Characteristics of Altered States of Consciousness

1. Characteristics of Altered States of Consciousness

2. Characteristics of Altered States of Consciousness • Most people spend about two thirds of the day in normal waking consciousness. • When a person notices their level of mental functioning changing they are usually entering an altered state of consciousness.

3. Altered States of Consciousness • The term altered state of consciousness refers to any state of consciousness which is distinctively different in level of awareness and experience from NWC, in terms of level of awareness and experience, the quality and intensity of sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and memories that are experienced. • In an ASC mental processing shows distinct changes specific to that particular state.

4. Altered States of Consciousness • Some ASC’s are natural – sleep & dreaming • Others are purposely induced – meditation, hypnosis, drug taking • Humans induce ASC for relaxation, therapy, or escapism from pressures in their lives • Common characteristics of ASC’s: -Distortions of perception & cognition, -Disturbed sense of time, -Changes in emotional feeling, changes in self control

5. 1. Distortions in perception and cognition An ASC seems to have two effects on the senses- it either makes them more receptive or dulls them so that some sensations are not experienced at all. Some drugs heighten sensory experience ie, colours seem brighter, tastes and smells stronger, sounds louder or more variable, and touch more sensitive, whereas meditation can dull our experience of pain.

6. Distortions in perception • Perceptions are often so distorted in an ASC that people may lose their sense of identity (who they are) or experience the feeling of being outside their body or someone else entirely. This can occur with the use of the drug Ketamine.

7. Ketamine & Out of body Experiences • What Is Ketamine? Ketamine is an anesthetic used on both animals and humans; it also has been used in human medicine for pediatric burn cases and dentistry, and in experimental psychotherapy. It is being abused by an increasing number of young people as a "club drug," and is often distributed at "raves" and parties.

8. Distortions in Cognition • Thought processes are often more disorganised during a waking ASC, as well as during dreaming. • In an ASC: -thinking is often illogical and lacking in sequence -difficulties may be experienced in problem-solving -people may have trouble remembering events that have occurred in an ASC. • When consuming alcohol people are often unable to recall the events that occurred while intoxicated. • Marijuana use can also impair short term memory and thinking.

9. Meditation & Cancer Meditation specialists believe visualisation and guided meditation can help cancer sufferers gradually remove cancer.

10. 2. Disturbed sense of time • Estimation of time is frequently distorted in an ASC • Time passes at a different speed than normal • Either faster – Eg sleeping for 8 hours and it feels like 30 mins or vice versa

11. Think… • Have you ever seen a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs, who has shown completely different emotional responses that they normally would?

12. 3. Changes in emotional awareness • ASC’s can put peoples emotions into a state of turmoil resulting in uncharacteristic responses • Eg. Under the influence of alcohol some people display their feelings/emotions more freely while others can become quite aggressive

13. In other ASC’s people have reported feeling emotionless; that is having no feelings at all. • In some ASC’s people may have inappropriate emotional reactions. Eg. laughing at hearing the news of a friends death or crying at a joke.

14. Think! • Have you ever witnessed someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs who has shown a complete lack of self control?

15. 4. Changes in self-control • Changes in our ability to maintain self-control are often evident during ASC’s • Eg. In an alcohol induced state people may have difficulty coordinating and controlling movements (stumbling). • In a hypnotic state, some people are more open to suggestion.

16. STATES WITHIN ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

17. Daydreaming • Daydreaming is an ASC in which we shift our attention from external stimuli to internal, thoughts, feelings and imagined scenarios. • The shift occurs naturally and usually without being aware. • More likely to occur when you are stationary than when you are moving around. • Different from a night dream physiologically- minimal eye movement and alpha waves present.

18. Daydreaming • There are many proposed purposes for daydreaming such as: • Freud believed it was to allow us to do in our fantasies what we are unable to do in reality. • Singer (1975) proposed that daydreaming enables us to mentally try out a range of courses of action that could be applied to certain situations. • He also suggested it can help us to solve problems. • Some suggest we daydream to stay mentally alert in situations in which there is insufficient external stimulation.

