Biological foundations and beneficial effects of trance.
Michael J Hove, Johannes Stelzer
Behavioral and Brain Sciences January 2018 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x17002072 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that cultural and biological factors are deeply intertwined in shaping shamanic practices, and that the underlying biology is critical. The authors discuss neural underpinnings of rhythm-induced trance, how these can facilitate insight, and how altered states can promote healing. |
Abstract
Singh proposes a cultural evolutionary theory of shamanic practices, including trance. We argue that cultural factors are deeply intertwined with biological aspects in shaping shamanic practices, and the underlying biology is critical. We discuss the neural underpinnings of rhythm-induced trance, how they can facilitate insight, and how altered states can promote healing.
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Religious and spiritual experiences from a neuroscientific and complex systems perspective. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews October 1, 2025
- Possession trance covaries with measures of social rigidity in the Ethnographic Atlas Religion, Brain & Behavior June 29, 2023
- The rhythms of trance: Cultural phenomenology and neural mechanisms of music-induced non-ordinary states of consciousness. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews July 1, 2026
- A novel model of divergent predictive perception Neuroscience of Consciousness February 12, 2024
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