Trance and possession disorder: symptoms, causes and treatment

Dissociative disorders involve a breakdown in the processes of memory, identity, perception, and / or consciousness. Within them we find trance and possession disorder, caused by a shocking experience that has generated a lot of suffering in the person.

In this article we will learn about the symptoms of this disorder, how it is related to cultural and religious practices, and the differences between a trance and a possession state. In addition, we will explain which cases are excluded to diagnose a disorder like this.

• Related article: "Conversion disorder: symptoms, treatments, and possible causes"

Trance and possession disorder: what is it?

Trance and possession disorder is a type of mental disorder classified as a subtype of Dissociative Disorder (conversion) m in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). In the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders), Trance and Possession Disorder is called “Dissociative Trance Disorder”.

Dissociative disorders involve a break or disconnection in the processes of memory, consciousness, identity and / or perception

. That is, there is a lack of continuity (or disconnection) between thoughts, actions, identity and memories.

Trance and possession disorder includes only involuntary or unwanted trance states, which also take place outside of religious or culturally accepted situations. This disorder occurs more typically in some cultures than in others (for example, in Latin American cultures).

It's not?

Trance and possession disorder excludes all those states related to: schizophrenia, intoxication by a psychoactive substance, postconcussion syndrome, organic personality disorder and acute psychotic disorders and transients. Namely, If there is any of these psychopathological conditions, it will not be possible to diagnose a trance and possession disorder.

• You may be interested: "What is schizophrenia? Symptoms and Treatments"

Causes

Causes of Trance and Possession Disorder they are usually traumatic experiences that have involved great psychological suffering, whether acute or prolonged, to the person with the disorder.

It appears especially in adolescent women with psychological conflicts, family dysfunctions, difficulties in interpersonal relationships and with a history of abuse, mistreatment or emotional deficiencies important.

In order to diagnose Trance and Possession Disorder, it is important to rule out other possible non-psychiatric causes, such as neurological disorders (brain tumors, epilepsy, ...) and the use of psychoactive substances.

On the other hand, a trance and possession disorder is not diagnosed when its symptoms are "normal" within the cultural context and religious of the person who manifests it (that is, when the symptoms can be "understood" within that context, religion, cultural).

Symptoms

In Trance Possession Disorder, a number of characteristic symptoms occur. On the one hand, there is a temporary loss of the sense of identity and full awareness of the environment. On the other hand, attention and awareness of the environment can be limited to one or two immediate and concrete aspects.

The person who suffers it too displays strange, illogical, or incoherent language, and acts as if possessed by someone else, by a spirit or by a "supernatural" force. It also manifests a set of particular and very expressive movements, postures and gestures.

In addition, the person suffering from the disorder feels significant psychological discomfort, or there is a global deterioration in their functioning.

State of trance and state of possession

Within the trance and possession disorder, we must differentiate two types of states that can occur: trance and possession. Thus, while during the trance state the “loss” of the habitual identity that occurs is not associated with the appearance of alternative identities, one or more distinct and alternative identities appear in the state of possession. These identities also present characteristic movements, memories and attitudes.

Another difference between the two is that in the trance state the activity carried out by the individual is not complex (for example, he runs, falls, presents convulsive movements, etc.), and on the other hand, in the state of possession the activities are complex (for example, the person maintains coherent conversations, shows characteristic gestures, facial expressions in accordance with the cultural canons of the place, etc.).

Trance states in cultures

It is important to keep in mind (and as we have already mentioned), that Trance and Possession Disorder It is not produced voluntarily nor is it part of the cultural and religious context of the person.

These voluntary states (and not pathological, which also do not cause discomfort) represent most of the states of trance and possession that we can find in different cultures. However, we insist, Trance and Possession Disorder is involuntary and causes significant discomfort.

This does not mean that the mentioned non-pathological states cannot sometimes involve symptoms. characteristic of this disorder, and even be configured in its entirety as a disorder (but it is not so frequent).

Heterogeneity

Trance and possession disorder can present a lot of variability in different cultures, especially with regard to the nature of the behavior expressed during the trance state, the presence (or absence) of alterations sensory dissociative (e.g. deafness or blindness), the identity assumed during the state, and the presence or absence (or degree) of amnesia that follows the episode.

That is, the same disorder can vary not only from one person to another, but also from one culture to another, especially in relation to how its symptoms manifest; this occurs even though the symptoms are the "same" (since a series of diagnostic criteria must be met in order to diagnose a Trance and Possession Disorder).

Treatment

The treatment of trance and possession disorder is typical of dissociative disorders, combining psychotherapeutic and psychiatric methods (the latter, to mitigate symptoms).

Bibliographic references:

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000).
• WHO (2000). ICD-10. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition. Madrid. Pan American.
• Orengo, F. (1995). Dissociation, trance, possession. Conference delivered within the framework of the third Congress of the Institute of Spanish Language Psychiatrists on Magic, Myth and Psychiatry.