Participants in Northern Brazilian Tambor de Mina dance and spirit possession rituals demonstrate three principal discourses concerning memory and states of consciousness during possession. Most dancers claim, as "unconscious" mediums, to remember essentially nothing of their trance experiences. Many, however, speak of "faked" or incomplete forms of possession. In fact, my research eventually revealed that some experienced mediums and religious leaders regard, if secretly, "conscious" possession to be a more—not less—advanced form of mediumship. I consider some potential implications of the (...) apparent growth, particularly due to the influence of European origin Kardecist and other spiritist movements, of conscious mediumship in this Afro-Brazilian tradition. (shrink)

In this discussion, attention is focused on the neurophysiological changes recorded in the laboratory during experiences termed religious, since they facilitate contact with the alternate, the sacred reality. The experiences examined are "ritual body posture and ecstatic trance" and "channeling," that is possession. Contrary to previously held opinion based solely on observation, laboratory tests reveal certain differences, indicating that we are dealing with two distinct, albeit closely related, ASC's. Keywords: trance, altered states, channeling, consciousness.