Techno Trance Therapy

Rave goers have known for years that the powerful combination of loud music and drugs could put somebody into a state of trance, where the setting drifts into the background and a feeling of overwhelming connection and love comes to the foreground. In the sixties and seventies, new age music created this hypnosis meditation. Before that, shamans mesmerized themselves around the fire to the sound of drumbeats. Techno trance therapy has been taught in various workshops from London to California but is primarily a form of self-hypnosis that folks teach themselves.

Trance music is the primary component of the techno trance self-hypnosis. While various forms of electronic music may be used to invoke a dance trance, Goa Trance is said to be the most mesmerizing of all. The energetic music pulses at four-quarter note pulses per bar (a "4/4 beat"), while light melodies and rhythms overlay the thumping bass drum kicks.

Goa's roots are in ancient shamanic dance rituals that aimed at transcendence. These long eight to twelve minute tracks focus on gradually building energy and creating mental imagery, much the same as classical music and producing a hypnotic and intense feeling much like a state of trance.

Astral Projection, Infected Mushroom, Juno Reactor, Etnica, Dimension 5, Doof, Hallucinogen, Man With No Name and Transwave are some of the most notable artists producing techno, dance trance music.

Anybody that enters a techno trance, may feel a lightness of body, perhaps even a numbness or disassociation, where the mind and body feel detached, as though the individual is watching him or herself move. Blinking slows down, there is a distortion of movement, space and time, and the senses become more vivid.

An additional frequent occurrence is catalepsy, which is a condition where the muscles contract and remain soft, rather than rigid. The body's natural endorphins and pain relievers flow freely, allowing dancers to continue moving for hours on end.

While listening to trance music, folks often report feeling that they are less inhibited and more able to talk about their emotions. Often a deep sense of interconnectedness takes hold and the dancer begins to feel a bond with those around him or her. It is almost as if these dancers are in another time and place, where rules do not apply and the outside world has ceased to exist.

Techno trance therapy is most commonly prescribed for patients suffering from mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. With hypnotherapy training, it is believed that an individual can calm his or her thoughts, increase the body's natural dopamine and serotonin production and improve moods. It is natural to feel a sense of alienation or oppression from our current system of laws, rules and regulations that feel so far removed from the natural order. Ancient shamans and tribes of Africa knew the power of dance, which helped them get in touch with a more spiritual side that transcended time and place.

What is Neuro Linguistic Programming

One of the popular hypnosis techniques is called Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP for short. At first, the concept seems almost like science fiction; that we can re-program the brain to think more efficiently and inevitably change our behavioral patterns by doing so, yet if you really think about it, NLP hypnosis makes perfect sense.

We have all had times where we are cognizant that our depressive or angry thoughts are detrimental to our mood and our health, but it seems like we just cannot stop ourselves. The goal of neuro linguistics is to help individuals regain that control and learn how to stop themselves from thinking and acting against their own best interests.

Developed in the late 1970’s at the University of California at Santa Cruz, NLP was the brainchild of scientists John Grinder and Richard Bandler who were hoping to answer the provocative question of “What makes folks effective and successful”. One part of the study focused on language and how happy, successful folks communicated. By analyzing how communication affected behavior, researchers were able to discover some patterns.

They found that certain words connected directly with folk’s senses, emotions and memories. Often in NLP hypnosis, a patient will be put into a state of trance and told a story in which vivid imagery such as a clear flowing stream, white puffy clouds or a beautiful blue lake, will be used. It is believed that these images will aid in their relaxation, imagination and transformation.

If you do not think this works, then try thinking of a rushing waterfall or dripping faucet the next time you want to urinate and you will find that that it works every time. In that instance, your thoughts are having a direct effect on your bodily functions and behavior. Joe Dispenza, chiropractor, researcher and author of "What the Bleep Do We Know," studied the idea of mind over matter for years before he was given the ultimate test; a debilitating injury from a serious accident. He opted to pass up medical treatment and focus on the healing power of the mind and NLP hypnosis techniques. Needless to say, he returned to his normal activities within weeks and his is certainly not an isolated case. Although medical science has not proven the underlying cause of these miracles, Dr. Dispenza believes it is only a matter of time before neuro linguistic programming becomes a serious science.

Neuro linguistic programming is most commonly found on a deep sleep hypnosis CD or in a power of positive thinking audio book. Unlike traditional hypnosis, this is a more subliminal hypnosis that relaxes the subject into a state of trance. Even though modern science disputes that language can alter someone's state of mind, the fact that folks can slip into a more suggestible state simply by listening to the therapist's vague language offers some credence to this pseudo-science. The only way to truly know is to try it.