Altered States of Consciousness during an Extreme Ritual
PLoS One May 13, 2016 Ellen M. Lee, Kathryn R. Klement, James K. Ambler et al. 42 citations
Extreme rituals (body-piercing, fire-walking, etc.) are anecdotally associated with altered states of consciousness-subjective alterations of ordinary mental functioning (Ward, 1984)-but empirical evidence of altered states using both direct and indirect measures during extreme rituals in naturalistic settings is limited. Participants in the "Dance of Souls", a 3.5-hour event during which...