.

Theories and explanations

Trances and other mystical manifestations may be explained through neurological or psychological mechanisms as well as religious interpretations involving spiritual activity. Thus, research attempting to interpret the phenomena incorporate literature and case-studies from a number of disciplines, including chemistry, physics, psychology, radiology, and theology.[20]

Religious

As noted above, experiences of trance states are well reported in diverse religions. It is acknowledged that religious ecstasy could come from oneself, the Devil, or God.[17]

In the American Christian traditions, descriptions of religious ecstasy include a variety of terms which have developed over the years. Typical expressions include "the indwelling of the Spirit" (Jonathan Edwards), "the witness of the Spirit" (John Wesley), "the power of God" (early American Methodists), being "filled with the Spirit of the Lord" (early Adventists, "communing with spirits" (Spiritualists), "the Christ within" (New Thought), "streams of holy fire and power" (Methodist holiness), "a religion of the Spirit and Power" (the Emmanuel Movement), and "the baptism of the Holy Spirit" (early Pentecostals).[21]

For Christians, this trance state is biblical: "Trances are not relegated to the realm of witches and warlocks, though these dark agents do use trances to enter into astral projection, a counterfeit of the biblical concept of being transported in the Spirit."[22] The religious interpretation of the trance state is based on the understanding that it involves the spiritual realm where one may experience communication with spiritual beings, who may be benevolent or malevolent, and even God or Satan.

Thus, in Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, trance is defined as: “An ecstasy; a state in which the soul seems to have passed out of the body into celestial regions, or to be rapt into visions.”[23] Similarly, it denotes the state of one who is "out of himself," in "a preternatural, absorbed state of mind preparing for the reception of the vision," such as the trances of Peter (Acts 10:10; 11:5) and Paul (Acts 22:17), who appeared to be asleep but with their eyes open.[24]

Ekstatis from which "ecstasy" is derived, means: A throwing of the mind out of its normal state, alienation of mind, whether such as makes a lunatic or that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within, and thinks that he perceives with his bodily eyes and ears realities shown him by God.[25]

This trance state is considered the highest spiritual experience, a challenging one which brings a great change to the person who experiences it. They may have visions of God or revelation of truth, and this is interpreted as initiated by God to one chosen to bear the message:

The ekstasis (i.e. trance) is the state in which a man has passed out of the usual order of his life, beyond the usual limits of consciousness and volition, being rapt in causes of this state are to be traced commonly to strong religious impressions. Whatever explanation may be given of it, it is true of many, if not of most, of those who have left the stamp of their own character on the religious history of mankind, that they have been liable to pass at times into this abnormal state. ... and is connected with "visions and revelations of the Lord." In some cases, indeed, it is the chosen channel for such revelations.[26]

Psychological

The trance state of altered consciousness has much in common with that of hypnosis, and thus one can look for a common explanation of the two. However, theories of hypnosis are divided between "state" "nonstate" explanations. The first recognizes the phenomenon as involving an involuntary abnormal psychological and/or physiological basis for the altered state of consciousness. Thus, a simple trance is defined as a state of mind being caused by cognitive loops where a cognitive object (a thought, an image, a sound, an intentional action) repeats long enough to result in various sets of disabled cognitive functions, usually including volition.[27]

The second explanation views the phenomenon more as the result of deliberate action on the part of the person exhibiting the behavior. Such nonstate theorists reject the idea of hypnotic trance and interpret the phenomenon as due to a combination of multiple task-specific factors derived from normal cognitive, behavioral, and social psychology, such as social role-perception and favorable motivation, active imagination and positive cognitive set, response expectancy, and the active use of task-specific subjective strategies:

Hypnotic behavior is meaningful, goal-directed striving, its most general goal being to behave like a hypnotized person as this is continuously defined by the operator and understood by the client.[28]

Abraham Maslow, the American psychologist who helped found the school of transpersonal psychology, suggested that people who have reached self-actualization will sometimes experience a state he referred to as "transcendence" or "peak experience" in which they become aware of not only their own fullest potential, but the fullest potential of human beings at large. Those who reached such extra-personal and ecstatic states, particularly ones tinged with themes of unification, harmonization, and interconnectedness, characterized their experiences, and the revelations imparted therein, as possessing an ineffably mystical (or overtly religious) quality or essence.[29]

Scientific research

Scientific advancement and new technologies, such as computerized EEG, positron emission tomography, regional cerebral blood flow, and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, are providing measurable tools to assist in understanding trance phenomena. Studies utilizing such neuroimaging techniques have helped elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms associated with spiritual practices. Some coherence of findings has been observed, with the frontal lobes, parietal lobes, thalamus, and limbic system frequently related in a network associated with such practices. However, different practices also yield distinct brain function patterns. For example, meditation practices often demonstrate increased frontal lobe function while trance practices often demonstrate decreased frontal lobe function.[30]

Research has also been conducted into the trance induction of altered states of consciousness (possibly engendering higher consciousness) resulting from neuron firing entrainment with polyharmonics and multiphonics, as well as percussive polyrhythms. The timbre of traditional singing bowls and their polyrhythms and multiphonics are known to be calming and induce a meditative trance-like state. The harmony inducing effects of this tool to potentially alter consciousness are also being explored by scientists, medical professionals, and therapists.

