Prof Torsten Passie - Dreams, Trances and Ecstasies: Their Disappearance in Western Cultural History

Western cultural history has systematically marginalized altered states of consciousness like dreams, trances, and ecstasies, viewing them as irrational or potentially dangerous deviations from a normalized waking state. Historical and societal forces have pushed for greater stability, order, and control, leading to the rationalization of religious and social life and the subsequent demonization of immersive states. Modern disciplinary processes reinforce this shift by prioritizing internalizing time, productivity, and abstract thinking, which separates individuals from immediate, nature-connected experiences. This ongoing process establishes a consensus-based reality, positioning subjective experiences outside these rigid norms as suspicious or invalid.