Last time I asked A.I.: Have you any record of a book entitled Trances People Live?
Yes! *Trances People Live: Healing Approaches in Quantum Psychology is a book by Dr. Stephen Wolinsky, a clinical psychologist and founder of Quantum Psychology. First published in 1991, it explores how many of our emotional and psychosomatic issues are actually trance states—patterns of dissociation or fixation that we unknowingly enter and reenact."
"Wolinsky argues that these trances are often rooted in unresolved childhood trauma, but instead of just reliving or analyzing those traumas, he focuses on how we continue to recreate them in the present. His central insight is that trance is the 'glue' that holds dysfunctional patterns in place, and by identifying the specific trance state beneath a symptom, we can begin to dissolve it."
"The book blends Western psychology with influences from Advaita Vedanta, hypnosis, and systems theory, offering practical tools for recognizing and stepping out of these unconscious loops. It’s especially relevant if you’re interested in how symbolic systems and altered states shape identity and perception."
[Wolinsky was a pupil of Nisargadatta. You can find readings (highly recommended) of Nisargadatta here.]
"Would you like a deeper dive into one of his techniques or how this might intersect with your work on narrative trance and symbolic modulation? I think there’s a lot of overlap."
[Given Kastrup's omitting the definition of trance, I thought bringing in Wolinsky would help provide "color" to his notions.]
"Does he bare comparison to Kastrup's ideas?
He does—and it’s a fascinating comparison."
"Stephen Wolinsky’s Quantum Psychology and Bernardo Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism both treat trance and dissociation as central mechanisms in shaping subjective reality, but they approach from different angles:
"Ontology vs. Therapeutics
" - Kastrup is building a metaphysical model: all of reality is mental, and individual selves are dissociated alters of a universal consciousness.
" - Wolinsky, on the other hand, is focused on psychological healing: he sees most neuroses as trance states—habitual, unconscious loops of perception and belief that can be interrupted and restructured.
"Dissociation as Mechanism
"Both thinkers treat dissociation as a structuring principle:
" - For Kastrup, dissociation explains how the One Mind appears as many.
" - For Wolinsky, dissociation explains how the ego maintains its illusions and defenses—how we 'trance' ourselves into suffering."
"Trance as Interface
"Wolinsky’s idea that we live in self-induced trances aligns beautifully with Kastrup’s notion that ordinary waking consciousness is already a dissociated state. Both suggest that what we take to be 'normal' is actually a kind of narrowed, filtered awareness—a user interface, not the whole system."
"Symbolic Modulation
"Wolinsky’s use of hypnosis, Advaita Vedanta, and systems theory to deconstruct identity resonates with Kastrup’s interest in symbolic cognition and archetypal structures. Both see transformation as a matter of reconfiguring the symbolic architecture of the self."
"So while Wolinsky is more clinical and Kastrup more metaphysical, they’re both working the same seam: how dissociation shapes identity, and how trance can be both the problem and the portal."
"Want to sketch a hybrid model that fuses their insights into a symbolic or psychotronic framework? I think we could build something potent."
Has Wolinsky refined his ideas since Trances People Live?
Yes—Stephen Wolinsky has significantly expanded and refined his ideas since Trances People Live. That book laid the groundwork for his core insight: that most psychological suffering stems from unconscious trance states—habitual loops of perception and identity. But his later work dives deeper into the ontological and non-dual dimensions of those trances."
"Here’s how his thinking evolved:
"From Trance to Quantum Psychology
"After Trances People Live, Wolinsky developed Quantum Psychology, a synthesis of:
" - Western psychotherapy
" - Advaita Vedanta (non-dual philosophy)
" - Quantum physics metaphors
" - Hypnosis and systems theory"
"He began to explore not just how we enter trances, but how identity itself is a trance—a recursive loop of attention that mistakes content for self."
"Key Works That Expand His Model:
" - Quantum Consciousness* (1993): Introduces the idea that consciousness is not personal, and that most suffering arises from identifying with the contents of mind.
" - The Way of the Human trilogy: Maps out false cores, false selves, and the multi-dimensional nature of awareness.
" - You Are Not: Beyond the Three Veils of Consciousness: Pushes further into non-dual deconstruction, showing how even awareness can be transcended.
" - Waking from the Trance* (audio course): Offers practical tools for disidentifying from trance loops and accessing what he calls 'prior to consciousness.'
"Later Themes:
" - 'Prior to Awareness': Wolinsky explores the idea that even awareness arises from a deeper, ineffable source—what he sometimes calls 'absolute nothingness.'"
" - The Void as Liberation: He reframes the void not as nihilism, but as the groundless ground from which all experience arises.
" - Trance as Spiritual Game: In later talks, he treats trance not just as pathology, but as a cosmic play of identification—a game we can learn to exit."
"So yes, he’s gone from mapping the architecture of psychological trances to dismantling the scaffolding of self altogether. If you’re thinking about how this might intersect with symbolic trance, psychotronic resonance, or narrative identity, we could sketch a hybrid model that bridges his later work with your own frameworks. Want to riff? I’m ready."
Can you elaborate on Waking from the Trance?
"Absolutely. Waking from the Trance: A Practical Course on Developing Multidimensional Awareness is Stephen Wolinsky’s deep dive into the architecture of identity, perception, and what he calls the 'false self.' It’s not a book in the traditional sense—it’s an audio course originally published by Sounds True in 2002, and it builds on the foundations he laid in Trances People Live."
"Core Premise:
"Wolinsky suggests that most of what we call 'self' is actually a trance state—a looping pattern of thoughts, emotions, and identifications that we mistake for who we are. These trances are not just psychological habits; they’re dimensional filters that limit our access to the full spectrum of consciousness."
"What the Course Covers:
" - The Six Dimensions of Experience: Wolinsky maps out layers of identity—external, thinking, emotional, biological, essence, and the 'I Am' presence. Each has its own trance patterns and requires different tools to navigate."
" - False Core / False Self: He introduces the idea that we build a 'false core belief' early in life (e.g., 'I’m not enough'), which then generates a compensatory false self. This structure becomes the trance we live inside.
" - Deconstruction Techniques: Through inquiry, paradox, and non-dual pointers, he offers ways to dissolve these trances—not by fixing them, but by disidentifying from them.
" - 'Prior to Consciousness': One of his most radical moves is pointing beyond even awareness itself, toward a kind of groundless ground—a space of pure potentiality that can’t be grasped, only recognized."
"Tone and Style:
"Wolinsky’s delivery is direct, irreverent, and refreshingly unsentimental. He doesn’t coddle the ego—he dismantles it. But he does so with clarity and humor, often referencing his time with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and blending Western psychology with Advaita Vedanta."
"You can find the course on [Sounds True](https://www.soundstrue.com/products/waking-from-the-trance), [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Trance-Practical-Developing-Multidimensional/dp/1564558797), or listen to a [YouTube excerpt] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHKzNmx-IB8) that captures the flavor of his teaching."
"If you’d like, we could sketch how this model of trance and dimensional awareness might integrate with your symbolic or psychotronic frameworks. It’s practically begging for a narrative interface. Shall we?"
Would he you imagine deem the default mode network a trance?
