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.

Why Learn Self Hypnosis

Perhaps you are wondering if you should try hypnotizing yourself. According to Bruce Goldberg, author of Self Hypnosis: Easy Ways to Hypnotize Your Phobias Away, this procedure can eliminate unwanted habits, get rid of phobias, slow the aging process, enable you to be more creative, improve concentration and memory, eliminate chronic pain and improve your love life. While it may sound unlikely that folks can simply learn self hypnosis, there are a number of books written on the subject and an even larger inventory of self-help audio tapes, downloads and videos aimed at teaching you just that.

A lot of self hypnosis is all in the wording. NLP hypnosis posits the theory that flowery, artful language is better than authoritative commanding. For instance, you might say to yourself,

"I really look forward to learning how to sky dive," rather than the more authoritative "I'm going to learn to sky dive."

Secondly, you will want to use visual imagery. Often successful self-hypnotists will use phrases like,

"I see," "I hear," or "It feels like."

Images from nature work particularly good, such as waterfalls, fields full of flowers, streams, clouds, trees, beaches and auras. You should also try to choose attainable goals. So instead of telling yourself,

"I am never going to eat chocolate chip cookies again," you should instead phrase it, "As I begin to make healthier choices and choose more nutritious foods, I will begin to feel lighter and more at peace with myself."

There are several common mistakes folks make when they first learn self hypnosis and try to hypnotize themselves. You might find that you are trying to force yourself to imagine something that does not come naturally or are over-analyzing the process. Instead, you will want to be sure that you are completely relaxed first, before you allow your mind to wander.

Start by counting backwards while breathing deeply, as this is a classic trick to deepen relaxation. With each count, you are going deeper and deeper, and before you know it, you will be in a state of trance!

Now that you are in a suggestible, emotional state, you can begin using "I" phrases to affirm what you wish to learn.

Some folks prefer to spend this time imagining themselves achieving their goals instead. Others still might want to play a tape with someone else's voice guiding their positive thinking here. To awaken from your trance, tell yourself you will feel refreshed and fully awake at the count of three.

Another commonly practiced form of self hypnosis is done with the help of trance music. This fast-tempo genre inspires folks to dance as a means of letting their inhibitions go, which gets the heart rate pumping so the dancer experiences a dissociative sort of exercise high. At the same time, the progressive trance music inspires the mind to be more imaginative, much as classical music and the dancer will feel a marked spiritual shift toward an overwhelming feeling of connectedness in the presence of others. Practiced at clubs, raves or workshops, trance dance hypnosis has its roots back in ancient shaman rituals and African dance. There is no right way to dance, so it is easy for anyone to do. The important thing is that you close your eyes, focus on the beat of the music and let your mind wander freely.