The Gifts of Non-Ordinary Reality
My intention with this cuentito is to explain the world of trance from a curandera/shamanic perspective. Trance is often viewed solely as a strange, mystical experience, but what most people don’t know is that we as humans have accessed trance since prehistoric times, and trance/hypnosis is also recognized within the field of psychology. “Highway hypnosis” is a real thing—we’ve all had moments where we suddenly arrive home but completely “lose time” during the drive. If you’ve experienced dissociation from trauma, you have most likely entered a state of trance or self-hypnosis. You’ve probably also heard old tropes of people using hypnosis to stop smoking or ease the process of giving birth—these uses are true, but they represent only a tiny slice of the vast world of trance.
One of my non-ordinary portals is a large temazcal (sweat lodge). A temazcal is a place of transformation, also conducive to trance in ordinary reality :).
I often refer to the spirit world and its infinite depth as non-ordinary reality. Non-ordinary reality is a dimension of existence that one can access through trance, shamanic skills, and/or psychoactive plantitas. I discovered that I had a gift for trance and hypnosis when I was 23, during a graduate course on clinical hypnosis. Since then, with practice, I have been able to enter trance within seconds, stepping into a vibrant and diverse landscape filled with different worlds, creatures, mystical beings, and deities. I often enter these realms within my dreams, as well. In many ways, both ordinary and non-ordinary reality echo what quantum physics speculates—that consciousness shapes perception, that we exist within an entangled interconnectedness, and that there is a quantum “field” we can access through the mind. The first time I heard the term non-ordinary reality was as a teenager, when I read Carlos Castaneda’s book A Separate Reality, a memoir of his experiences with Don Juan Matus, a Yaqui shaman. Many have questioned the veracity of Castaneda’s accounts, but in some ways it doesn’t matter whether Don Juan existed in ordinary reality—non-ordinary reality itself was the point.
If you read my cuentitos, you’ll notice how often I describe my trance states and the wisdom imparted to me within these separate fields and worlds. Non-ordinary reality is where I can communicate with my spiritual guides and ancestors, experience the divine through transfiguration, and—with permission—travel into others’ spiritual fields to help them integrate parts that split off during times of great trauma, or susto. Within Mexica/Aztec cosmology, the foundation of non-ordinary reality consists of three realms: the Underworld (not as frightening as it sounds), the Middle World (a realm that resembles ordinary reality but includes overlapping experiences of time, place, and identity), and the Upper World (where angels and spiritual guides, no longer tied to the Middle World, often reside).
When I close my eyes, I am immediately transported to one of several primary Middle World portals. As I enter, I am given information about the purpose of my journey. Sometimes I begin with a clear intention, traveling to a specific world to gather insight; other times, I allow my guides to show me what I need to understand in that moment. I must set my ego aside and humbly witness what is being revealed.
This photo of the Mictla caves in Oaxaca reminds me of non-ordinary reality—entering a vast, deeply spiritual place
What “love and light” spiritual spaces often overlook is that while the energetic field can be a place of beauty, validation, and divine connection, it is also a realm that compels you to confront your trauma, your shadows, and the ways you may be harming yourself or others. You know you are truly in the field when your guides do not mince words—when you are taken on a path that is wild, sometimes painful, and deeply transformative: a repeated cycle of death, rebirth, and becoming. As I write this, I recognize that even after deep soul excavation, I am not nearly finished. This is lifelong work—one of honest reflection, exploration, and emotional depth. Still, I have become familiar enough with these worlds to enter them with openness and even excitement, trusting that my growth supports not only myself, but those I serve as a healer.
I have always found it difficult to describe non-ordinary reality to those who haven’t experienced it. I can understand how strange, even unbelievable, it may sound. Part of the challenge is that I am using my analytical, language-based mind to describe something that is felt primarily through the heart and spirit. Yet I feel deeply called to live as a nepantlera (see my cuentito on Nepantla), an in-between being, a bridge between worlds. And so I continue, doing my best to translate what is often beyond words.
Non-ordinary reality can look much like our own reality, with beautiful landscapes of the “middle world”
Setting aside the analytical mind is not easy—it is the lens most people rely on. Even within trance, I have to remind myself not to question what I see. For example, I once journeyed for a friend to retrieve lost soul parts. While traveling with her child self to find her adult self, we rode a beautiful pegasus through the clouds. In the moment, my analytical mind interrupted: “What? That’s strange. I’ve never seen a pegasus in my trances before. Am I seeing this correctly?” I had to sharply quiet that voice and remind myself that everything in the spiritual field can appear in unexpected ways. Later, when I shared the journey with my friend, she told me that as a child she had a beloved toy pegasus and a deep love for Greek mythology.
This is the magic of non-ordinary reality. Sometimes what seems nonsensical in the moment reveals itself as deeply meaningful later.
How does this relate to you? If you are also sensitive to these realms, we can use our session time together to move in and out of trance, sharing the knowledge and insights that arise in non-ordinary reality to support your life in ordinary reality. If you are new to this work, and feel called, I may enter a light trance and share what I perceive. Sometimes what comes through is literal; other times it is symbolic. Sometimes it resonates immediately, and sometimes its meaning unfolds days or even months later. This, too, is part of the magic. Your guides will only reveal what you are ready to receive—no more, no less. I understand these moments as gentle spiritual nudges from beyond the visible world.
I love the world of non-ordinary reality and I love sharing its gifts with friends, family, and clients. For me, this work is not about escaping reality, but about deepening our relationship to it—about remembering that there are many layers to our existence, all of them alive, energetic, and interconnected. When we allow ourselves to step into non-ordinary reality with openness and respect, we begin to see that healing, insight, and transformation are always available to us. And in that remembering, we return to ourselves in a deeper, more expansive way.