Altered States of Consciousness

Both Christians and mainstream behavioral scientists have something in common - a decided distaste for shamanistic journeys and altered states of consciousness.  But check out the writings of Paul in the New Testament:

2 Corinthians 12:
"Let me tell you about the visions and revelations I received from the Lord. I was caught up into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether my body was there or just my spirit, I don’t know. Only God knows. But I do know I was caught up into paradise and heard things so astounding they cannot be told." (vv 1–4)

Court (2010) describes the trance state, or an altered state of consciousness, as "a person being out of himself, in an absorbed and receptive state."  He goes on to add that "altered states of consciousness can be experienced with great benefit across a range of disorders and perhaps especially in pain relief."  He reports that before chemical anesthesia, hypnosis was the most effective method of pain relief.

This reminds me of a comment from a classmate who reported that after knee surgery, the only thing that seemed to alleviate the pain was a guided visualization CD that her HMO gave her for that purpose.

Clearly, this trance or altered state can be achieved by all sorts of religious and secular practices - meditation, guided visualization, hypnosis, drumming, prayer, dancing, and so on.

What are we afraid of?  Who taught us to fear and why?


Altered States in the Church and Clinic
John H. Court
Pastoral Psychol (2010) 59:411–422