Send a blank email to
info@trance.edu
for a current list of links to information about
the TRF and the Trance Institute.

This information contains links for books, projects, workshops, trance analysis, courses, email.

The TRF will publish a new journal in January, 2009. You can get information about the Journal of Trance Theory and Practice by sending an email to jttp-info@trance.edu.

Hello,

I am scrolling through my bibliography to prepare a conference about psychedelic festivals as modern rituals, are you aware of the following works ?

Psychedelic Festivals in the Planetary Era Anthropology Thesis by Ana Flávia Nogueira Nascimento ( neip.info )

Michael Belden McAteer, ““Redefining the Ancient Tribal Ritual for the 21st Century:” Goa Gil and the Trance Dance Experience " (Bachelor of Arts, The Division of Philosophy, Religion, and Psychology, Reed College, 2002).

Udi Pladott , “Meaning, Motion and Gesture In Psychedelic Trance Music” (seminar “Music as Motion, Gesture and Action" Department of Musicology, Tel Aviv University The Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts),

Christopher B. Larkin, “Turn on, Tune in, and Trance out : The Exploration of Entheogens and the Emergence of a Global Techno-shamanic Ritual ” (Degree in Sociology/Anthropology, Lewis and Clark College, 2003),

Recent elucubrations about Psychedelic Trance Festivals as a Space for Cognitive Liberty

Outstanding Documentary about an African cult

Subtitled version of Jean Rouch's "Les Maîtres Fous" (1955). A documentary about an african sect based on ceremonies during which the members are possessed by the spirits of european colonial entities.
It is worth mentionning that this film was very badly recieved, originally, both by africans shocked by the "savagery" of this ritual, and by europeans shocked by how white men are caricatured in this ritual. Today, this film is one of the most important, and most praised, classics of visual anthropology.

Part1 here

There's a 98% need, but only a 2% awareness...

What's so important about trance?

Maybe you are not clear on exactly what a trance is. What we mean is meditation, hypnosis, addictions, charisma, electronic and chemical means of inducing trance as well as brainwashing, mind control, cults, magic, music, ritual and dance, and advertising.
You might already have a good idea of what hypnosis is. But you probably don't realize all the ways that it is used on you without either your awareness or permission, a form of trance abuse. Increasing public awareness of trance abuse, and showing how to prevent it, is one of the main jobs of the Trance Research Foundation.

Our vision and commitment

The Trance Research Foundation has an ambitious vision because the problems are huge.

Realizing our vision will require the personal commitment of many people just like you. And it means a lot of work, expended over a long period of time. We know it will also require large financial investments from socially conscious benefactors. But the results will be
- a greater public awareness of how trance works
- a greater public immunity to trance abuse
- a measurable worldwide decrease in drug and alcohol abuse problems
- a more enlightened worldwide drug policy
- a greater number of people who practice meditation for personal development
- an increase in consciousness and planetary wisdom.
- And this will result in greater world peace for future generations.

What is important

Here are some of the areas we see as important:
- Trance - its use and misuse - continues to have important social and psychological effects worldwide.
- Understanding how trance works enables and empowers people to explore themselves and the world they live in.
- The lack of understanding of trance exposes people to trance abuse and can cause psychological pathologies.
- Many such pathologies can be prevented with knowledge.
- Until now there has not been a model which attempts to explain meditation, hypnosis, addiction, magic and charisma with one robust theory. We feel we can provide that now.
- To study important contemporary trances, to understand their structure, their creation, their effects, the mechanisms used to change them or to bring about their dissolution.
- To facilitate advanced psychological study through the open sharing of special known trance mechanisms.
- To provide consultation and practical training to psychologists and therapists.
- To publish in peer reviewed journals the results of research.
- To operate a virtual educational institution to make the results of trance research available as widely as possible.
- To make a strong presence in the media, including audio, video, internet.
- To promote education about trance by means of on-line courses, teacher training, having a presence and relationship in schools, organizing annual international conventions on trance.
- Staying in the news by means of publicity releases, involvment with international personalities.
- Clinical treatment programs for drug/alcohol abuse, prevention programs, individual trance analysis, workshops for medical professionals, workshops and social programs to promote the best practices of trance.

Our interests are in:

- Meditation: religious and nonreligious meditation techniques, their physiological and psychological effects. This includes shamanistic, occult, daydreaming, channeling and other practices which incorporate meditation.
- Hypnosis: advertising, sales, television, video games, virtual reality, and many other hypnotic trance phenomena.
- Addiction: drug, psychic, performance, belief and other repetitive and compulsive behaviors.
- Magic: ritual, devotional and religious magic from witchcraft to contemporary religions.
- Music: many traditional as well as contemporary musical genres including drum and bass, acid trance, goa trance, traditional voodoo, shamanistic, native and electronic forms induce trance.
- Drugs: recreational and traditional drugs create trances through the suppression or modification of cognitive functions.
- Electronics: ultrasound, microwave and electro-biologically based trance inductions have been successfully used in publicly little-known military and neurophysiological applications.
- Charisma: guru-worship, cults, political, religious and entertainment charisma.

Our Mission

- The development of courses centered around trance is essential. The on-line courses at tranceinstitute.com are the start.
- Our educators develop courses, presentations, workshops and they participate in conferences, research and consulting. Activities span the range from trance parties to workshops and conferences.
- The Trance Research Foundation is not wedded to one trance model as expressed by Dennis Wier's model. Other models and interpretations or perspectives can make for a rich and vibrant research environment.
- Multimedia presentations of trance course content including audio, video, virtual reality, etc. are but one way we create trance-related products.
- Producing books, journals, blogs, newsletters, publicity releases, and so forth is an important on-going need.
- Consulting as international experts in trance means that educators are available for individual clinical consultations. Such expertise also provides important research material and data for conferences, journals and other media. Additionally, acting as consults in the area of advertising, politics and religion can provide important income, as well as a public presence, for the Trance Research Foundation and its members.
- By consulting and contributing to government and United Nations agencies activities we can help to promote the ideas of the Trance Research Foundation and can help influence laws relating to drugs, terrorism, addiction, trance abuse, and addiction prevention and treatment programs.
- Research activity will involve providing project management for academic research in various institutions in order to carry out research projects which will be funded by entities such as the National Institutes for Health, and other international agencies and foundations.

Are you still with me? You can support our mission when you:

- Read the papers on trance.edu
- Get a copy of the book, The Way of Trance. Check our websites for details.
- Call or actively communicate with the Trance Research Foundation by mail, email, fax or phone. We need to know who you are, and what your interests and skills are.
- If you are interested in trance parties, you might like to help us maintain a presense at them by organizing trance workshops, distributing literature, etc.
- If you attend a university, you might like to help us to make trance the subject of student forums, seminars and to promote academic research on trance.
- If you are a professor or teacher, you can help develop on-line trance courses.
If you are a journalist or like to write, there are hundreds of examples of trance to write stories about.
- If you are well-off and wish to make any trance project move more rapidly and effectively, a financial contribution in any amount will make a huge difference. You can make a direct donation to our bank account.
- If you are a creative person with ideas about trance, contact us. Let's discuss your perspective.
- If you are a drug, alcohol, addiction counselor or therapist, you might like to start using our techniques.
- If you manage a group of people you might like to learn how trance affects your organization.
- If you have organizational skills abilities, contact us now to learn in more detail the many interesting projects awaiting you.
- We encourage regular local Trance Pot Lucks everywhere. These are small parties hosted by friends who come together to practice trance, discuss it, and celebrate community. We stay in touch with each other, provide literature for the Trance Pot Lucks, and come together in larger groups for workshops or public meetings.