Trance is a term that is generally used to describe any kind of unnatural sleep or partly conscious state. The term may be used to describe the condition of hypnotized people, spiritualist mediums, and some people with mental disorders. In some cases, trances continue for long periods of time. Usually, however, they last for only brief periods of time. The word trance was first used to describe conditions in which the soul was believed to have withdrawn from the body of a person for a period of time.
There are no physical signs that always indicate a trance. But in many cases, the pulse and breathing rate slow down. A person in a trance is less responsive to changes in surroundings, and may not know what is happening. The person may appear to be responding to forces not actually present.
The best-known type of trance is probably that of the spiritualist medium who appears to have fallen into a deep sleep, but can still speak and write. Such a trance may be similar to a deep hypnosis, and it may involve hallucinations.
