'trance (-ah-) n. Sleep-like state, with more or less inertness to stimulus and subsequent amnesia; hypnotic or cataleptic condition, similar state of spiritualistic medium; mental abstraction from external things; absorption; ecstasy.'

It has been suggested that we all regularly fall into a hypnotic trance every day, from time to time we all day dream, maybe staring out of a window with a vacant look on our faces.  In many cases we are imagining that we are somewhere else, perhaps with someone else, and our subconscious mind is providing the required stimuli to assist us.  Sometimes a simple sound can cause us to awaken, often with absolutely no recollection of what we were dreaming about.

Many drivers while on long journeys will fall into a trance.  They can drive for many miles effectively on auto-pilot until something happens, perhaps the car in front brakes suddenly, but immediately the driver is aware of his surroundings but often cannot remember the last few minutes.

Sometimes when we are watching a film or television program we fall into a trance-like state.  Sometimes the strong emotions displayed by the actors can also be felt by us, we get upset when they get upset and so on.  Movie Producers are aware of this and will try to use some very clever tactics to deepen our experience.  For instance, many horror films will use very low bass frequency sounds to instill fear into us, and it normally works.  Often we become frightened or intimidated by what is about to happen.

It is widely accepted that we fall into a trance immediately before we fall asleep.  We are not fully asleep, yet we are also not fully awake.  We have altered our consciousness.  A similar situation arises just before we awaken.

It is very difficult to describe how the trance state feels as so many people experience trance in different ways.  People will often tell you that they were not hypnotised at all, in fact this is a very common occurrence, but with practice and understanding it is possible to observe the signs exhibited by people and make your own judgments.

When  a person is in a state of trance they will often become fixated with an item or idea.  This idea may have been suggested to them by the hypnotist or it may be something from within their own subconscious.