Originally a Latin word meaning "to pass over", it eventually came to mean "a state of half-consciousness" or "a state of ecstasy".
For example, a person who is extremely excited at a concert or has lost control of themselves through hypnosis is considered to be in a trance state.
A trance state is said to occur when the brain secretes large amounts of endorphins, a type of cerebral narcotic, due to some kind of stimulation. As a result, the ego is suppressed and base instincts are exposed, leading to more spontaneous, rather than rational, behavior.
Hypnotism is the art of creating such a state by a third party, thereby manipulating the other person's instincts.
Ancient religions also capitulated on trance states to approach the realm of the divine and obtain oracles from the gods.
The ritualistic costumes, burning flames, intermittent monotonous and vigorous rhythms, and occasional dancing, stimulate the visual and auditory senses to produce a large number of endorphins in the brain, which results in a state of rapture.
This laid bare their instincts and made them act and speak as if they were different people, thus making people believe that they were possessed by a spirit or god.
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