How To Go In A Spiritual Trance

1. Eliminate all distracting thoughts – Eliminate all distracting thoughts from your head. Most of these just serve to obstruct your plans and divert your attention away from your goal, making it impossible to enter trance. But don't try to get these notions out of your head. Simply stop thinking and observe your thoughts as they arise. Once they've popped into your thoughts, don't think about them any more; just let them be.

2. Relax – For self-hypnosis to work, you must relax every aspect of your body and mind. It is generally simpler to relax if you have a visual representation of how to relax each different region of your body. Consider picturing a sensation that starts in your toes and gradually makes its way up to your ankles, removing the tension there as well. Spend extra time or concentrate more on relaxing the portions of your body that are very tense. Also, make sure your shoulders, neck, and face are completely relaxed, as this is where a lot of tension is often retained. Many people find it useful to envision a material trickling or washing over tense places — perhaps warm water or a breeze, whichever you want. Waves of calm are another option that many individuals find beneficial. Imagine waves of relaxation flowing down your body from your head to your toes — it can be really helpful! It's vital to move into a second, deeper stage of relaxation after you've reached the first one. You might tell yourself over and over, “I am so deeply relaxed,” or “I am incredibly calm,” to heighten the waves of relaxation.

3. Concentrate on your breathing – Don't be sidetracked by thoughts right now. Take note of your breathing rhythm first. Set it to a calm, rhythmical flow that won't take your attention away from the workout. Concentrate on the counts of breathing after your breathing has become pleasant and slow. Mentally count to six as you exhale, inhaling after each count. It's a six-count inhalation here. Then, without exhaling, count another six counts after you inhale. Then exhale for another six counts. Repeat this breathing until you experience a deep sense of relaxation and a nice sensation inside of you.

4. Start programming – You should be in a trance-like state of calm at this point. Now is the time to start programming. Do whatever it is that you want to put in your head right now. When you're instilling thoughts, beliefs, or patterns, make sure they stick.

What is a trance spiritual?

Trance is a condition of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either completely unresponsive to external stimuli (but yet capable of pursuing and achieving an objective) or selectively responsive to the person (if any) who has produced the trance. Trance states can happen unintentionally and without warning.

Hypnosis, meditation, magic, flow, prayer, and altered states of consciousness are all examples of trance.

How do you induce a deep trance?

The trance techniques described below will take you from mild to potentially profound levels of trance. It is entirely up to you how you apply these strategies. If you have a history of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or any other kind of serious mental illness, you should get medical advice before attempting these approaches.

Breathwork

One of the more well-known trance state techniques is changing your breathing tempo and rhythm. There are a variety of yogic breathing practices you can try, such as pranayama, which is intended to clear mental and emotional blockages while also inducing a trance-like condition.

Stanislav and Christina Grof's holotropic breathwork is another type of altered breathing that involves breathing swiftly and rhythmically and can result in strong altered states of consciousness. Before practicing holotropic breathwork, talk to your doctor if you have high or low blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or glaucoma.

Another easy breath work technique is to breathe slowly and deeply in and out. By focusing your attention on your inhalations and exhalations, you can include mindfulness into your breathwork practice, which can lead to a mild trance state.

Mantra and Prayer

Another approach to enter a trance state is by mantra, or repeated sounds or words. Mantra is used by many Hindu, Buddhist, and even Christian monks and believers to change their awareness.

Although prayer is a mild approach that might shift consciousness, I find that it only creates a light trance state because the conscious mind is an important part of the practice. If prayer speaks to you, try praying in different ways (for example, in a new language or a made-up language) to get through the rational mind's barrier. For more ideas, look up the phrase ‘glossolalia.'

Primal Rhythms, Beats, and Sounds

Shamans are frequently pictured banging their drums for a reason: the beat generates the trance state required for inner traveling.

You could get a drum (such a djembe, hand drum, or bongo) or listen to some primordial rhythmic soundscapes online. Mongolian throat singing appeals to me because it has a truly earthy, almost abyss-like aspect about it. You could want to look into sounds from indigenous civilizations or music played on instruments that help you relax. Look for sounds that are repeated and do not contain voices (unless they are in a language you do not understand). The rational mind becomes overly interested when listening to music sung by people who speak your language, which is why it's preferable to avoid it. The goal of creating trance is to move past the rational and into the subconscious's fluid state.

You could also want to try binaural beats, which are sound frequencies that can easily induce a state of altered awareness. For more information, see our article on binaural beats (I recommend exploring the Delta and Theta tracks).

