Journal of the Mindshift Institute

A Central Mindshift Metaphor :

The Trance State

By Trish Corbett and Michael Mannion
The Mindshift Institute website contains a wide range of information which reveals that our vision of reality is incomplete. Our goal is to help expand our definition of reality by exploring ideas outside of the dominant worldview and assist people in waking up from what we call “The Trance State,” an unconscious but profound detachment from inner and outer reality.

The Mindshift Institute was founded in 1999 by Trish Corbett and Michael Mannion to foster the development of life-positive knowledge, that is, information and insights that improve our understanding of life on earth and the conditions under which life exists on our planet. Toward that end, we have produced over two dozen “conversational evenings” on a wide range of topics—such as astronomy, anomalies, biology, biophysics, cosmology, energy medicine, frontier science, health and healing—all of which highlight contributions that have enhanced our existence. The content of our conversational evenings is composed of knowledge that promotes life. One of the goals of the evenings is to distinguish between pursuits that foster life and those that harm life.

Life-Positive Knowledge

What do we mean by life-positive knowledge? This can be answered with a simple example. In his essay “Globalizing Civil Society: Reclaiming Our Right to Power,” David Korten has distinguished the “world of money” from the “world of the living.” He has correctly noted that, as a society, we have ceded power and decision-making authority over crucial areas of our existence to the “world of money,” when these decisions properly belong to the “world of the living.” Korten wrote, “One reality—the world of money—is governed by the rules set by governments and central banks. The other—the world of life—is governed by the laws of nature…we have yielded the power of decision in human affairs to the institutions of the money world…the imperatives of the world of money take precedence over the world of the living.”

The pursuit of money above all else is an example of life-negative behavior. Human efforts to sustain and promote life and the needs of the living on our planet are life-positive. In general, human activities that promote life, health and love—whether this be through science, medicine, education or other vital pursuits—are life-positive.

Another example is provided by science. Our society has invested heavily in nuclear energy for the production of electrical power, for use in medicine, and for military defense. Over the last 60 years, this form of mechanistic science has left us with a lethal legacy that will be fatal to untold numbers of life forms for hundreds of thousands of years. This is an incredible fact in and of itself. When combined with the knowledge that no human society has survived for more than 1,000 years without major disruption, this fact becomes unconscionable. Who will manage the deadly nuclear wastes we have created in the year 2300, 2500 or 3000?

The Mindshift Institute considers nuclear science to be a prime example of a life-negative technology. We did not have to go in this direction. There have always been viable life-positive alternatives to nuclear energy. However, so far, socioeconomic and political forces have prevented the development of renewable, non-polluting energy sources. Solar, wind and geothermal technologies—and the potential from future applications of orgone energy or zero-point energy—are examples of life-positive scientific endeavors.

Waking Up from The Trance State

To make any progress in life, whether personal or societal, it is essential to know exactly where one is starting from. It is vital to be in touch with one’s own reality and not to be detached from what is really taking place in the world. To achieve this, in the view of The Mindshift Institute, it is essential to wake up! Our diverse activities all have a common purpose, namely, helping us to see that many of our generally accepted, unexamined beliefs have lulled us into a trance that has devastating results for us all.

“The Trance” is evident in medicine, science, ecology, education, religion, government, economics, the arts and the media. There are serious consequences to being in a trance. One example is the inability of large numbers of people worldwide to stop the environmental destruction now occurring on our planet. Another consequence is the difficulty many have fully giving and receiving love. As different as these tragic consequences may seem, they have a common origin. However, the basic prerequisite for solving any and all of these problems is waking up and learning to see and know in a new way.

But do people want to wake up? The Trance is comfortable and familiar and, in the present social situation, being in The Trance has many benefits. Awakening from The Trance puts one outside the mainstream and generally causes difficulties in many of our most important relationships, such as love, work, friendship, and family life. However, if we are to move forward, it is imperative that we awaken from The Trance. We need to explore and examine closely specific, factual information that will help dispel common myths and false beliefs.

What are some examples of these myths? Let’s look at medicine. It is generally believed that chemotherapy is one of the most effective weapons in the fight against cancer. That must be true, many believe, because billions, if not trillions, of dollars have been devoted to it in the last 50 years. Yet, cancer chemotherapy benefits only 2-3% of all patients with cancer. Most people—even those who are highly critical of conventional cancer treatment—find that difficult to accept . Why?

Suppose we turn to economics. Many people understand that the great inequality in income between the rich and the poor all over the world creates dangerous social situations that threatens us all and violates the basic religious and ethical tenets most humans profess to believe. No one seems to know what to do about this problem. It seems intractable. Yet, the solution may be quite simple in one respect.

Every human being on Earth could have adequate food, shelter, health care, clean water, sanitation and education if the 225 wealthiest individuals on the planet devoted 4% of their wealth to this effort. If you doubt that these 225 people can be convinced to do this, do you think a smaller number of people—say three—might want to help? The wealth of the three richest people on Earth have assets that exceed those of the 48 poorest nations combined. The situation is so out of balance that it can be improved more easily than we imagine.

If the fantastically wealthy of the world walk away from the problem, could average Americans help in any significant way? Americans spend $8 billion annually on cosmetics, $2 billion more than is needed to provide every human being on Earth with a basic education. Americans also spend $90 billion on pain relief pills and many billions of dollars on ice cream each year. Could any of that money be put to better use?

Tobacco products bring us to the interface of medicine and economics. When used as intended, cigarettes lead directly to the death of nearly 440,000 Americans each year and yet they are legal in the United States. Many well-intentioned people believe anti-smoking educational efforts can counter the powerful influence of the tobacco industry. However, the tobacco companies spend more money promoting cigarette smoking in 20 minutes than all smoking cessation programs combined spend in an entire year.

These few examples should suffice to indicate the depth of the trance we are in. There are many unanswered questions concerning The Trance State. What is it? How did we get into it? What promotes and maintains the trance humanity is in? What are its consequences? What is the energetic source of The Trance State? How does The Trance affect our connection with Nature? Do people want to be awakened from the trance? What are the benefits of the trance? What happens to those who wake up from the trance? And what happens to those who wake them up?

We begin with questions and seek answers. We are not devising or promoting solutions to the many problems we face. A major focus of our work is on recognizing our own resistances—individual as well as societal—to the powerful new truths that are being discovered, truths that are vital to our continued existence. We hope to contribute to a vigorous conversation among people who recognize the urgent need for humanity to wake up, and to share with them our insights into, and experiences with, what we are calling The Trance State.

There is much more to waking up than simply being a critic of the status quo. It is crucial that we come to understand and communicate with one another about how and where we ourselves are in a trance. It is vital that we face hard facts about ourselves that will shake us out of our deep complacency. Our reluctance to take an honest look at ourselves affects every facet of life and threatens our very existence. Waking up to this reality is essential if we are to improve and even preserve human life here on Earth.

To better communicate with those seeking to understand our present situation and who want to bring about positive change, The Mindshift Institute has created this website. We are also preparing now to publish our first books under the Mindshift imprint. In one way or another, our conversational evenings, workshops, e-journal and books all involve the communication of life-positive knowledge and our effort to understand human resistance to life-positive knowledge throughout the ages.

Wilhelm Reich wrote, “…everyone is right in some way; it is only a matter of finding out in what way.” The knowledge and wisdom we need to wake us up is available. Do we have the capacity to perceive it, live it, and awaken from our trance? If we do, we can avoid what could be a final, fatal sleep. We do not yet know the answer to that question…but we shall soon, one way or another.

©2002 Journal of the Mindshift institute