Dissociation and Possession A member of the Dongria Kondh tribe in eastern India dances in a trance during a ceremony on top of Niyamgiri mountain, which the community regards as sacred. Such dissociative trance and possession states are common in religions around the world (Krippner, 1994). When dissociative experiences take place within a religious ritual context, they are not considered abnormal. In fact, such experiences may be highly valued (Mulhern, 1991).
REUTERS/Reinhard Krause