Grégoire Charlotte, Sombrun Corine, Lenaif Philippe, Marie Nolwenn, Giovine Aurélie, Walter Marion, Gosseries Olivia, Vanhaudenhuyse Audrey
Sensation and Perception Research Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Avenue de l'Hôpital, 1, Liège 4000, Belgium.
TranceScience Research Institute, Rue de Monceau, 7bis, Paris 75008, France.
Neurosci Conscious. 2024 May 30;2024(1):niae024. doi: 10.1093/nc/niae024. eCollection 2024.
Trance states include various practices characterized by a modulation of consciousness, but with their own specific characteristics and induction techniques. They have been very seldom scientifically studied, and their phenomenological similarities and differences are poorly documented. This paper will focus on two types of Western trances developed after the leaders were trained in traditional shamanic communities: the auto-induced cognitive trance (AICT) and the Mahorikatan trance (MT). Twenty-five AICT and 26 MT participants who were able to self-induce the trance state completed questionnaires about their trance practice (e.g. context of the first trance episode, frequency of practice, and consequences on personal life) and the phenomenological characteristics (i.e. emotional, physical, and cognitive) of the trance episodes they experienced. These characteristics were compared to explore similarities and differences between the two trance states. AICT and MT are characterized by the expression of different emotions, modification of various perceptions, a feeling of unicity (i.e. being completely oneself), and an expansion of consciousness. AICT participants commonly reported body movements, vocalizations, as well as increased creativity, visions of entities and/or places, and feeling of interaction with the environment. MT participants commonly reported a feeling of body dissolution. Most participants in both groups reported positive effects of their trance practice on their personal life. These results helped characterize AICT and MT, as well as their similarities and differences. Further studies should continue to explore the characteristics of such trance states, as well as their potential clinical applications.
恍惚状态包括各种以意识调节为特征的实践方式，但各有其特定特征和诱导技术。它们很少得到科学研究，其现象学上的异同记录也很少。本文将聚焦于两种在领导者接受传统萨满教社区训练后发展起来的西方恍惚状态：自我诱导认知恍惚（AICT）和摩诃利卡坦恍惚（MT）。25名能够自我诱导恍惚状态的AICT参与者和26名MT参与者完成了关于他们恍惚实践的问卷（例如第一次恍惚发作的背景、实践频率以及对个人生活的影响）以及他们所经历的恍惚发作的现象学特征（即情绪、身体和认知方面）。对这些特征进行比较以探究两种恍惚状态之间的异同。AICT和MT的特征在于不同情绪的表达、各种感知的改变、一种唯一性的感觉（即完全成为自己）以及意识的扩展。AICT参与者通常报告有身体动作、发声，以及创造力增强、实体和/或地点的幻象，还有与环境互动的感觉。MT参与者通常报告有身体溶解的感觉。两组中的大多数参与者都报告说他们的恍惚实践对个人生活有积极影响。这些结果有助于刻画AICT和MT的特征以及它们的异同。进一步的研究应继续探索此类恍惚状态的特征及其潜在的临床应用。