Notes

  1. ↑ trance (n.) Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  2. ↑ Kay Hoffman, The Trance Workbook: Understanding & Using The Power Of Altered States (Sterling, 1999, ISBN 978-0806917658).
  3. ↑ Catherine Morgan, Athletes and Oracles: The Transformation of Olympia and Delphi in the Eighth Century B.C.E. (Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0521035682).
  4. ↑ Dalai Lama, Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of The Dalai Lama (HarperPerennial, 2008, ISBN 978-0060987015).
  5. ↑ Ann Braude, Radical Spirits, Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth Century America (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0253215024).
  6. ↑ Ellen A. Pennan Cook and Lloyd Kenyon Jones (ed.), God's World V1: A Treatise On Spiritualism Founded On Transcripts Of Shorthand Notes Taken Down, Over A Period Of Five Years (1919) (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010, ISBN 978-1165454396).
  7. ↑ Dan Merkur, Mystical Moments and Unitive Thinking (State University of New York Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0791440643).
  8. ↑ Marghanita Laski, Ecstasy in Secular and Religious Experience (J. P. Tarcher, 1990, ISBN 978-0874775747).
  9. ↑ Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher Prabhu: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba (Manifestation, Inc., 1986).
  10. ↑ Stuart Ray Sarbacker, Samadhi: The Numinous and Cessative in Indo-Tibetan Yoga (State University of New York Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0791465547).
  11. ↑ Mircea Eliade, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy (Princeton University Press, 2020, ISBN 978-0691210667).
  12. ↑ Robert Lawlor, Voices of the First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime (Inner Traditions, 1991, ISBN 978-0892813551).
  13. ↑ Dimitris Xygalatas, "Firewalking and the Brain: The Physiology of High-Arousal Rituals" in Joseph Bulbulia, Richard Sosis, Erica Harris, Russell Genet, Cheryl Genet, and Karen Wyman (eds.) Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques, Santa Margarita, CA: Collins Foundation Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0978844110).
  14. ↑ Ecstasy Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ Charles Chauncy, Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in New England (HardPress Publishing, 2013 (original 1743), ISBN 978-1314371710).
  16. ↑ Jonathan Edwards, Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival in New England and the Way it Ought to be Acknowledged and Promoted (Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1742), ISBN 978-1014879776).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010 (original 1746), ISBN 978-1169321397).
  18. ↑ Geoffrey Grider, Demoniac False Preacher Todd Bentley Says Angel Feathers Are Manifesting at His 'Revival' Meetings Now the End Begins, April 17, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  19. ↑ James Braid, Neurypnology; or, The Rationale of Nervous Sleep (Ayer Co Publisher, 1976 (original 1943), ISBN 0405074182).
  20. ↑ John Horgan, Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment (HarperOne, 2004, ISBN 978-0618446636).
  21. ↑ Ann Taves, Fits, Trances, and Visions: Experiencing religion and explaining experience from Wesley to James (Princeton University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0691010243).
  22. ↑ Jennifer LeClaire, Entering the Trance Realm Destiny Image. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  23. ↑ Trance Websters Dictionary 1828. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  24. ↑ Easton's Bible Dictionary: Trance King James Bible Dictionary. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  25. ↑ Ekstasis The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  26. ↑ Trance Smith’s Bible Dictionary. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  27. ↑ Dennis R. Wier, Trance: From magic to technology (Trans Media Inc, 1996, ISBN 978-1888428384).
  28. ↑ White, Robert W., A preface to the theory of hypnotism Journal of Abnormal Psychology 36(4) (October 1941): 477-505. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  29. ↑ Abraham H. Maslow, The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (Penguin, 1994 (original 1971), ISBN 978-0140194708).
  30. ↑ Andrew B. Newberg, The neuroscientific study of spiritual practices Frontiers in Psychology, March 18, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2022.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Braude, Ann. Radical Spirits, Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth Century America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0253215024
  • Bulbulia, Joseph,Richard Sosis, Erica Harris, Russell Genet, Cheryl Genet, and Karen Wyman (eds.). Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques. Santa Margarita, CA: Collins Foundation Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0978844110
  • Chauncy, Charles. Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in New England. HardPress Publishing, 2013 (original 1743). ISBN 978-1314371710
  • Cook, Ellen A. Pennan, and Lloyd Kenyon Jones (ed.). God's World V1: A Treatise On Spiritualism Founded On Transcripts Of Shorthand Notes Taken Down, Over A Period Of Five Years (1919). Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010. ISBN 978-1165454396
  • Dalai Lama. Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of The Dalai Lama. HarperPerennial, 2008. ISBN 978-0060987015
  • Edwards, Jonathan. Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival in New England and the Way it Ought to be Acknowledged and Promoted. Legare Street Press, 2021 (original 1742). ISBN 978-1014879776
  • Edwards, Jonathan. A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections. Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010 (original 1746). ISBN 978-1169321397
  • Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. Princeton University Press, 2020. ISBN 978-0691210667
  • Hoffman, Kay. The Trance Workbook: Understanding & Using The Power Of Altered States. Sterling, 1999. ISBN 978-0806917658
  • Horgan, John. Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment. HarperOne, 2004. ISBN 978-0618446636
  • Laski, Marghanita. Ecstasy in Secular and Religious Experience. J. P. Tarcher, 1990. ISBN 978-0874775747
  • Lawlor, Robert. Voices of the First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime. Inner Traditions, 1991. ISBN 978-0892813551
  • Maslow, Abraham H. The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. Penguin, 1994 (original 1971). ISBN 978-0140194708
  • Merkur, Dan. Mystical Moments and Unitive Thinking. State University of New York Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0791440643
  • Morgan, Catherine. Athletes and Oracles: The Transformation of Olympia and Delphi in the Eighth Century B.C.E.. Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0521035682
  • Sarbacker, Stuart Ray. Samadhi: The Numinous and Cessative in Indo-Tibetan Yoga. State University of New York Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0791465547
  • Taves, Ann. Fits, Trances, and Visions: Experiencing religion and explaining experience from Wesley to James. Princeton University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0691010243
  • Wier, Dennis R. Trance: From magic to technology. Trans Media Inc, 1996. ISBN 978-1888428384

External links

All links retrieved May 1, 2023.

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