Altered States of Consciousness during an Extreme Ritual

Abstract

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

Divine kink: A consideration of the evidence for BDSM as spiritual ritual

“…Although the role-specific altered state of consciousness sub space and top space and other spiritual aspects of BDSM have been described extensively by the BDSM community and have been explored theoretically in academic literature, very little empirical research exists on these states. In aligned studies, Ambler et al (2016) and Lee et al (2016) used identical measures and similar methodological approaches to investigate altered states of consciousness experienced during BDSM interactions and extreme ritual, respectively. Ambler et al 2016studied physiological and psychological indications of altered states of consciousness among BDSM switches, individuals who assume both top/ dominant and bottom/submissive roles depending on the context, during BDSM interactions or "scenes."…”

“…The Dance of Souls took place at the Southwest Leather Conference, which is an annual educational and community gathering of the leather community, an umbrella subculture encompassing alternative sexual expressions, chiefly BDSM and associated practices (Lenius, 2010;Peacock, Eyre, Quinn, & Kegeles, 2001). The Dance of Souls ritual is influenced by the spiritual rituals of Hinduism's Thaipusam and the Native American Sundance, that involves the piercing and pulling or weighing of the flesh (Lee et al, 2016;Reid, 2005). Lee et al (2016) aimed to assess participants in the natural setting of the ritual, using both direct and indirect measures of altered states, as well as measures of affect, sexual arousal, intimacy with fellow participants, and physiological and psychological markers of stress.…”

“…The Dance of Souls ritual is influenced by the spiritual rituals of Hinduism's Thaipusam and the Native American Sundance, that involves the piercing and pulling or weighing of the flesh (Lee et al, 2016;Reid, 2005). Lee et al (2016) aimed to assess participants in the natural setting of the ritual, using both direct and indirect measures of altered states, as well as measures of affect, sexual arousal, intimacy with fellow participants, and physiological and psychological markers of stress.…”

“…Both Ambler et al (2016) and Lee et al (2016) drew upon Baumeister's (1988) theory of masochism as escape from the self through psychological release and Newmahr's (2010) exploration of BDSM as serious leisure to inform the selection of the studies' measures. Drawing from Newmahr (2010), Ambler et al (2016) predicted that they would find evidence in BDSM tops of a flow state. Lee et al (2016) predicted they would find evidence of flow in nonpierced participants in the ritual Dance of Souls.…”

“…Drawing from Newmahr (2010), Ambler et al (2016) predicted that they would find evidence in BDSM tops of a flow state. Lee et al (2016) predicted they would find evidence of flow in nonpierced participants in the ritual Dance of Souls. In order to measure flow states, both Ambler et al and Lee et al used Jackson & Marsh, 1996) as part of a post-scene survey administered at the end of BDSM interaction and Lee et al administered the scale as part of a post-ritual survey following the Dance of Souls ritual.…”