Introduction to Trance

Welcome to Super States. Let’s talk about trance. Merriam-Webster defines trance as a sleep-like state, like deep hypnosis, usually characterized by partly suspended animation with diminished or absent sensory and motory activity, or a state of profound abstraction or absorption.

Remember that a state of profound abstraction or absorption. Dictionary.com defines trance as a half-conscious state seemingly between asleep and awake in which the ability to function voluntarily may be suspended, a dazed or bewildered condition, a state of complete mental absorption or deep musing. Again, remember there’s that absorption idea.

Wikipedia defines trance as a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli or is selectively responsive in following the directions of the person who has induced the trance, if any. Trance states can occur involuntarily or unbeknownst. Think of like a highway trance.

The second definition Wikipedia gives is the term trance may be associated with hypnosis, meditation, magic, flow, prayer, psychedelic drugs, and altered states of consciousness.

Human Longing for Trance States

As humans, we long for trance states. We want them. This is why football games with fans, we go into this ecstatic trance state together, or like a rock concert. One of the most powerful technologies created in modern times is amplified sound to be able to send this audio out to thousands, even millions of people and create their own trance state all at the same time.

Historical Perspectives on Trance

Trance is as old as humanity. We’ve been telling stories around the fire ever since we had a fire. We still do that. We watch television. We used to listen to radio, but we watch movies. We’re sitting around a flashing light and telling each other stories, whether personally or being projected to us. And we go into a trance when we get absorbed into that experience.

There are other ways we’ve experienced trance through history. What I described around storytelling, that’s a more quieter, internal kind of trance. Think of it like a meditative type of trance. But then there are other kinds of trance as well.

Types of Trance

1. Battle Trance: This happens in modern times, but even in the past, there were the berserkers. They would wear their bear suits and rage and get into a battle trance. Vikings would do that.
2. Religious Ecstasy: Whether through prayer or think of like a revival where everyone is together and praying together and creating this group trance state.
3. Mystic and Medium Trances: Mystics have used trance through history. Mediums use trance to speak to the dead.
4. Oracle of Delphi: They’ve uncovered that there were some kind of gases that came through the rocks in the cave at the Oracle of Delphi. This is what would induce the trance state for the Oracle.
5. Shamanic Trances: Shamans have used trance states, whether through drumming or chanting or dancing.
6. Magicians’ Trances: This is a very old technology.

Personal Experiences with Trance

I have been in love with trance basically my whole life. As a kid, I would get lost in reading. I would spend hours in a book, totally absorbed. Remember that absorption, that’s a trance state. As I got a little older, I started playing Dungeons and Dragons and we would create a group trance together.

At the age of 13, I found a book in my school library that taught me self-hypnosis, very simple things, but mostly relaxing the body, relaxing the mind and getting in a focused state. And then I got older. I started listening to music and music brought me into this powerful trance state, which it does for most people.

I started dancing. I would go dancing at clubs, teen clubs and that was another way of creating a more ecstatic trance. I also was an artist as I grew up. And so I would get lost in drawing and in painting and in creating. I’d kind of get into this flow state.

Adult Experiences with Trance

As I got older, became an adult, there were other things that showed up. I started becoming sexually active and sex was a powerful way to alter my mind and my state of consciousness very quickly. I learned about psychedelics and started expanding my mind with psychedelics. I would attend drum circles.

This got me interested in other magical practices and in ritual. Ritual is another way of creating a trance and that can be done in lots of ways. Sweat Lodge is another ecstatic state where you’re dealing with the heat and just kind of moving through it and singing as you go through that. Peyote Ceremony that I did was very similar to that, but again, you bring in a plant medicine in that.

I learned Tai Chi, which led me to meditation. So this is a more calm trance state. And breath work, again, was something that I got very interested in because it’s a very powerful way. Breath is one of the only automatic systems of our body that we have control over.

What Happens During Trance

I like to define trance as a deep, relaxed, focused state. It doesn’t have to be relaxed. But even if you think about it, when you are in, say, an ecstatic dance experience, you’re usually going to be pretty relaxed because you’re not really thinking, you’re present, you’re in the moment.

