Classified as an altered state of consciousness alongside meditation and self-hypnosis, self-induced cognitive trance (SICT) is increasingly being studied for its underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. Emerging evidence suggests that SICT may offer a complementary therapeutic approach for selected psychiatric conditions when used in conjunction with standard treatments. These perspectives were discussed during a presentation at the Brain Congress 2026, featuring Corine Sombrun and three physicians.

Scientific Foundation

Research on SICT is closely linked to Corine Sombrun’s personal history. During a session dedicated to this topic at the Congress, she briefly outlined her path.

In 2001, while working as a journalist and ethnomusicologist filming a BBC documentary on shamanic rituals in Mongolia, Sombrun experienced what she described as a crisis, where she began to move, scream, and howl like a wolf, a state induced by the sounds of the drums.

Recognized by a shaman as having shamanic gifts, she was invited to undertake an apprenticeship, which she accepted, eventually becoming the first Western woman to receive the status of udgan (female shaman).

Upon returning to France, Sombrun sought scientific collaboration to demonstrate that the trance state was neither psychopathology nor simulation.

Here is a clear, smooth American English rendering that preserves the meaning and tone, following the medical news style:

“But performing an EEG or brain imaging requires remaining completely still, and using a drum is not an option. To do this, I had to adapt to laboratory constraints and induce a trance state without a shamanic drum.”

After medical tests showed that Sombrun had a healthy brain, she continued the experiments with her intuition: “To demonstrate that this trance state represents a cognitive potential accessible to everyone, not only to shamans.”

This work led to the development of SICT, a method that relies on body movements and vocalizations or sound sequences acting as inducers, without the need for ritual context, psychoactive substances, or reported adverse effects. A key feature is voluntary control, including the ability to autonomously stop the trance.

Distinct Changes

Under Sombrun’s impetus, SICT has been studied scientifically through collaboration with research laboratories in Canada, Belgium, and France. In 2019, she cofounded the TranceScience Research Institute in Marseille, France, with Francis Taulelle, PhD, professor of physical chemistry at KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. This was followed in 2021 by the establishment of the TranceScience Research Institute and the TranceLab Training Institute , dedicated to training and knowledge dissemination.

Although studies remain limited, early data suggest measurable neurologic changes during trance. In one study involving 15 regular practitioners of shamanic dance, the brain regions involved in processing external information and self-awareness functioned differently during trance than during ordinary consciousness.

Another study showed altered activation of the sensory cortices, particularly in the auditory and visual regions. EEG studies in Sombrun, as a voluntary participant, demonstrated changes in beta rhythms, especially in the frontal, parietal, and occipital regions associated with self-perception.

The first studies on the phenomenological and neurophysiological characteristics of SICT are compiled here.

Autonomic Modulation

More recent studies presented at the congress by Agnès Trébuchon, MD, PhD, a neurologist and neurophysiologist at Hôpital de la Timone in Marseille, confirmed that cerebral changes during SICT appear to modulate the autonomic nervous system.

“The trance state seems to induce a decrease in vagal tone and increased sympathetic activity,” Trébuchon said. These findings align with subjective reports of heightened self-focus, reduced awareness of the external environment, mild dissociation, altered perceptions of space and time, decreased pain, increased muscle strength, and changes in sensory perceptions.

Psychiatric Applications

SICT is simple and can be rapidly induced in patients. This does not involve the use of any substances. The reported benefits of this technique include stress reduction, pain modulation, and improved quality of life. For these reasons, researchers are exploring its therapeutic potential under controlled scientific conditions within the TranceScience framework.

Several areas of research have been explored. In oncology, a study at the University of Liège, Liège, Belgium, evaluated the quality of life of patients in cancer remission. Psychiatry is a key area of interest.

Two psychiatrists trained in TranceLab presented early clinical approaches to mental health issues. Valérie Picard, MD, a psychiatrist and cognitive behavioral therapist at Clinique Belmont in Geneva, Switzerland, reported preliminary observations on SICT used as an adjunct to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in a patient with pathological dissociation. 

David Da Fonseca, MD, PhD, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at Aix‑Marseille University and hospital practitioner in child and adolescent psychiatry at Assistance Publique Hôpitaux Universitaires de Marseille in Marseille, discussed potential benefits in autism spectrum disorders. He proposed that SICT offers a different perspective on stereotyped behaviors, often viewed solely as symptoms to be eliminated.

“In a neurodevelopmental disorder where verbal psychotherapy has limited engagement, SICT could help restore a sense of safety and regulate anxiety and sensory overload, allowing the patient to manage these behaviors independently,” he said.

Although promising, these case studies require confirmation through large-scale clinical trials.

Sombrun participated in several case studies, including those of Canadian researchers Pierre Flor-Henry and Pierre Etévenon. She then collaborated actively with the team at the University of Liège and University Hospital of Liège, particularly under Steven Laureys, MD, PhD; Olivia Gosseries, PhD; and Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, PhD, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, before cofounding the TranceScience Research Institute in 2019 with Taulelle. She is also the author of several books related to her life story, including The Diagonal of Joy.

This story was translated from Medscape’s French edition.