What does Shamanic Trance Meditation do to the body?
Contrary to what many expect from a meditative state, Shamanic Trance Meditation tends to move the body toward arousal rather than deep calm. In 25 adults trained in self-induced cognitive trance, a Western practice derived from shamanic tradition rather than classic journeying, entering trance was measured to raise heart rate and lower high-frequency heart-rate variability, the marker of the body's rest-and-recovery branch, meaning the nervous system leaned engaged rather than switched off (Oswald et al., 2023). EEG recordings during drumming-induced trance also show measurable, distinctive changes in brain activity, consistent with intense focus and vivid inner experience (Huels et al., 2021). In the body this can feel less like sleepy relaxation and more like an alert, absorbed inward focus.
Autonomic Signalling Patterns
direct EVIDENCE
Many people expect a trance to feel like sinking into deep relaxation, but measurements of trained practitioners showed the opposite: heart rate rose and high-frequency heart-rate variability, a marker of the body's rest-and-recovery branch, fell during trance (Oswald et al., 2023). In the body this can feel less like calm drowsiness and more like an alert, absorbed inward focus, the nervous system engaged rather than switched off.
Default Mode Network Connectivity
moderate EVIDENCE
Many practitioners notice the steady inner commentary loosening and the ordinary sense of self feeling more open. That shift maps onto the default mode network, the brain's self-referential hub for memory, planning, and "me"-focused thought, whose connectivity has been measured to change during trance in trained practitioners, sometimes coupling more strongly rather than simply quieting (Huels et al., 2021).
Parietal Cortex Activity
moderate EVIDENCE
The parietal cortex helps your brain map where the body is and where its edges lie. During shamanic-style trance, EEG recordings link this region to measurable, altered activity rather than to ordinary resting patterns (Huels et al., 2021), a shift practitioners often describe as the body's outline feeling less fixed, a sense of floating, expanding, or drifting from the usual felt sense of self.