One of the things that happens when you’re in a trance state, whether it is one of these ecstatic trances or one of these more calm states, it increases neuroplasticity in the brain. That allows new neural connections to be made. That creates changes in mental pathways so that new pathways can form. This is how we rewire our minds. This is how we change the way we’re thinking, how we’re feeling.

The trance state gives us access to these new mental resources, or sometimes it gives us a little bit better access to existing resources. And one of the most interesting things about a trance state is just going into that state can help to create changes in your life. It can help to heal you.

Guided Trance Experience

What I’d like to do right now is take you into a nice trance. There doesn’t have to be any purpose to this trance other than the experience of it. Whatever it does for you is perfectly fine.

So just begin by finding a comfortable place to sit or you could lie somewhere. Just don’t be driving. If you’re driving right now, then pause the recording and come back to it when you’re in a time that you can be more focused and you can actually be safe in this experience.

And then once you’ve gotten yourself into that comfortable place, let’s just start by taking three breaths to get centered. So take a deep breath in and a nice exhale out. Another deep breath in. And again, a nice exhale. And one more time, nice deep breath in. And as you exhale, you haven’t already, just go ahead and close your eyes.

Keep breathing in and out at whatever rate is comfortable for you. If that means nice, deep, slow breaths, then do nice, deep, slow breaths. If that means something else, do something else. Really doesn’t make much of a difference. As you just focus on that breath, start to become aware of what you can become aware of. This might be sensations in your body, feeling of yourself sitting on the chair or laying in that position that you’re on. Your hands resting on whatever surface they’re resting on. Your lungs as they fill with air and empty again.

Notice the sounds that you can hear. The sound of my voice. You might notice the sound of your breath. There may be background sounds within your home or the room you’re in. Just become aware of them. Notice the thoughts and the images that seem to automatically float through your mind.

That’s right. Just focusing on those things that you can become aware of. As you have your eyes closed, you can become aware of all of these things.

One of the most interesting things about a trance state is it’s different for everyone. Sometimes people feel heavy like they’re sinking down. Sometimes they feel light like they’re floating up. The mind always gives you signals, little subtle signals that are there just to let you know that you’re about to go into trance. Now, these might be very subtle, might simply be that heavy sensation. Maybe you’ll notice a fluttering in the eyelids. You might notice a flush across your skin or a need to swallow, a certain type of breath shift. It’s going to be different for everyone. You can rest assured that your unconscious mind will let you know whatever way it likes to let you know that you’re going to go into trance now as you become aware of the things you become aware of.

You can begin the process of letting go. Letting go of the need to understand the exact position of your fingers or your hands or which one of your legs relaxes more quickly and completely than the rest. It’s so much easier to relax now and to let go. And it doesn’t even matter if you want to try to resist this. That’s okay. You can resist the trance if you want, you’ll find that it simply won’t matter because eventually you will go into trance just by listening to my voice and noticing those subtle little signals as you notice those subtle things that let you know that your body is relaxing now. It allows you to drift deeper, going further down into your consciousness the way that’s right for you. As you drift even deeper, my voice and my words, they drift with you and they become part of your experience. And the deeper you go, the better you feel.

Just for a moment, I’m going to count from 10 down to zero. With each number I say, imagine that number large and life size in front of you. As I say the number, you’ll imagine that number, and then you’ll imagine that number flying past you, right through you. Each time I say the number and you imagine it flying past and through you, you go twice as deep, relaxing more and more with each number.

10, deeper and deeper. 9, more and more relaxed. 8, letting go even further. 7, with every breath in and out. 6, let the feeling of the breath take you deeper. 5, drifting down even further. 4, letting go of any fears or worries. 3, feeling free as you drift down to 2. Going twice as deep, maybe deeper with each step, each number down to 1. Feeling wonderful now. And there’s one more number, that final number, the big circle that you could imagine right in front of you. Life size, so big that in a moment when I say that number you can step right through the center of the number. Like you’re stepping through a doorway or you’re stepping into a portal. However your imagination likes to create that image is fine. In a moment I’ll say that final number you’ll step through that portal and drop down all the way down to wonderful deep trance.

