Neural Correlates of a Trance Process and Alternative States of Consciousness in a Traditional Healer
bioRxiv Preprint Server January 4, 2021 Rebecca G. Rogerson, Rebecca Barnstaple, Joseph F.x. Desouza preprint
Listening to music while entering a trance state activates specific brain regions. In a traditional South African healer, auditory cortex in both hemispheres showed increased BOLD signal during trance. Right parietal, right frontal, and area prostriata also correlated with trance perception. The orbitofrontal cortex, part of the Default Mode Network, showed reduced activation, especially when trance was high. This pattern suggests a neural signature for trance as a unique altered state of consciousness.