Altered States of Consciousness during an Extreme Ritual

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153126
• Publication Date: 2016-05-13T17:34:42Z
• Authors: Ellen M. Lee; Kathryn R. Klement; James K. Ambler; Tonio Loewald; Evelyn M. Comber; Sarah A. Hanson; Bria Pruitt; Brad J. Sagarin
• Keywords: Affect; Body piercing; Stroop effect; Sexual arousal

Extreme rituals (body-piercing, fire-walking, etc.) are anecdotally associated with altered states of consciousness—subjective alterations ordinary mental functioning (Ward, 1984)—but empirical evidence using both direct and indirect measures during extreme in naturalistic settings is limited. Participants the "Dance Souls", a 3.5-hour event which participants received temporary piercings hooks or weights attached to danced music provided by drummers, responded two consciousness. also completed positive negative affect, salivary cortisol (a hormone stress), self-reported stress, sexual arousal, intimacy. Both pierced (pierced dancers) non-pierced (piercers, piercing assistants, observers, leaders) showed aligned transient hypofrontality (Dietrich, 2003; measured Stroop test) flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, Flow State Scale). reported decreases affect psychological stress increases intimacy from before after ritual. Pierced different physiological reactions, however, showing Overall, ritual appeared induce effects but similar focal (i.e., adopting other roles.