"I guess that depends on what you mean by "state," which is of course a nominalized array of activities (which are other nominalizations, of course).  In my definition, any combination of states blends into one.  But if you can describe a state of being in more than one state at a time, I'm all ears (or eyes)." Maybe its easier to imagine two contradictory states at one time, you feel both like:  fear and trust.. You don't know which one state is correct or preferable (if just having one state is preferable under the circumstances).  Feeling both emotional states in your brain, perhaps different regions might seem like a great degree of internal incongruity, but it could be the experience of two different states at the same time.  Alternatively you might decided to label both feelings as one unique type of state?  As you say, it depends on your particular definition of a "state".