19. Alcohol-induced state • What is alcohol? Usually refers to drinks such as beer, wine or spirits containing ethyl alcohol- a substance that can cause drunkenness and changes in consciousness, mood and emotions. Ethyl alcohol requires no digestion and seeps into the bloodstream via the gastrointestinal tract.

20. Alcohol is considered a psychoactive drug. These are chemicals that change conscious awareness, perception or moods. • Alcohol is also classified as a depressant meaning that although it initially produces a mild euphoria, it lessons our inhibitions and depresses the activity of the brain centers. • Effects depend on the concentration of alcohol consumed, the amount, and variables related to the individual.

21. The effects of alcohol on consciousness: • a shortened attention span • impaired perceptions • impaired thinking • impaired memory • slower reaction times • reduced self-awareness • impaired emotional awareness • impaired perception of time • less self-control • difficulty with voluntary muscle control and fine movements • deterioration in performance of complex tasks Table 2.4 pg 120

22. Practising meditation • The experience of pain is less intense and meditation can provide relief from pain in some cases. • Brainwaves experienced in meditation are similar to those people experience when falling asleep or when they are actually asleep.

23. Meditative state • Many forms such as yoga, Zen and transcendental meditation each of which has its basis in Eastern religion like Buddhism and Hinduism. • Meditation involves the use of a technique to deliberately alter NWC in order to induce an ASC characterised by a deep state of relaxation. • It typically involves altering the normal flow of conscious thoughts by focusing on a simple stimulus like breathing or a body part.

24. Measuring states of consciousness Can you think of how we measure states of consciousness?

25. Measuring physiological responses of consciousness • A state of consciousness cannot be measured directly like physical characteristics. • It is because of this that it is called a psychological construct. • A psychological construct is a concept used to describe something that is believed to exist, but that cannot be directly observed or measured.

26. Measuring states of consciousness • 1. Self-report: limited because subjective: individuals may- • be dishonest, • struggle to articulate, • forget details • 2.Behavioural observations: limited because can’t observe inside the body

27. Measuring states of consciousness SO! Psychologists usually rely on measuring… • 3. Physiological responses: Useful as objective. Limited: may indicate illness or multiple ASCs • Heart rate: ASC usually ↓, e.g. sleep; can ↑, e.g. stimulant drugs • GSR: positive correlation with arousal • Body temperature: drops ~1°C during sleep, high temps (e.g. fever) can induce ASC • EEG: electrical activity within the brain is graphed

28. 1. EEG

29. Electrical Activity of the Brain • Brain wave patterns form EEG readings. Vary in: Frequency – brainwaves per second Amplitude – size of the peaks and troughs High Frequency Low Amplitude

30. Electrical Activity of the Brain The size and number of brain waves change with different states of consciousness: • Normal waking consciousness – Beta waves: High frequency, Low amplitude (Ie. Lots of waves but not very high) • Extremely relaxed – Alpha waves: High Frequency, Larger amplitude • Early stages of sleep – Theta waves: Medium frequency, Some high amplitude • Deep Sleep – Delta waves: Low Frequency, High amplitude

31. Remember! • B (wide awake) • A • T • D (fast asleep)

32. Remember! Beta: Busy Brain – awake & alert Alpha: Almost Asleep – resting Theta: They’re asleep Delta: Deep Sleep – also know as slow wave sleep

33. Brain Waves Patterns

34. 2. Heart Rate • May increase or decrease in an ASC. • While a person is asleep, unconscious or meditating, heart rate is likely to decrease. • When a person is experiencing ASC’s associated with the use of substances that are stimulants, heart rate is likely to increase.

35. 3. Body Temperature • Body temperature is less variable than heart rate; however there is a general pattern indicating changes in body temperature in altered states. • The most obvious change is during sleep; body temperature drops by more than 1°C while asleep.

