The Trance State 3.

From the Desk of George Barnard.

Even to this day, the “trance state” is much misunderstood. Most Psych Hygiene Professionals will simply tell us the trance state is an altered state of consciousness. Since they cannot really tell us what our consciousness is altered from (or how it is changed to be what it now is), most of us tend to be little the wiser after that explanation.

This writing is aimed at providing some information -- throw some light on -- the much-misunderstood subject. It will hardly explain all.

These are only personal experiences… opinions… or theories.

What about Hysteria?

It had been drizzling for about two hours that early morning back in the 1980s. Finally there was some relief from the fine, choking, air-born red dust that blew in for many days, from far inland, and on the round the clock, hot westerly winds. The sky was now overcast, and black. The air was clear, and pure. The roads were greasy with dust, slimy, deadly.

Through a big, clean break in the clouds, the sun was pouring in its blinding horizontal light as if into a darkened tunnel. At a turn and rise in the six-lane freeway, every eastbound motorist had to suddenly cope with the brightness of “a million headlights” and, before long, vehicles were piling up, and more kept coming.

Paramedics, highway police, and motorists alike were looking after the injured and dying, but heard over the moaning and shouts for help was the shrill voice of a woman. She was hysterical, screaming at the top of her voice, darting from one wreck to the next, getting in the way of those who were feverishly going about the task of saving lives.

It was a simple exercise to walk up behind the distressed woman and tap her on the shoulder. “I’m a hypnotist,” I told her as she turned to face me. “SLEEP!” I shouted. And instantly she had calmed.

“Go pick up all the broken glass,” I instructed her. “Stack it all up nicely by the side of the road.” I pointed to the precise spot. “Right there! And don’t get in anybody’s way. Good. Fine.” She set about her task, instantly.

A wry smile from a young paramedic, then, “Thanks. God help us. Give us a hand here, buddy.”

More than an hour later, the last of the ambulances took the now docile lady to a hospital for a “just to make sure” observation. Moments after she was brought out of the trance, she stood there -- amazed, bewildered, pondering the size of the “glass mountain” she had created. She was saying, “Did I do all that?”

She would have no more recall of her picking up the hundreds upon hundreds of pieces of shattered windscreen glass, than she would have of rushing around and screeching at the top of her voice.

Hysteria had been turned into hypnosis. Her “state of consciousness” had been “altered”, swiftly, almost instantly… effortlessly. She had been assisted out of her uncontrolled Trance State, and brought into a controlled Trance State. Finally she had been assisted in regaining her awareness of the real world.

What About Sleepwalking?

There are some “old wives tales” about sleepwalking. Supposedly, one must never awaken the sleepwalker. That would frighten them too much. And, remarkably, although their eyes are closed, sleepwalkers never bump into furniture, or even fences, or garden shrubs, if the happen to venture outside their homes.

Not true. Sleepwalkers can get themselves badly hurt. Some do so, regularly. They need not necessarily keep their eyes closed when they go on their wanderings. Some youngsters, especially, will look you in the face and smile, and wander on. Moreover, when they are under the age of three or four… or even a little older, their parents are an everyday, reassuring part of their environment. Their parents’ voices are reassuring to them, and a gentle suggestion for them to go back to their comfortable beds is often enough for them to return.

There are many periods in the life of a child when it is likely to go on a “sleepwalking journey”. There are numerous events, real or perceived, when, as a subconscious abreaction to the stressor(s), the altered conscious state of the sleepwalker is productive of some form of healing. It’s just another natural Trance State.

How About The Emotionally Unstable?

To the educated Psych Hygiene Professional the dos and don’ts of the altered state of consciousness are well known. Millions of words have been written about some unfortunates’ responses to regular meditation exercises, the use of hypnosis, the use of mind-altering drugs.

A significant part of most psych exams deals with “what not to do” with certain individuals who are affected by disorders, psychoses, certain neuroses, or even combinations of these three major Mental Health problems.

And it is not the function of this documentation to point out the specific mental disorders which will react adversely to the altered states of consciousness, and which won’t. But an example can be given of some individuals’ reaction to these states of mind. In the case of certain forms of Depression, classed as Neuroses, the patients describe their feelings of tranquility when in an altered state of mind as “exhilarating”, or as “an incredible high”. But within a measured time, they are going to go into a depression so deep, suicide is often contemplated.

For some Emotionally Unstable individuals an altered state of consciousness should be attempted only on the advice of their regular Psych Hygiene Professional.

The Trance State may hurt them indeed.

The Anatomy of the Mind.

In his century-old writing, “Cosmic Consciousness” (1901), Richard Maurice Bucke describes what he believes is the “arrival” of a new mind endowment for some fortunate humans that makes them truly superhuman. Bucke includes Whitman, Blake and Carpenter, Wordsworth, Finney, Thoreau and Emerson, but also Spinoza, Paramahansa, Pascal, and Jesus the Christ.

Bucke makes note of many reports of Cosmic Consciousness in his most informative 1901 book. He is short on detail of what it really means to be conscious of the cosmos, but, don’t forget, there are almost 100 years between that report and the one that here follows.

Recently, the Life Carrier Orion was much more outspoken on the subject. The “cosmic conscious” status either does, or may, include the individual having been granted the very first aspect of the Morontia Mind endowment. The recipient inevitably deserves to receive that psychic promotion. It makes him/her more successful in achieving the altered state of consciousness called the Trance State.

Dissemination of this document is encouraged.

11:11 Angels