Rhythmicity and Trait Absorption Are Linked to Nonordinary States of Consciousness.
Raquel Aparicio-Terrés, Samantha López-Mochales, Margarita Díaz-Andreu, Carles Escera
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.70316 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractRhythmic drumming can induce nonordinary states of consciousness, but the effect depends on a person's trait absorption. In 27 participants with no prior experience of rhythm-induced altered states, listening to 12 minutes of rhythmic drum sounds increased feelings of unity compared to nonrhythmic sounds. People with higher trait absorption reported stronger experiences of disembodiment and spirituality during drumming. For those with low trait absorption, rhythmic drumming also boosted spiritual experiences. Brainwave entrainment was measured with electroencephalography, but the results indicate that personality traits shape how rhythm affects subjective experience.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 27 |
| Population | Participants with no prior experience of rhythm-induced nonordinary states of consciousness |
| Interventions | rhythmic drum sounds nonrhythmic drum sounds |
| Duration | 12 minutes of listening per condition |
| Keywords | Absorption Drumming Electroencephalography Entrainment |
| Key finding | Higher trait absorption was associated with stronger experiences of disembodiment and spirituality during drumming, and rhythmic drum sounds increased experiences of unity compared to nonrhythmic sounds. |
Abstract
A widely observed phenomenon across cultures involves the use of rhythmic auditory stimulation in intricate rituals to achieve dissociative mental states. While several physiological mechanisms link repetitive auditory stimuli to nonordinary states of consciousness (NSCs), entrainment-the brainwave synchronization through periodic external stimuli-has received particular attention. However, there is limited experimental evidence on this relationship, and the influence of certain personality traits that shape the strength of NSCs remains underexplored. In our study, 27 participants with no prior experience of rhythm-induced NSCs listened to 12 min of both rhythmic and nonrhythmic drum sounds. Following each type of stimulation, they engaged in cognitive tasks and reported their phenomenological experiences related to NSCs through questionnaires. Electroencephalography was employed to record brain activity, evaluating whether entrainment to the drum sounds affected both objective and subjective proxies of NSCs. Our findings show that higher trait absorption was associated with stronger experiences of disembodiment and spirituality during drumming listening. Also, rhythmic drum sounds increased experiences of unity compared to nonrhythmic ones, and for individuals with low trait absorption, it also increased spiritual experiences. These findings suggest that rhythm influences the characteristics of the resulting phenomenological experience.