Trance Formation

by Robin Sylvan

Robin Sylvan combines colorful firsthand accounts, extensive interviews with ravers, and cutting edge scholarly analysis to paint a compelling portrait of global rave culture as an important new religious and spiritual phenomenon that also serves as a template for mapping the future evolution of new forms of religion and spirituality in the twenty-first century.

Genres: Spirituality

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2005

Reviews

[Pelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the beginning at the end bit too much of the same

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

This must have been Ms. Sylvan's thesis or dissertation, because it doesn't read like a book. Basically, it's a series of interviews & vignettes around personal experiences of spirituality among ravers primarily on the West Coast of the US & Canada. If you are doing research into modern spiritual movements, this could be a valuable addition to your reading list. It does offer a detailed and thoughtful look at the spiritual dimensions of the subculture, a topic not really covered by some of the more well-known "rave history" books (e.g. Altered States).

However, the prose style is somewhat disjointed, and the anecdotes are not terribly engaging for the non-raver. It's not a book I would recommend for casual reading, or as an introduction to rave culture for the non-academic. Additionally, looking at it specifically as a research work, it could have been improved greatly by adding a more global perspective. Although the author mentions going to events overseas, it appeared that the bulk of her research was conducted within a very small cohort of West Coast ravers. Though her results are unique and worthwhile, the small scope limits the value and applicability of the work.

I'd hoped this book would be the One that I gave to friends who don't seem to get why I still like to go out in the woods and dance. Unfortunately, it isn't. I'll keep it on my bookshelf, though, to use as a reference.

[Oli101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This works as a great introduction to the spirituality found in the world wide rave scene. Its gives both the insider and outside perspective with a lot of unique interviews along the way.