Altered states of consciousness within a general evolutionary perspective: a holocultural analysis

Cross-Cultural Research • Vol/Iss. 12 • Published In • Pages: 197-216 •
By Bourguignon, Erika, Evascu, Thomas L.

Abstract

This article investigates a cultural patterning of altered states of consciousness. The authors use an ordinal variable for a society's trance type; its four levels are 1) trance, 2) trance and possession trance, 3) possession trance, and 4) neither type. Results suggest that trance type is associated with measures of societal complexity and subsistence economy. Regional differences and the effects of diffusion are also examined.
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: Kate Cummings  Amelia Piazza