The present paper aims to investigate the concentration exercise of Socrates' noûs (synnoésis), a "meditative state" described by Plato in the Symposium "174 d- 175 d" and "220 c-d". For this, after establishing the limits of possible research on the historical Socrates, we proceed to compare the content of the Platonic passages with allusions by Xenophon and Aristophanes to the Socratic custom (ethos) in question. Then, in the theoretical reference selected as a study base, the main theses about the Socratic practice are analyzed, with emphasis on those that deal with "spiritual exercise", "trance" or "ecstasy", among others. Examining some ancient practices that may, or may not, have had an influence on Socrates' ethos. Finally, the interpretative position reached is presented, with the hypothesis of a "pre-platonic contemplation".
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