Consciousness and Its Altered States

Consciousness is considered one of the most important concepts in all of psychology. Early definition of psychology all consciousness everywhere, normal or abnormal, human or animal as the subject matter, which psychologists attempt to explain. William James described consciousness as a stream, or ever changing flow of awareness. Consciousness is divided into two broad areas: Waking consciousness Altered state of consciousness

Waking state of consciousness - includes a mixture of sensations from the outside world, sensations from the body, memories of the past, thoughts, feelings, perceptions and images, and expectations about the future that occur when we are awake and reasonably alert.

Altered state of consciousness (ASC) radical deviation from the overall pattern of functioning of the mind during the ordinary waking state of consciousness such that a new, overall pattern is superimposed on ones experiences.

The following are examples of altered states of consciousness or ways of inducing ASC: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Sleep Dream Hypnosis Meditation Psychoactive Drugs

Sleep Stages of Sleep When we are awake and alert, the EEG registers small and rapid brain waves that are called beta. As we close out eyes and as the muscles relax, the EEG changes to a pattern of slower and low-voltage alpha waves. It is during this twilight state that a falling or floating sensation is sometimes experienced.

Stage 1 This stage is characterized by a slowing of the heart rate and muscle relaxation. The EEG shows a pattern of irregular waves with some alpha. A person who is awakened at this stage may not be aware of having slept at all.

Stage 2 This stage is defined by the appearance of bursts of brain waves called sleep spindles. The sleeping person is quite unresponsive to external stimuli , and thus, is hard to awaken.

Stage 3 Large-amplitude slow brain waves called delta begin to appear in this stage. Delta waves signal deeper sleep. During this period, there is greater muscle relaxation, and heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, and body temperature continue to drop.

Stage 4 The EEG pattern of this stage is marked by the appearance of more delta waves. This is when the sleeper experiences the deepest sleep of all.

Sleep Problems and Disturbances One common sleep problem afflicts many people is insomnia. Insomnia is characterized by difficulty in falling asleep, frequent nighttime awakenings, waking too early, or any combination of these. Sleep problem remedies: Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Avoid stimulants such as coffee or cigarettes. Instead, drink warm milk and eat other foods which are high in tryptophan (tryptophan is an amino acid which greatly helps in inducing sleep). Learn how to relax before going to sleep. This can be done through a simple relaxation exercise, like progressive muscle relaxation, or meditation. Dont go to bed too full or too hungry. Exercise regularly, but not before bedtime. Do not fight insomnia. Instead of forcing the self to sleep, get out of bed and engage in some activity. Go back to bed only when you feel sleepy again.

Narcolepsy is characterized by an uncontrollable tendency to fall asleep. Apnea characterized by breathing difficulty and even cessation of breathing while the person is asleep

Dreams Dream Theories and Interpretations Mans primary interest in dreams stems from the belief of many that they may play a significant role in our lives. Calvin Hall, a noted authority on dreams, analyzed over 10,000 dreams and found that most dreams are extensions of everyday experiences. Many psychologists, like Freud and Perls, believe that dreams carry personal meanings. They propose different approaches to dream interpretation. The archetype of the Wise Old Man can also be used to analyze dreams.

Sigmund Freud Freud referred to dreams as the royal road to the unconscious. He believed that dreams represent repressed wishes. A not-so-intelligent student may dream of getting excellent marks, or a hungry street child may dream of a sumptuous meal. Not all wish fulfillment, however, is expressed directly in dreams. Conflicts and desires, which are perceived as threatening, such as sex and aggression, are expressed in disguised form. This is when the dreamer should pay more attention to the latent rather that the manifest content of the dream. Latent content is the hidden thought/desire/conflict that is indirectly expressed through the dream. Manifest content is the remembered content of the dream. Most common Freudian interpretation and their symbols: 1. Parents emperors, empresses, kings, queens, (i.e., dreams of emperors, etc. symbolize parents) 2. Children (brothers and sisters) small animals 3. Birth water 4. Death journey 5. Male genitals sticks, umbrellas, poles, trees, anything elongated, pointed weapons of all sorts. 6. Female genitalia pits, hollow caves, jars, bottles, doors, ships, chests 7. Breasts apples, peaches

Fritz Perls Perls, the originator or Gestalt therapy, considered most dreams a special message about whats missing in our lives, what we avoid doing, or feelings that need to be renowned. He called dreams the royal road to integration. The approach that Perls found helpful in interpreting dreams is to ask the dreamer to take the part of or speak for each of the characters and objects in the dream.

