In various religious traditions, adherents have sought heightened states through experiences termed
ecstasies. In the ancient Greek Dionysian mysteries, for instance, initiates employed intoxicants and intense dancing to achieve an ecstatic state. Today’s charismatic Christians practice “being slain in the spirit” whereby they may speak in tongues or engage in other unusual behaviors.
In Roman Catholic traditions, those called “mystics” have been distinguished from ordinary saints by their ecstasies, or personal experiences with God. Ecstasy occurs in what is popularly thought to be a “trance,” an altered state of consciousness in which one seeks to heighten perception, frequently experiencing several associated effects.