Classical Processing of Primary Delusional Experiences in a Family with Shared Delusion and Trance Possession Attacks – A Case Report
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 24-year-old woman experienced possession trance attacks, a condition involving altered consciousness where a person's identity is replaced by a spirit or deity, with amnesia for the event. Her entire family developed shared delusional beliefs, and multiple members also had possession attacks over time. Such attacks can be misdiagnosed as psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia. The case highlights the cultural and familial context of possession trance, which must cause distress or impairment and not be due to psychosis or substance use.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 24-year-old woman and her family |
| Key finding | A 24-year-old woman's possession trance attacks were accompanied by shared delusional beliefs and similar attacks in multiple family members, illustrating the potential for misdiagnosis as schizophrenia. |
Abstract
Abstract Possession trance involves single or episodic alterations in the state of consciousness, characterized by the exchange of the person’s customary identity with a new identity usually attributed to a spirit, divine power, deity, or another person. In this possessed state, the individual exhibits stereotypical and culturally determined behaviors or experiences being controlled by the possessing entity. There must be partial or full amnesia for the event. It must cause significant distress or impairment in one or several domains and must not occur due a psychotic illness or be the result of substance abuse3. Trance Possession attacks can easily be misdiagnosed as psychotic illnesses including Schizophrenia. I am reporting a case of a trance possession attack in a 24 year girl, whose whole family developed and shared delusional beliefs and multiple family members got possession attacks over a period of time.