Hypnosis The discovery of hypnosis dates back to the 1780s in Europe when Anton Mesmer, a Viennese physician, cured his patients by putting them into trance-like states. Mesmer lived at a time when magnetism and electricity were new and exiting physical forces, and people still believed that the stars and planets radiated magnetic fluids. The name hypnosis was given by James Braid, a Scottish physician in 1842. He took the term from the Greek word Hypnos that mean sleep (Hypnos was the Greek god of sleep).

Theories of Hypnosis 1. The French neurologists Jean Charrot suggested that hypnosis is a sign of hysteria and classified it as a neurological disturbance. 2. James Braid and Ivan Pavlov believed that hypnosis is a form of sleep. 3. Martin Orne defined hypnosis as mostly a matter of highly motivated role-playing. 4. A psychoanalytic theory viewed hypnosis as state of partial regression in which the subject lacks the controls present in mature waking consciousness and therefore acts impulsively and engages in fantasy production. 5. Ernest Hilgard theorized that under hypnosis a kind of split in consciousness occurs. There is second part of the hypnotized subjects awareness, which monitors everything that happens during hypnosis. This detached witness is called the hidden observer. 6. Bulatao defined hypnosis as the shifting of ones mental gears from the active to the passive mode of mind and by that very face setting up a state of consciousness which has been called the subjective mind. The Hypnotic Experience In hypnosis, there is a hypnotist who tries to induce trance in a willing and cooperative subject. Hypnotized subjects are highly responsive to suggestions. Post hypnotic amnesia can also be induced, as when subjects are told that they will not remember anything that happened under hypnosis. Eight people out of 10 can be hypnotized, but only four out of 10 will make good hypnotic subjects.

Meditation There are various forms of meditation, each of which has its own technique for inducing an altered state of consciousness. In Zen meditation, which considered a traditional form of meditation, the meditator is asked to focus on breathing. In transcendental meditation (TM), a somewhat commercialized form of meditation, the teacher (of TM) selects for the student-meditator a mantra. A mantra is a special word or sound, which the meditator chants and repeats over and over to produce a shift in consciousness. Examples of mantras are Om and Om mani padme hum. Whatever is the form of meditation that is used, the expected physiological effects are the same. Meditation lowers the rate of metabolism, blood pressure, muscles tension, heart rate, and respiratory rates. Alpha brain waves, which are associated with a relaxed practice meditation do so mainly for relaxation. Benson, however, has shown that techniques other than the use of a mantra can also produca a similar state of relaxation. Subjects in his experiments were able to achieve the so-called relaxation response by simply following in his instructions. Aside from physiological benefits, people who practice meditation also report certain psychological and spiritual gains. These are feelings of euphoria, a sense of well-being, peace of mind, feeling of being at peace with the world, a sense of timelessness, and expanded awareness.

Psychoactive Drugs Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that are capable of altering or changing behaviors, moods, and perceptions. The resultins alteration in consciousness depends on the specific biochemical action of the drug on the nervous system. While some drugs, for example, have stimulating properties, some have the opposite effect of depressing neural activities. Psychoactive drugs are usually classified as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Depressants alcohol, barbituarates, mild tranquilizers (e.g. Valium) Stimulants caffeine, nicotine, amphetamine, shabu Hallucinogens LSD Cannabis marijuana Opiates morphine, heroin The properties and effects of each of the above will be discussed in some detail.

Depressants Depressants, also referred to as downers, are chemicals that depress the central nervous system, thus, slowing down behavior and cognitive processes.

