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Altered States of Consciousness Sleep, Dreams, Hypnosis, and Drugs

Altered States of Consciousness Sleep, Dreams, Hypnosis, and Drugs. What is consciousness?. It is a state of awareness of one’s feelings, sensations, ideas and perceptions. What is an altered state of Consciousness?. Consciousness is a continuum ranging from alertness to unconsciousness.

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Altered States of Consciousness Sleep, Dreams, Hypnosis, and Drugs

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  1. Altered States of ConsciousnessSleep, Dreams, Hypnosis, and Drugs

  2. What is consciousness? • It is a state of awareness of one’s feelings, sensations, ideas and perceptions

  3. What is an altered state of Consciousness? • Consciousness is a continuum ranging from alertness to unconsciousness. • Altered states of consciousness include sleep, hypnosis, inebriation, daydreaming and meditation

  4. Why do people sleep? • Scientists are not sure exactly why, but… • Protection • evolutionary • Recuperation • body and brain • Memory • Shed unimportant info, strengthen important info • Growth • Growth hormone – babies sleep more

  5. What happens as you go to sleep? • Your body temperature drops. • Your pulse rate drops • Your breathing becomes shallow • You will enter into 5 stages of sleep  90 minutes

  6. Stage 1 • Slowed breathing, irregular brain waves (typical of unremembered moments) • Hallucinations – sensory experiences that occur without sensory stimuli • feeling of free falling to be awoken by a jerk

  7. Stage 2 • 20 minutes into sleep cycle • Periodic appearance of sleep spindles (bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain wave activity)

  8. Stage 3 • Lasts only several minutes • Begin to produce large delta waves – the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep • Hard to awaken

  9. Stage 4 • Combined with stage 3 to last about 30 minutes • Delta waves – deep sleep • Hard to awaken • At the end, sleepwalking or wetting the bed may occur

  10. REM Sleep • REM sleep – rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur • Occurs about an hour into sleep cycles • Ascend through stages 3 and 2 from stage 4 • Sharp, short brain waves – look like waves of stage 1

  11. REM Sleep • Heart rate rises, breathing quickens and becomes irregular, eyes dart around behind the lids • Motor cortex is active, but blocks movement messages – essentially paralyzed – paradoxical sleep • Hard to awaken • Gets longer throughout the night (accounts for 20-25% of a night’s sleep) • Easier to immediately slip into if awoken towards the morning • Hallucinatory dreams/nightmares – vivid, story-like

  12. Insomnia • Recurring trouble falling/staying asleep

  13. Sleep Apnea • Frequent cessations (stopping) of breathing in the night. • This occurs for 10-15 seconds until the increased level of CO2 triggers the breathing response – don’t remember waking up. • Those affected may be listless, sleepy and irritable during the day. • Caused by enlarged tonsils, infections or obesity

  14. Narcolepsy • A condition characterized by suddenly falling into REM sleep. • Underproduction of neurotransmitters that signal alertness • It can be treated and controlled with medications.

  15. Night Terrors • Occur during Stage 4 sleep • Lasts 5-25 minutes • No memories of events by the sleeper • Mainly children

  16. Dreams • Mental activity that takes place during sleep • 6 yrs/lifetime • The vast majority of dreaming takes place during REM sleep. • Motor cortex suppressed. • Lucid dreaming – awareness of dreaming while dreaming ( Pablo Picasso – The Dream)

  17. Why Dream - Theories • To satisfy unconscious wishes (Freud) • Manifest content – the remembered storyline of a dream • Latent content – the underlying meaning of a dream • Unconscious drives and wishes that would be threatening if expressed directly • Freud – dreams are the key to understanding the unconscious • Modern scientists – No proof; everyone can interpret dreams differently

  18. Why Dream - Theories Information processing (to file away memories) To develop/preserve neural pathways. Activation synthesis theory (to make sense of neural static) To reflect cognitive development.

  19. Hypnosis • A social interaction in which one person (hypnotist) suggests to another (subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur • SNL Hypnotist • Power of hypnosis lies in the subject’s openness to suggestion

  20. Can hypnosis be therapeutic? Yes – has alleviated headaches, skin disorders, asthma No – does not seem to helpaddictions to alcohol, drugs, or tobacco – some claims refute this

  21. Meditation • Focusing attention on a word, phrase, or thought with a goal of clearing the mind and producing relaxation and inner peace.

  22. Drugs and Addiction • Psychoactive drugs – substances that alter human consciousness • Addiction– craving of substance to feel normal (mental or physical) • Drugs can distort perception, change moods, and cause people to see/hear things that are not real.

  23. Depressants • Slow CNS activity • Alcohol • Intoxication = drunkenness • Narcotics – relieve pain/induce sleep • Morphine, heroine, codeine  opium poppy plant • Withdrawal symptoms – tremors, cramps, chills, rapid heartbeat, insomnia, vomiting

  24. Stimulants • Increase CNS activity • Caffeine • Nicotine • Spurs adrenaline • Amphetamines (meth, cocaine, Ecstasy) • Reduce appetite, increase alertness • Withdrawal symptoms – “crash,” depression, weight gain, headaches, insomnia

  25. Hallucinogens • Produces hallucinations (pleasure or panic; time distortions) • Marijuana (THC) • LSD (acid) • Unpredictable results • Flashbacks in the future

  26. Treatment • Detoxification – removal of the harmful substance from the body; weaning addicts off drugs • Maintenance programs (less dangerous forms of drugs) • Ex: Methadone for opioid abuse • Counseling • Support groups

  27. SYSK - Hypnosis • What are some characteristics of hypnosis/hypnotic state? • What was hypnosis first known as (term)? • Hypnotism is believed to be a way to tap into what? • What kind of state does the subject need to be in to allow the hypnotist access to the subconscious? • As seen from EEG studies, what kind of brain waves appear during hypnosis? • During hypnosis, which hemisphere of the brain appears more active? Why? • Describe the hypnosis technique coined "progressive relaxation and imagery." • Explain the association between hypnosis and the placebo effect. • OPINION: If hypnosis is basically the placebo effect in action, can it be considered a) a positive treatment for illnesses/addictions or b) as credible testimony in legal cases/forensic studies?

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