Floating (psychological phenomenon)
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Floating, in a psychological context, means slipping (back) into altered states of mind. People who leave a cult or sect that emphasizes chanting, meditation, monotonous singing etc. in order to reach a trance-like state (such as Hare Krishna) often experience momentarily slipping back into such a state. This experience can be very disconcerting.
An ex-cult member describes it like this:
"Weeks after I left, I would suddenly feel spacy and hear the cult leader saying, 'You'll always come back. You are one with us. You can never separate.' I'd forget where I was, that I'm out now; I'd feel his presence and hear his voice. I got so frightened once that I slapped my face to make it stop."
[edit] References
- From Margaret Singer: Coming out of the Cults, Psychology Today, January 1979.
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