What is Trance States?
Trance states represent altered states of consciousness characterized by a semi-conscious condition where self-awareness diminishes significantly. Unlike sleep or unconsciousness, trance maintains a thread of awareness, often directed inward. Trance states are characterized by a disconnection from one’s immediate surroundings and a heightened sense of awareness or sensitivity to other realms or dimensions.
These states manifest across a spectrum—from everyday absorption while reading a book or driving on autopilot, to profound dissociative experiences during ritual practices. Nearly all societies are known to engage in practices that lead to altered states of consciousness, though the methods, functions, and cultural context vary widely between societies. Anthropologists distinguish between ecstatic trance (soul journeying, transcendence) and possession trance (belief that an external entity inhabits the body).
Origins & Lineage
Shamanic states of consciousness go back to the dawn of the middle Paleolithic “cognitive revolution” some 70,000 years ago, representing humanity’s most ancient spiritual tradition that lies at the core of religion and culture as we know them today. In 2600 BC the father of Chinese medicine Wong Tai wrote about techniques that involved incantations and passes of the hands. The Hindu Vedas written around 1500 BC mention hypnotic procedures. The earliest references to hypnosis date back to ancient Egypt and Greece, where ‘hypnos’ refers to the Greek god and is the Greek word for sleep.
In one cross-cultural survey of 488 societies, 90% had some kind of cultural trance behavior or belief, studied by anthropologist Erika Bourguignon in 1968. Anthropological studies, notably those by researchers like I.M. Lewis on possession cults, expanded the understanding of trance as a critical social mechanism for coping with stress, expressing dissent, and establishing community identity through shared ritualistic experience.
The Western scientific study of trance began with Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), considered a pioneer of modern hypnotherapy. James Braid (Scottish physician and surgeon, 1795-1860) coined the term ‘hypnosis’, shifting the focus from magnetism to suggestion. In the late 1870s, Italian psychiatrists became interested in hypnotism in the wake of studies conducted by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. The debate between Charcot’s physiological model and Hippolyte Bernheim’s psychological model of suggestion shaped modern understanding.
How It’s Practiced
Trance states can be induced through various means, including drumming, dancing, or the use of psychoactive substances. Shamanic trance is often induced through rhythmic drumming, chanting, or dancing, sometimes accompanied by drug intake. In most cases, Siberian shamans achieve trance by prolonged drumming and dancing.
Experienced shamanic practitioners trained in core shamanism follow instructions of an imagery task and are instructed to enter a trance while listening to drumming stimulation. During practice, practitioners lay down with their eyes closed while listening to repetitive drumming, minimizing external sensory input and facilitating an absorptive state.
Functional MRI and physiological data revealed changes in brain activity and connectivity correlated with entry into the trance state, as brain networks associated with internally directed thought and cognitive control changed significantly, and input from external perception was decoupled. Shamanic practitioners endure changes in consciousness similar to individuals under the influence of psychedelic substances, such as mystical experiences, feelings of disembodiment or flight, or feelings of ego dissolution.
Trance States Today
Recent research on trance states extends from their historical roots in traditional shamanic practices to their contemporary evolution in the Western world, with scientific research into the trance phenomenon being relatively recent, with emerging interest in investigating its neurophenomenology and clinical applications.
Contemporary seekers encounter trance practices through multiple pathways: neo-shamanic workshops teaching core shamanism (systematized by anthropologist Michael Harner in the 1970s), hypnotherapy sessions, meditation retreats exploring jhāna states, and sound healing experiences using drumming or singing bowls. Some institutions have embraced the use of nonordinary states of consciousness such as hypnosis and meditation in their clinical routine (e.g., hypnosedation and mindfulness-based interventions).
Research continues at institutions like the Max Planck Institute, where fifteen experienced shamanic practitioners from throughout Germany and Austria travelled to Leipzig to participate in experiments using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Clinical trials are investigating trance applications in oncology and pain management.
Common Misconceptions
Trance is not sleep. The trance state has nothing to do with sleep, but cannot be physiologically distinguished from meditation and relaxation. Practitioners remain conscious and often retain memory of the experience—a Shaman can retain a memory of his or her altered state of consciousness, unlike many possessed who suffer from temporary amnesia.
Trance is not loss of control or dangerous possession. Hypnotic subjects are not automatons: suggestion requires cooperation, and individuals cannot be compelled to act against their will. The theatrical image of the hypnotist with “magnetic eyes and cape” comes from Mesmer’s showmanship, not the phenomenon itself.
The concept of trance states has been observed and documented across various cultures and historical periods, often in spiritual, ritualistic, or healing contexts; however, the formal recognition of Dissociative Trance Disorder as a distinct clinical entity within Western psychiatry is relatively recent. Voluntary, culturally-sanctioned trance differs substantially from pathological dissociation.
Trance is not a single uniform state. The trance state should be discussed in the plural, because there is more than one altered state of consciousness significantly different from everyday consciousness.
How to Begin
For direct experience, seekers can explore guided shamanic journeying recordings—typically 15-30 minutes of steady drumming at 4-7 beats per second. The Foundation for Shamanic Studies offers introductory workshops in core shamanism techniques. Michael Harner’s The Way of the Shaman (1980) remains the standard Western introduction to shamanic trance practices.
For hypnotic trance, seek certified clinical hypnotherapists through professional organizations. Self-hypnosis audio programs provide accessible entry points. Those interested in meditative absorption might explore Buddhist jhāna practice through teachers like Leigh Brasington or texts such as Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram.
Ethnographic accounts include Mircea Eliade’s Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy (1951, though now considered dated in some interpretations) and contemporary neuroscientific perspectives in journals like Neuroscience of Consciousness and studies from research groups at Yale’s Human Relations Area Files.
Begin with curiosity about your own everyday trance moments—absorption while creating art, the flow state during athletic performance, or highway hypnosis. These ordinary experiences share neurological signatures with deeper ritual trance states.