Zero. Nothing bothers you. Nothing affects you. Nothing disturbs you. All that matters is the sound of my voice.

You have a conscious mind. And just for the next few moments, take that conscious mind and let it drift all the way down to the very deepest part of your consciousness, where you might even imagine it going in a little box, gently closing up the box. The conscious mind can feel safe and secure in that box. Totally calm and at peace. Taking a little mini vacation. Can come back in a few moments, but just for now, gets to take that little vacation down in the deepest part of your mind, in that little box, feeling just so safe and calm and at peace. Well, your unconscious mind hears the words I say and follows the instructions that I give.

That’s right. As you drift now, even deeper. Your unconscious mind begins to unlock inner resources, making new neural connections, creating a powerful state of neural plasticity. Allow your unconscious mind now to guide you in whatever way is right for you. Your unconscious mind heals you. Opening up those pathways of health. Trust your mind to heal whatever needs to be healed in the way that’s right for you. And just float in this wonderful state. There’s nothing to do. Nothing you have to have happen now. You just get to exist in this incredible, deep, relaxed focused state. Your unconscious mind is doing what it needs to do for you. And you might notice more of those signals letting you know work is happening.

And if you don’t, that’s fine too. Allow your mind to give you insights and wisdom and clarity as necessary. But know that it’s not required. There’s nothing that has to happen. You just get to float and feel good in this moment, present to the amazing human that you are.

You have all the resources you need. You are enough just as you are. And from this day on, your confidence begins to grow. You become more and more confident in your abilities not only to do what you have to do, but you can do the things that you ought to be able to do and to do that with ease. When you’re in situations that used to be so troublesome, no. It’s so much easier to stay calm and focused, curious and present.

Your unconscious mind begins to give you new insights that help to resolve the challenges in your life. The emotional states that used to be hard to exist within become less and less of an issue. And it becomes easier now for you to focus on what’s truly important to you. All of these things begin to happen more and more powerfully and quickly and easily and not because I’m saying that but because this is the nature of who you are. Every day you get better and better in every way.

Now imagine you from the future. The future you who’s grown into the best version of themselves, who’s put all of their challenges behind them and is living their best life. Notice the look on their face. Become aware of the way they breathe or how they stand, their posture. Now float into them. Feel what they feel. Hear what they hear. Notice the thoughts that go through their mind. Notice the whole new perspective that they have.

And future you has a gift for you. This is a way for you to access this wonderful trance state more and more easily whenever you wish. And it’s simply the ability to squeeze a hand tight. As you squeeze a hand tight and then you release, it lets you drop into this wonderful trance state where you’re focused and aware and your mind becomes more open to new ideas, new ways of thinking and being.

Take that gift and take the insights, the knowledge, the wisdom. Take all the changes that have just begun within the deepest part of your consciousness here and bring them all with you, along with all the positive traits of your future self. Float up out of that future you and then coast back down into the you again, the broader perspective now. Becoming more and more of who you really are.

Your unconscious mind will continue to process all of this. Allow your mind to guide you to continue to heal you, to bring new perspectives, new opportunities, and new ways of being.

And in a moment, I’ll count from one to five. When I get to five, your eyes will open. You’ll be awake, alert, aware, feeling really good. All parts of your mind are back to normal again. And tonight as you sleep, your unconscious mind will continue to integrate these learnings and these lessons through your dreams. If when you wake up in the morning feeling well rested and energized, if you remember these dreams, you get to do this integration consciously. And if you don’t remember the dreams, that’s fine. That just means your unconscious mind is deep at work integrating these lessons in a whole new way.

One, take a deep breath in. Feel yourself in your body. Two, feel energy moving from the top of your head down to the tips of your toes. Three, feeling relaxed, focused, present, at peace. Four, your eyes feeling fresh and clear as if washed with fresh spring water. Five, eyes open wide awake.

Conclusion

Welcome back. Take a moment to give yourself some time to integrate what you just experienced there. And if you’d like, you can listen to this again and again. Each time you listen, you’ll go a little bit deeper. You’ll let go a little bit further, and you’ll have a more profound experience.

Thank you so much for listening, for supporting the show. I appreciate every single one of you.