Author Topic: 'Coming back' after trance work (Read 1741 times)

Elding · « **on:** December 18, 2015, 03:56:48 pm »

What rituals and habits do you have for returning to the here and now after trance work?

I ask because I tend to have trouble with it... I have a very easy time going into trance and journeys, sometimes so easily that I do it on accident.. but coming back is a different thing. After I am done with my errand, I often feel like I am leaving something of myself behind, like a string going into that other place that I cannot figure out how to reel back again. It does make it easier to return to that particular place, but it also makes me fel quite vulnerable and not fully "here".

What are your experiences?

Jenett · « **Reply #1 on:** December 18, 2015, 08:47:10 pm »

Quote from: Elding;183627

I ask because I tend to have trouble with it... I have a very easy time going into trance and journeys, sometimes so easily that I do it on accident.. but coming back is a different thing. After I am done with my errand, I often feel like I am leaving something of myself behind, like a string going into that other place that I cannot figure out how to reel back again. It does make it easier to return to that particular place, but it also makes me fel quite vulnerable and not fully "here".

My usual advice to people learning: Establish set practices both for going into trance and coming back.

Going into trance easily seems like it can be a good thing, but it's something that can be very disruptive to other things in your life (work, school, other things you need to do), and there are times it can be actively dangerous (like hitting a trance state unexpectedly when you're driving, cooking, or doing something else where you can get hurt.)

It's a lot better to set things up so you have to make an active decision to shift states, both going and coming back. Sometimes when we've been in trance, it's very easy (like you said) to slip back into the trance state again, and if you train yourself to enter trance only after doing something specific, then you can avoid doing that specific thing when you don't want to.

Some ways to signal to yourself you're about to trance:
- Body posture or specific position of your hands (pick something you don't do all the time)

- Putting on or taking off a particular piece of jewelry (if you take something off, obviously, it should be something you otherwise wear all the time.)

- Some people use a veil over the head to indicate they are about to trance (a lightweight scarf or piece of cloth) and put it up when they're ready to do trance work.

- Some people have a specific short prayer, chant, or other thing they say (inside their head or out loud) they use before they trance.

- Something like lighting a candle, or having a box of small items you have ready and opening it and taking one out. (Candles are logistically challenging, a lot of times.)

You don't have to pick just one trigger: you might have three or four that you do most of the time, but leave one out if it's not practical at a particular point.

Likewise, coming back, first, make sure you actually do a coming back stage in the trance - I think often people do a very elaborate getting down into trance induction, but skimp on the returning to regular daily space. That's an equally important as a transition.

Do something that is very decidedly not the thing you do when you're in trance. You can often make these the reverse of the action you picked to start - if you took a piece of jewelry off, put it on. If you opened something, close it. Change position, whatever.

The other thing to do is avoid things that will make you slip back into trance easily. I find it very difficult to listen to music for about 30-60 minutes after doing trance work, because I'll slip right back.

I find it better to listen to something with words - the news will snap me *right* out of trance mode, generally, but it often also kills the mood. If I'm with people, some general social time and food help (more on the food in a sec), but if I'm on my own, a solid podcast that requires me to pay attention to it works really well.

(I listen to a bunch of history-focused ones, often with quirky topics, just generally. Picking something obscure that I don't know about but am interested in works really well here.)

Some kinds of music are okay for me, but it needs to be fairly upbeat, not anything that will suggest trance at all. (And usually, more outside my usual listening habits works better.)

Doing household tasks also works well if they are things that are not rote - doing dishes is trancey for a lot of people, but 'tidy up this room and put things where they need to go' might not be. You get the idea.

Kylara · « **Reply #2 on:** December 19, 2015, 11:48:17 am »

Quote from: Elding;183627

What rituals and habits do you have for returning to the here and now after trance work?

I ask because I tend to have trouble with it... I have a very easy time going into trance and journeys, sometimes so easily that I do it on accident.. but coming back is a different thing. After I am done with my errand, I often feel like I am leaving something of myself behind, like a string going into that other place that I cannot figure out how to reel back again. It does make it easier to return to that particular place, but it also makes me fel quite vulnerable and not fully "here".

What are your experiences?

I think Jennet hit the nail on the head with setting up a coming back phase in your trance work. Make coming out of trance a set ritual to help you make that transition.