Self-Hypnosis

To be honest, I'm amazed at how little self-hypnosis is discussed in spiritual circles. Perhaps I'm missing something, but self-hypnosis is a potent trance tool that can aid in deep psychospiritual transformation. Perhaps stage performers or the fear of having one's mind “managed” have tarnished hypnosis, but actual hypnosis is completely harmless. Not only that, but you are always in charge (no one can force you to “do” something unless you consent to it on some level).

Sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep… deep sleep… sleep A noticeable sense of warmth and lightness enters the body after a few minutes of steadily repeating these sentences, and my mind falls silent. There are a variety of ways to induce self-hypnosis, and I urge that you read our self-hypnosis article for more information.

Stare Upwards

This easy approach entails sitting somewhere quiet and comfortable while staring at a spot or item above your line of vision. As you concentrate on this single point, become aware of the walls or objects in your peripheral vision, and concentrate on both the point and your peripheral vision at the same time. For at least five minutes, maintain this look.

Hold Out a Pendulum

Yes, it seems cliche, but concentrating on a rhythmic action can help you into a trance-like condition. Pendulums are readily available at new age stores or on Amazon. You can also build your own pendulum by taking a tea bag's rope and tying something heavy on the end, such as a button or a safety pin.

To use the pendulum technique, find a peaceful spot to sit and concentrate on your pendulum. You can either ‘wish' it to move (which it will do owing to the ideomotor effect) or gently swing it to get it moving. To induce a trance state, try this practice for five to ten minutes.

Visualization

This is a common strategy with which many people are familiar. If you have a vivid imagination, visualization as a trance technique will come easily to you. You can either use a pre-recorded visualization or make your own. You could, for example, imagine light engulfing your head and entire body. Consider imagining yourself flying across the sky like a bird. You may also try a more classic approach like stair visualization, in which you go down a flight of stairs and your consciousness expands or opens as you reach the bottom (and you exit that state of consciousness by returning up the stairs). Use whichever imagery is most effective for you – this may take some trial and error, but it'll be worth it.

Incense and Essential Oil

Another fantastic approach to induce a trance state is to burn incense or apply essential oils topically. To deepen my trance states, I like to “stack” this approach with additional trance activities. Frankincense, palo santo, sandalwood, copal, myrrh, and lavender are all good trance fragrances or essential oils.

Physical and Emotional Catharsis

Physical exertion exhausts the body while also exhausting the mind, which is ideal for creating trance. There's a reason why indigenous peoples' rituals include a lot of dancing. They must realize that dancing is a strong method to circumvent the restricted ego and reconnect with the deeper Self on some level.

Catharsis can be achieved through intense cardiac exercise (running, jumping, swimming, dancing) or a trance-inducing technique such as dynamic meditation. Yoga that is too intense or too lengthy might induce a condition of altered awareness.

If all else fails, try staring at a stereotypical optical illusion like the one below for five minutes or more to induce a trance-like state:

What does being in a trance feel like?

There are numerous methods for entering a trance state. It's akin to falling asleep, but without the loss of consciousness. That implies you can hear and feel things around you, but your eyes are usually closed and you aren't moving. You're just relaxing and resting peacefully.

When you relax on purpose, amazing things happen. Your breathing should slow down, and the majority of your muscles should relax. There is a sensation of separation from where you are; time is twisted, and you often experience a pleasant, almost euphoric state of tranquility.

What is a shamanic trance?

A variety of electrophysiological and neuroimaging investigations have been conducted in this area “Dissociative states, hypnosis, and meditation are examples of altered states of consciousness; nevertheless, the nature and clinical importance of trance states are unknown. Trance-induced changes in consciousness can reveal the brain networks that contribute to the perception of autobiographical self; the subjective demarcation of self “Normative vs. pathological realms of self-experience; and “self” from others and reality at large. Shamanic trance is a voluntary, self-induced state of consciousness that has historically been used in tribal settings for social cohesiveness and healing therapies. We provide the first neurophysiological research of a healthy person who has had considerable training in the Mongolian shamanic tradition and can self-induce trance without the need of external sensory stimulation. Quantitative EEG mapping and LORETA (low resolution electromagnetic tomography) source imaging show that a shift from the normally dominant left analytical to the right experiential mode of self-experience, as well as from the normally dominant anterior prefrontal to the posterior somatosensory mode, occurs in the shamanic state of consciousness (SSC). These findings have implications for the psychobiology of the normal conscious mode of awareness as well as the neurophysiological mechanisms involved in dissociative, psychotic, and transpersonal self-experience. They can serve as a foundation for bridging the gap between Western and traditional therapeutic methods.