altered states of consciousness sleep, dreams, hypnosis, and drugs

ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESSSLEEP, DREAMS, HYPNOSIS, AND DRUGS

WHAT IS CONSCIOUSNESS?

The 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. Altered states of consciousness include sleep, hypnosis, inebriation, daydreaming, and meditation.

SLEEP – THE MOST COMMON ALTERED STATEScientists are not sure exactly why we must sleep, but possibly for…

• Protection • Evolutionary – rest during the night

to avoid dangers

• Recuperation • body and brain – muscles and

neurons• Memory

• Shed unimportant info, strengthen important info

• Growth• Growth hormone – babies sleep

more

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

STAGE 1Slowed 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

STAGE 220 minutes into sleep cyclePeriodic appearance of sleep spindles (bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain wave activity)

STAGE 3Lasts only several minutes

Begin to produce large delta waves – the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

Hard to awaken

STAGE 4Combined with stage 3 to last about 30 minutesDelta waves – deep sleepHard to awakenAt the end, sleepwalking or wetting the bed may occur

REM SLEEPREM sleep – rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur

Occurs about an hour into sleep cyclesAscend through stages 3 and 2 from stage 4Sharp, short brain waves – look like waves of stage 1

REM SLEEPHeart 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

INSOMNIARecurring trouble falling/staying asleep

SLEEP APNEAFrequent 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

NARCOLEPSYA condition characterized by suddenly falling into REM sleep.

Possibly an underproduction of neurotransmitters that signal alertness or problem with the reticular formation

It can be treated and controlled with medications.

NIGHT TERRORSOccur during Stage 4 sleepLasts 5-25 minutesNo memories of events by the sleeperMainly children

DREAMSMental activity that takes place during sleep

6 yrs/lifetime

Takes place during REM sleep.

Motor cortex suppressed but the rest of the brain is active.

Lucid dreaming – awareness of dreaming while dreaming

( Pablo Picasso – The Dream)

WHY DREAM - THEORIESTo 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 unconsciousModern scientists – No proof; everyone can interpret dreams differently

WHY DREAM - THEORIESInformation processing (to file away memories)

To develop/preserve neural pathways.

Activation synthesis theory – dreams have no meaning, they are products of random neural firing in the brain

To practice flight-or-flight in a safe place

To work through difficult emotions in a safe place

HYPNOSISA 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

CAN HYPNOSIS BE THERAPEUTIC?Yes – has alleviated headaches, skin disorders, asthmaNo – does not seem to help addictions to alcohol, drugs, or tobacco – some claims refute this

DRUGS AND ADDICTIONPsychoactive drugs – substances that alter human consciousness

• can distort perception, change moods, and cause people to see/hear things that are not real.

Addiction – craving of substance to feel normal (mental or physical)

Tolerance – needing more of the substance to produce the original effects

Withdrawal – the negative effects caused by the removal of a substance from the body.

DEPRESSANTSSlow 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

STIMULANTSIncrease CNS activity

• Caffeine• Nicotine

• Spurs adrenaline• Amphetamines (meth, cocaine,

Ecstasy)• Reduce appetite, increase

alertness

Withdrawal symptoms – “crash,” depression, weight gain, headaches, insomnia

HALLUCINOGENS

Produces hallucinations (pleasure or panic; time distortions)

• Marijuana (THC)• LSD (acid)

• Unpredictable results• Flashbacks in the future

TREATMENTDetoxification – removal of the harmful substance from the body; weaning addicts off drugsMaintenance programs (less dangerous forms of drugs)

• Ex: Methadone for opioid abuseCounselingSupport groups

SYSK - HYPNOSIS1. What are some characteristics of hypnosis/hypnotic state?2. What was hypnosis first known as (term)?3. Hypnotism is believed to be a way to tap into what?4. What kind of state does the subject need to be in to allow the hypnotist

access to the subconscious?5. As seen from EEG studies, what kind of brain waves appear during

hypnosis?6. During hypnosis, which hemisphere of the brain appears more active?

Why?7. Describe the hypnosis technique coined "progressive relaxation and

imagery."8. Explain the association between hypnosis and the placebo effect.9. 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?