Here’s a letter from Jeff who, according to him, has been a long-time listener of my Sunday radio program over DZMM and a regular reader of my column and books.

“You have often mentioned the term trance mode. Can you explain what it is? And how do I experience this?”

It is difficult to explain this in words. Trance mode is the same as “trance state” or “hypnotic state.” But writers and researchers make a distinction between the two words.

Both are altered states of consciousness and perception. But trance implies a disassociation of one’s selfhood or personality, whereas the hypnotic state has been defined as a “state of heightened suggestibility.”

In the 1992 book “The Dictionary of Mind and Spirit,” compiled by Donald Watson, five states of consciousness were mentioned, namely, “normal awareness, dreaming state, deep sleep, coma and trance.”

I, however, do not understand the principle of classification used by the author in the above differentiation. There seems to be some overlapping among them.

For me, “trance” refers to any state of altered consciousness below the normal waking state. And there are various degrees of trance. There’s light trance, where the person is still conscious of things and what he is saying but his mind is focused within and not outside. Deep trance is where the person is not conscious at all of the outside world, or what he is saying or seeing.

One way to explain the various degrees of trance or states of consciousness is to relate these to brainwaves. According to neuroscience, there are four brainwaves or frequencies. When we are fully conscious of the outside physical reality coming through our five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste, our brainwaves are in a frequency from 14-21 cycles per second (CPS), called the Beta Wave. I refer to this as the Outer Mind.

Any mental state below the Beta; namely, Alpha, Theta and Delta, I call the Inner Mind.

Psychic feats

The Alpha level (7-14 CPS) may be called a state of light trance. Here, the trained person can perform such psychic feats as telepathy, remote viewing, clairvoyance, self healing, automatic writing, etc.

In the Theta level (4-7 CPS), he can control pain and bleeding. This is a deeper level of trance than the Alpha State.

In the Delta level (almost 0-4 CPS), he can perform telekinesis, provided he can slow down his brainwaves to this level without falling asleep. This is a deep trance state. Very few can do this, but there are documented cases in my ESP class that about 40-60 percent of participants can bend a spoon through mind power even if they had not done it before.

The hypnotic state is similar to a mediumistic trance but with some important differences. In a mediumistic trance, an outside entity or spirit is believed to be in control, whereas in ordinary trance, it can be self-induced and no spirit is necessarily involved.

Again, trance may be compared to deep meditation. The feeling can be the same. But in meditation, the person is still in control of his senses and his body, whereas in a trance, he may be unable to move.

Psychiatry does not or cannot distinguish a trance state from an epileptic seizure or fainting spells. But they are not the same. Trance state is not a pathological state. Epilepsy, on the other, is a medical problem.

As you can see, it is difficult to describe in words the feeling of being in a trance state. One really has to experience it, but not all persons can get into this state.

Past life regression

Theresa, another reader, asked if I conduct individual or one-on-one past-life hypnotic regression, because she is unable to attend my seminar on Soulmates, Karma and Reincarnation, where I conduct two group hypnotic regressions.

She’s an airline cabin attendant whose schedule is unpredictable. My schedule of seminars, according to her, is usually out of sync with hers. Another reason is that she may have questions she does not want others to hear.

Yes, I conduct individual past life hypnotic regression by appointment. This normally lasts from one to two hours.

The advantage of individual past life regression is that you can talk back and explore specific personal problems which may have their root in the past. However, I cannot guarantee results, because only 60-70 percent of people can be hypnotized. And, your subconscious must fully agree to the process.

However, my success rate in conducting individual regressions both in the Philippines and in Poland is quite high. If you are interested in pursuing this, please call 8107245 or 0920-9818962 for appointment.

Attend the next Inner Mind Development seminar on Jan. 28-29, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Rm. 308 Prince Plaza I, Legazpi St., Greenbelt, Makati. For reservations and seminar details, please call 8107245 or text 0920-9818962. E-mail [email protected]. Visit my website www.jimmylicauco.com.