How to Lead a Trance

A trance is an interesting state of consciousness that can be used by people of any spiritual background, for a variety of purposes. One of the most convenient things about trance is that while practice helps, even a very inexperienced person can enter a guided trance if it is skillfully led. This type of trance can be conducted for one person or a group of any size. Leading a trance is a skill that may require a lifetime of perfecting, but here are the basic steps to lead a trance.

Things You'll Need

• Drum, rattle or other musical instruments or recordings
• Comfort items like pillows (optional)

Instructions

1. Set up a comfortable environment. Dim the lights, and remove any distractions possible, such as ringing telephones or other ambient noises. Invite people to recline on the ground or, if that is uncomfortable or impossible, to sit in a comfortable and relaxed position that they can maintain for some time. Suggest that they concentrate on breathing deeply and evenly while waiting for the trance to begin.

2. Turn on a soothing, repetitive piece of music that will help participants to relax without being too distracting. If you have an assistant, playing a slow, regular rhythm with a drum or rattle can be even better.

3. Describe what will happen to participants.Tell participants not to worry about whether they are entering a trance or not, but just to concentrate on your voice and follow instructions. Remind participants that there will be plenty of time to think and talk about the experience later.

4. Guide participants to relax each part of their bodies in turn. Start at the toes, saying, "Relax your toes." Slowly continue upwards through the body, mentioning the relaxation of each part individually. You can do this quite briefly, using only major parts of the body, or you can go into a lot of depth, mentioning even internal organs, muscle groups and areas of the skin. Remind everyone to keep breathing deep and relaxed as you lead the trance.

5. If you like, insert trance-deepening visualization. This could involve traveling through different colors of the rainbow, entering a cave, descending a staircase, or a variety of other types of imagery that generally involve traveling downwards while becoming more deeply relaxed and entranced. However, just the relaxation exercise above is usually enough to induce a light trance.

6. Describe the exercise that you want participants to do in the trance. This could involve meeting a spirit guide or power animal, exploring their inner landscape, doing healing or affirming visualizations, or many other exercises. Generally you will be leading a trance for a specific purpose, so everyone should be agreed ahead of time about what work will be carried out in the trance. Make sure to allow plenty of time for participants to complete the exercises, and warn them several minutes before you end the trance so that everyone can finish their visualizations.

7. Wake people up gradually. Finish with suggestions that will help participants feel refreshed and invigorated when they return to consciousness. If you used a deepening visualization, conduct it backwards now, for example going back up the staircase. Suggest that participants wiggle their fingers and toes, then move their arms and legs as they slowly return to normal consciousness. Give them plenty of time.

8. Leave time at the end of your session to discuss people's experiences (if anyone feels like sharing) and answer any questions that may come up.

Tips & Warnings

• It is possible to play the drum while you lead a trance yourself, but this skill may require a good bit of practice.

• Don't worry if people don't feel that they enter a trance. Some people require several sessions to get used to the idea, and some may enter a trance without realizing it. Keep repeating the exercise if it is otherwise enjoyable.