36. 4. Galvanic Skin Response • The theory is that; the more relaxed you are the dryer your skin is and so the higher the skins electrical resistance. When you are under stress your hand sweats and then the resistance goes down.

37. 3. Galvanic Skin Response • The galvanic skin response is a physiological response that indicates the change in the resistance of the skin to an electrical current. • Electrical conductivity increases as physiological arousal increases. • To measure the GSR electrodes are attached to the finger or the palm of the hand as these areas have less hair.

38. The electrodes enable detection and measurement of how easily the electrical current passes through the skin. • Changes in the GSR are closely associated with emotional experiences. • An individual may show high arousal (and thus less resistance) when stressed in an exam (NWC) or when on drugs (ASC). Thus, GSC can not be used solely as an indication of what state of consciousness a person is in.

39. Using one form of measure can be misleading as anxiety or illness can change the measure and may not reflect the actual state of consciousness. Experts therefore use a number of measures at one time including self reports.

40. ASC: Sleep Sleep is studied in a sleep lab

41. Sleep • During the altered states of consciousness associated with sleep, our awareness and our perception of ourselves and the events occurring around us differ from when we are awake and in a state of normal waking consciousness. • Just as there are different levels of awareness within NWC, when we sleep we also experience different states of consciousness. • Eg. When we dream while asleep we experience a distinctly different state of consciousness than that of when we are asleep but not dreaming.

42. Sleep • Sleep can be described as a regularly occurring altered state of consciousness that typically occurs spontaneously and is primarily characterised by a loss of conscious awareness. • Although sleep usually occurs naturally it can sometimes be induced.

43. Sleep • Over a lifetime we spend about one third of our time asleep. • If we live to around 75 years of age we will spend about 25 years of that sleeping.

44. Methods used to study sleep • Most sleep research takes place in sleep laboratories. • These are often attached to hospitals. • The ‘bedroom’ is attached to a control room where the researchers will observe and monitor sleep patterns throughout the night.

45. Methods used to study sleep • Research participants go to sleep at their normal time and follow their normal routine before going to bed. • The laboratory is fitted with devices to monitor and record various physiological responses of the sleeper during the course of the night. • This is often called polysomnography. Polysomnography is an intensive study of a sleeping person involving simultaneous monitoring and recording of various physiological responses of the sleeper during the course of the night.

46. Methods used to study sleep • The main sources of data that provide information about a persons sleep patterns are: • Electrical activity of the brain • Information about eye movements • The body’s muscle tone or tension • Heart rate • Body temperature • Respiration • Video monitoring • Self-reports

47. Ways to study the physiology of sleep: • EEG: electroencephalogram: Record of changes in electrical potential in the brain. • EMG: electromyogram: record of muscle tension beneath the chin. • Electro-oculogram: record of spontaneous eye movement.

48. Ways to study sleep Electro=electrical impulse Gram=graph Each detects, measures, amplifies and records electrical activity in graph from. • EEG: electroencephalogramhalo=head=brain activity • EOG: electro-oculargram Ocular=optic=eye movement • EMG: electromyogram Myo=muscle activity Each term has same start and end. Use middle as cue.

49. EEG patterns during sleep An electroencephalograph (EEG) is a device that detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity that is spontaneously generated by the brain. EEG recordings show that as a person falls asleep, and throughout a typical sleep period, the brain produces distinguishable patterns of electrical activity called brain waves. EEGs discussed in terms of: • Amplitude – height or size of wave • Frequency –number of waves per second

50. EMG patterns during sleep • The electromyograph (EMG), is a device used to detect, amplify and record the electrical activity of muscles. • EMG recordings generally show the strength and electrical activity occurring in the muscles, which indicates changes in muscle activity (movement) and muscle tone (tension). • This information is obtained by attaching electrodes to the skin above the particular muscles whose activity is being monitored.