Alcohol is the most widely used depressant probably because it is viewed by many as an integral part of social life. It is so popular that many users no longer consider it as a drug. The first few sips of alcohol bring about feelings of relaxation and make the drinker feel less inhibited in social situations. After a few more drinks, however, the effects of alcohol as a depressant become evident. Sensory and moto functions become impaired, and speech becomes slurred. Some drinkers become aggressive, while others tends to keep silent. Many have experienced a blackout i.e., an inability to remember any of the events that occurred while intoxicated. Continued heavy intake of alcohol can lead to addiction to alcohol, or alcoholism. An alcoholic drinks compulsively and continuously, and eats infrequently. Long-term abuse can cause cirrhosis of the live, kidney damage, high blood pressure, stroke, ulcers, and cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach. Some psychological effects that have been noted are anxiety, insomnia, and depression. The cost of alcohol abuse is indeed high. In addition to the negative physical and psychological effects, alcohol use has also been associated with aggression, hostility, and abusive behavior. For example, many automobile accidents are alcohol-related, and so are many cases of domestic violence. Barbituarates, sometimes called sleeping pills, depress neural activity. They include such medication as Amytal, Nembutal, and Seconal. They are used to calm the nerves and to put a person to sleep. An overdose of barbituarates can cause coma or death. It is said that the Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe died of barbituarate overdose. Mild or minor tranquilizers include the widely used drug Valium. It is often prescribed to reduce tension and anxiety. However, intakes of this anti-anxiety medication in non-monitored doses can lead to addiction.

Stimulants Stimulants, or uppers, are drugs that stimulate the symphatetic nervous system and produce feelings of boundless energy.s These drugs have the general effects of making users more physically and mentaly active. Caffeine, nicotine, and amphetamines belong to this category. Caffeine, is probably the most widely used of all the psychoactive drugs. It is found if coffee, tea, many soft drinks (the colas), chocolate, cocoa. Many drugs, like cold remedies and aspirin products, also contain caffeine. It is generally considered a benign drug, but large doses (such as five or six cups of strong coffee a day) may cause caffeinism or coffee nerves. Symptoms include anxiety, headaches, heart palpitations, insomnia, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and elevated body temperature. Nicotine is a stimulant that occurs naturally in tobacco. It is also a very popular drug, as can be gauged by the number of smokers around us. It is highly addictive, which is why smokers find it extermely difficult to quit. Withdrawal from nicotine causes nervousness, insomnia, drowsiness, headaches, irritability, sweating, cramps, digestive upset, and an intense craving for nicotine. The health risk of smoking is well known. This is not surprising considering that a burning cigarette releases more

than 6800 different chemicals, many of which are carcinogens (or cancer-causing substances). Longterm physical effects of nicotine addiction include increased risk of lung cancer as well as cardiovascular diseases. Amphetamines, known coloquially as pep pills or bennies, are usually taken to increase alertness and general arousal. People use them for various reasons, such as to stay awake, to boost selfconfidence, and even to lose weight. It is important to understand, though, that amphetamines do not magically supply energy but they speed the expenditure of bodily resources. When the amphetamine high wears off, users may experience uncontrolled irritability and aggression, terrifying nightmares, and depression. Long-term abuse may lead to liver disease, hypertensive disorders, and even cerebral hemorrhage. Another possible effect is amphetamine psychosis, so called because it is similar to paranoid schizophrenia. Those who s uffer from this condition experience persecutory delusions and hallucinations. Shabu or metamphetamine hydrochloride was formulated in Germany in the 1930s. For the past 10 years, this synthetic stimulant substance has become one of the most widely used drugs in the country. In fact, in a 1996 study conducted by The for the National Youth commision, shabu was found to be the top drug abuse in 1992, 1993, and 1995. Just like the other stimulants, shabu can make the user fully awake and extremely alert for as long as 24 to 36 hours. It is said that one can play a guitar or dance for 10 hours non-stop without getting tired. It is also known to prolong ones sexual appetite. However, there are undesirable physical effects, which include loss of appetite, diarrhea, profuse sweating, and intestinal or acidic attacks. Addiction to shabu is more psychological than physical, i.e., it is the mind that craves for it. Paranoia is one psychological effect of long-term abuse of this drug.