I find that doing body conscious things helps a lot. But the thought aspect has to be there. Doing repetitive actions can be trance inducing for me, but slowing down, really focusing on what my body is feeling, that brings me back. Even something simple like a very slow and controlled stretch.

Food also helps ground me back in the physical. Again, really focusing on the taste and feel of the food (or drink) connects me back to my body.

I guess what really does it for me is focusing on the senses: what am I feeling, seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing. And being very conscious about it, so the more active the sensing the better. Laying down and listening to music is too passive, but putting on something I can dance (and sing) to, and then really tuning into the emotions it brings up in me.

Perhaps you can start writing down what you find works best (and worst) to bring you out of trance cleanly. A little while after you are done with your trance work, after you have done some other things, sit down and write about how you feel, what you had done, and how grounded or unattached you felt while doing them. Then, start looking for patterns, work more with the things that ground you and start finding alternatives to the things that leave you feeling off.

SunflowerP · « **Reply #3 on:** December 19, 2015, 06:59:09 pm »

Quote from: Elding;183627

What rituals and habits do you have for returning to the here and now after trance work?

I ask because I tend to have trouble with it... I have a very easy time going into trance and journeys, sometimes so easily that I do it on accident.. but coming back is a different thing. After I am done with my errand, I often feel like I am leaving something of myself behind, like a string going into that other place that I cannot figure out how to reel back again. It does make it easier to return to that particular place, but it also makes me fel quite vulnerable and not fully "here".

What are your experiences?

A couple of quick'n'dirty things I've used successfully, for myself or for others:
1) Put a little salt under your tongue,
2) Think about your feet (I heard of that one in connection with returning from out-of-body experiences, but it's also useful with trance that's not OB.)

And, seconding pretty much everything both Jenett and Kylara had to say.

Sunflower

Elding · « **Reply #4 on:** December 27, 2015, 05:18:21 pm »

Quote from: Jenett;183634

My usual advice to people learning: Establish set practices both for going into trance and coming back.

Going into trance easily seems like it can be a good thing, but it's something that can be very disruptive to other things in your life (work, school, other things you need to do), and there are times it can be actively dangerous (like hitting a trance state unexpectedly when you're driving, cooking, or doing something else where you can get hurt.)

It's a lot better to set things up so you have to make an active decision to shift states, both going and coming back. Sometimes when we've been in trance, it's very easy (like you said) to slip back into the trance state again, and if you train yourself to enter trance only after doing something specific, then you can avoid doing that specific thing when you don't want to.

Some ways to signal to yourself you're about to trance:
- Body posture or specific position of your hands (pick something you don't do all the time)

- Putting on or taking off a particular piece of jewelry (if you take something off, obviously, it should be something you otherwise wear all the time.)

- Some people use a veil over the head to indicate they are about to trance (a lightweight scarf or piece of cloth) and put it up when they're ready to do trance work.

- Some people have a specific short prayer, chant, or other thing they say (inside their head or out loud) they use before they trance.

- Something like lighting a candle, or having a box of small items you have ready and opening it and taking one out. (Candles are logistically challenging, a lot of times.)

You don't have to pick just one trigger: you might have three or four that you do most of the time, but leave one out if it's not practical at a particular point.

Likewise, coming back, first, make sure you actually do a coming back stage in the trance - I think often people do a very elaborate getting down into trance induction, but skimp on the returning to regular daily space. That's an equally important as a transition.

Do something that is very decidedly not the thing you do when you're in trance. You can often make these the reverse of the action you picked to start - if you took a piece of jewelry off, put it on. If you opened something, close it. Change position, whatever.

The other thing to do is avoid things that will make you slip back into trance easily. I find it very difficult to listen to music for about 30-60 minutes after doing trance work, because I'll slip right back.

I find it better to listen to something with words - the news will snap me *right* out of trance mode, generally, but it often also kills the mood. If I'm with people, some general social time and food help (more on the food in a sec), but if I'm on my own, a solid podcast that requires me to pay attention to it works really well.

(I listen to a bunch of history-focused ones, often with quirky topics, just generally. Picking something obscure that I don't know about but am interested in works really well here.)

Some kinds of music are okay for me, but it needs to be fairly upbeat, not anything that will suggest trance at all. (And usually, more outside my usual listening habits works better.)

Doing household tasks also works well if they are things that are not rote - doing dishes is trancey for a lot of people, but 'tidy up this room and put things where they need to go' might not be. You get the idea.