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YOU can go into a trance when you are stressed. And it can be dangerous.
Dr Adrian Wang, psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, said that trances can sometimes be abnormal and reactions to stress.
He said: “People who are troubled and stressed go into trances as a coping mechanism.
“A young person might go into a trance if he’s stressed and troubled. This might be dangerous. He might act in a dangerous manner which can harm him.”
The person may behave in an uncontrollable manner and cause harm to himself.
Dr Wang cautioned that parents and adults should be aware that kids are impressionable and they have a duty to guide their kids and teach them the right values.
Explaining what a trance is, he said: “It is a psychological state where the person’s consciousness is altered and is in a state of suggestibility.
“During this time, the person might say or do things that are out of his usual character.”
However, he added that trances can be culturally acceptable.
He said: “Most Asian cultures have some form of trance dances, like the Chinese temple mediums and Thaipusam where the devotee goes into a trance and feels no pain when he pierces his skin with sharp objects and carries the kavadi. These are culturally
acceptable.”
He said trances are not dangerous if performed as part of cultural or religious ceremonies where there is spiritual meaning attached.
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