Hallucinogens Hallucinogens or psychedelics are drugs that even in small doses can distort perceptual experiences by acting on the areas of the brain which are responsible for making sense of sensory messages. They produce visual, auditory, and tactile effects that resemble hallucinations, thus, the term hallucinogen. Many of these drugs occur naturally in mushroom or fungi. However, LSD, one of the most popular psychedelic drugs, is and artificial chemical substance. LSD, for lysergic acid diethylamide or simply acid, was first made in 1938, but it was not until five years later when its hallucinatory effects were accidentaly discovered by the scientists who had the first synthesized it. In the 1960s. LSD became popular as a street drug and became associated with the hippie movement. LSD users report both pleasant and unpleasant experiences. Some have vivid hallucinations of sounds and colors. Others talk about mystical or semireligious/spiritual experiences. However, anyone can have a bad trip, or a frightening reaction to LSD. Flashbacks, or recurrences of hallucination that occur weeks after ingesting the drug, are also relatively common. Loss of reality orientation, which usually leads to a panic state, has made some LSD users jump from high places to their deaths.

Cannabis Unlike the three main categories of depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens, which through the terms used, will readily give way and described the properties of the drugs that fall under them, cannabis is the name of the plant from which the psychoactive drug marijuana is produced. Cannabis sativa is a plant that is found in abundance in many parts of the world, the Philippines included. Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant. Records have it that marijuana is cultivated in China as long as 5000 years ago. It has been used in Greece and India for centuries. It was only in this century when it became popular in the United States. There was a time when it was used for its medicinal value like aspirin. The more recent statistics on drug use in the US indicate that marijuana us the fourth most popular drug among students, after alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. In the Philippines, a 1974 study commisioned by the Narcotics Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. revealed that marijuana was the most commonly abused drug. For the period 1983-1990, it ranked second, and then again became the top drug of abused in 1991 and 1994. The active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), shares some properties with hallucinogens like LSD, but is less potent. This is why marijuana is also considered a mild hallucinogen. The marijuana high is usually characterized general euphoria, a sense of well-being, and relaxation. However, not all marijuana experiences are pleasant. A number of users report anxiety, fearfulness, confusion, and irritability, distortions of time and space, and even depression. Results of various investigations also revealed that frequent use of marijuana could disrupt memory functions and learning. Like shabu, marijuana fosters psychological than physical dependencies. Aside from the pleasant effects that it produces, marijuana is very popular because of its availability and probably due to inconclusive reports about its potential dangers. To this day, no one can say whith certainty to what extent marijuana is harmful. There is still a lot that needs to be learned about the effects of this drug.

Opiates Opiates are drugs that induce feeling of euphoria, well-being, and relaxation, but they are known for their painkilling properties. They diminish physical sensation and the capacity to respond to stimuli by depressing the central nervous system. These chemical substances are either derived from opium, the juice of the opium poppy, or are synthetically produced. It is believed that opium has been in use for more than 6000 years now. Two of the most widely used opiates are morphine and heroin. Morphine was first synthesized from opium in 1806. Just like any other opiates, it reduces or kill the experience of pain by blocking neural transmission in the brains pain center. Morphine is thus medically useful as an analgesic. However,the temporary relief from pain that it provides it outweighed by its harmful effects. Morphine is very addictive, and withdrawal from it brings about convulsions, feeling of depression, and extereme sensitivity from pain. These symptoms can be explained by finding that regular use of morphine inhibits the production of endorphines, the bodys natural painkillers. It

takes some time for the brain to start producing endorphins again after the user stops taking the drug. In the meantime, the body is left with practically no defense against the experience of pain. Heroin is also a chemical derivative of opium, which was first synthesized in 1898 (92 years after morphine was produced). It was originally meant to replace morphine and cure mophine addiction. As a refinement of opium, it is more powerful than morphine as a painkiller. However, it is now known that heroin is more addictive and dangerous. For users to sustain the intensely pleasurable sensations that the drug induces, they usually resort to increasing the dosage and injecting it under the skin or into a vein. Withdrawal from heroin results in a host of physical pains and discomforts like profuse sweating, chills, stomach cramps, vomiting, headaches, hot flakes, diarrhea, and conclusive shaking. Heroin is much more dangerous than other psychoactive drugs because death from an overdose is always a possibility. This chapter on consciousness will not be complete without a discussion of certain phenomena, which are collectively referred to as psi.