Trance
Trance is a state in which attention changes and the outside world may fade into the background. A person can become deeply absorbed in an inner experience, a rhythm, a story or a feeling. This does not necessarily mean they are asleep or unconscious.
What is trance?
People describe trance in different ways. Some feel deeply relaxed, while others report intense focus, a changed sense of time or thoughts that seem to flow differently. Trance can occur in hypnosis, meditation, dance, drumming and some spiritual traditions.
In spiritual settings, trance is sometimes described as a way to connect with something beyond ordinary awareness. Researchers can investigate what people experience and what happens in the body, but a powerful experience does not by itself reveal where impressions or information came from.
What does research say?
Researchers first need to define what they mean by trance. Someone listening closely to music may have a different experience from someone taking part in a drumming ritual. If both are called trance without further explanation, studies become difficult to compare.
Hypnosis research examines how attention and expectations shape experience. During hypnosis, some people report changes in pain, body sensations or the ease of following suggestions. Responses differ between individuals, and hypnosis does not automatically mean losing control of one’s actions.
Scientists also use EEG and other tools to study brain activity during altered states. They sometimes observe differences between ordinary rest and trance-like tasks. But there is no single brain pattern that proves all forms of trance are the same state.
A 2024 review considered 27 papers on shamanic trance, covering personal experiences, psychology, physiological measures and possible clinical uses. The authors described trance as potentially different from ordinary waking awareness, while stressing the need for more rigorous studies before making firm claims about treatment benefits.
Rhythm and repetition are common in trance practices. Steady drumming, repeated singing or sustained movement may help focus attention. Researchers want to know how much of the experience comes from the rhythm itself and how much depends on expectations, past experiences and the setting.
Interviews provide another way to study trance. Participants can describe changes in time, imagery or the flow of thoughts. Such accounts tell us what the state feels like, but other methods are needed to investigate what causes it.
Some mediumship practices involve trance in which words or movements seem to arise without deliberate planning. Researchers can compare brain activity across different writing tasks, but these measurements alone cannot determine whether information came from an outside source.
How trance is used also matters. Hypnosis can be a useful complement in some healthcare settings, including pain management. That does not mean every spiritual or ritual trance practice has the same effects. Each approach needs its own careful study.
What do the findings show?
Research shows that trance-like states can involve noticeable changes in attention, time perception and bodily awareness. Some studies also find measurable differences in brain activity.
What remains uncertain?
There is no single definition or brain signature covering every form of trance. The roles of rituals, expectations and the surrounding setting are still difficult to separate.
Overall assessment
Trance is a varied and genuine form of altered experience. It can be studied while taking personal accounts seriously, but research has not established that trance itself provides access to a supernatural source.