Back to Home Page or
Contents Page or Past
and present beliefs or Index
Trance
An individual
in a trance appears to be in a sleeplike condition which is usually accompanied
by an indifference to his objective environment and an amnesia to whatever
occurs during the period that he is in this state. Trance has a more popular
usage than a scientific designation. It can describe a daze state resulting
from drugs, illness, prolonged contemplation, or other agencies.
Mystics
can induce trances, or altered states of consciousness, by fasting, positioning
himself in strained physical postures, and intense concentration. He becomes
unaware of his physical environment including all physical discomfort which
he may be experiencing. Instead he experiences deep emotional revelations
or significance intellectual adventures.
When the term trance is used in Neo-paganism, such as witchcraft and shamanism it usually
refers to altered
states of consciousness. A.G.H.
Source: (Philip L. Harriman,
Professor of Psychology, Buckwell University) 61.