A proposed disorder (listed in dsm-iv-tr appendix b, “criteria sets and axes provided for further study”) characterized by a disturbance of the normally integrative functions of memory, identity, or consciousness or by a conviction of having been taken over by a spirit, a deity, or another person (i.e.,possession). In a trance, consciousness is altered and responsivity is markedly diminished or selectively focused. Other dissociative phenomena may include amnestic episodes and the assumption of a different identity. The symptoms cause significant distress or impairment in functioning, and they fall outside the sanctioned religious practices of the community.
Many different culture-specific syndromes, indigenous to particular locations and cultures and predominated by trance and possession phenomena, have been described.