Eventually, the “monsters” of the deep will burst into our conscious awareness and will continue to do so until we face them.Įntering trance states that induce ego death is a powerful way to explore, embrace, and heal certain parts of ourselves that our egos have prevented us from exploring or facing. We cannot escape what has been repressed within us. Like a seed, all the fear, trauma, and pain we carry sprouts and blossoms into a monstrous plant within the fertile earth of our unconscious minds. What the ego doesn’t understand is that everything that has been buried, avoided or rejected hasn’t been successfully evaded just because it has been hidden. The only problem is that what our ego perceives to be “safe” actually provides us with superficial comfort and the unsatisfactory ability to function as socially acceptable citizens. Common examples of defense mechanisms that our egos use to keep us “safe” include denial, projection, splitting, and repression. Our egos – like soldiers – have a number of weapons that keep us locked in certain roles and modes of living that are believed to be ‘safe.’ These weapons are called defense mechanisms.

You can think of the ego – or rational mind – as the soldier who is eternally on guard. Naturally, the role of the ego is to protect us from perceived threats, but often its defensiveness and stubbornness prevent us from shaking off old toxic roles, adopting new habits, and releasing pent-up pain. Why does the critical mind interfere with our psychospiritual work? The answer is that the rational mind is a barrier to the irrational mind (or unconscious mind) – and the unconscious is where the majority of our pain, neurosis, and unresolved trauma is buried. The answer is simple: entering a trance state helps us to bypass the critical mind which interferes with deep inner transformation, and communicate directly with the unconscious mind.

You might be wondering how trance states help create psychospiritual (a word that means spiritual + psychology) change. Trance States and Deep Psychospiritual Work Of all the trance levels listed above, the best for creating psychological and spiritual change are the light to deep trance states. This stage is defined by complete loss of consciousness – such as those we experience during deep dreamless sleep or in a comatose state. It is common to see strange visuals, wacky stories unfold in our minds, and even experience auditory or tactile hallucinations. You can read more about hypnagogia here, but to summarize: this strange and fleeting state of consciousness occurs just before we go to sleep and our conscious minds wind down. This stage occurs when we fall into hypnagogic and regular sleep states. In this state of consciousness, it is common to lose awareness of one’s surrounding, the time, and even one’s body. This stage is characterized by feelings of being “in the zone” – also known as the flow state. Those who get absorbed watching TV, reading a book or driving a car without remembering the trip have all experienced light trance. A person experiencing light trance may get lost in daydreams or fantasies. This stage is characterized by a dreamlike state of consciousness.

Those who practice mindful meditation often experience very light trance states. For example, in a light trance, you may become more conscious of your thoughts, physical sensations, and emotions. This stage involves becoming more self-aware of your inner workings. See how many you’ve experienced recently: Level 1 – Very Light Trance You might be wondering, “how deep in trance do I need to go to do psychological or spiritual work?” I’ll answer that question soon.īut first, it’s important that you get a brief summary and overview of the five levels of trance. Trance states are sometimes referred to as “zoning out,” “being off with the fairies,” “out of it,” and even “day-dreaming.” The Five Levels of Altered States of Consciousness In essence, the trance state involves walking between the world of the conscious and subconscious mind. What is a Trance State?Ī trance state is an altered form of consciousness in which a person is neither fully awake nor fully asleep.

No matter what your spiritual beliefs or practices look like, the trance state is a vital tool which you need to think about using. These days, even mainstream religions such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism make use of subtly induced trance states to assist the faithful in feeling more connected with the Divine.

Altered state of mind