Consciousness

and Its Altered

states
Psychology Department

Consciousness
Is the state of awareness
Awareness of internal and external stimuli / (thoughts and
feelings)
All our experiences, reality and sense of self when we are
consciously aware of it is our consciousness.
William James
One of the earliest psychologists who dealt with consciousness
He established the first laboratory of experimental psychology
in Harvard University.
He believes that our everyday conscious experience is only
one of the possible forms of consciousness.
He argued that there are uncharted regions of the human
consciousness That can be explored by studying mental illness,
dreams, religious ecstasy and drug use. According to James,
these are other forms of consciousness are hidden in all of us
and are separated from the normal waking consciousness.

Normal Waking
Consciousness
Direct Consciousness
A state of awareness where in you pay close attention to
what you are doing.
When your awareness is directed to a single focus
Flowing Consciousness
Our awareness drifts from one thought to another
e.g. reading to daydreaming

Day Dreaming
A period of focused, directed thinking and feeling about
fantasies
(mind wandering)
Add color and intrigue to our lives, make them more exciting
Day dreams helps us make our lives more creative and original
Use the past to explore the future
Help develop your personality

Normal Waking
Consciousness
Divided Consciousness

The splitting of two conscious activities

simultaneously
E.g. performing 2 activities at the same time: walking
while thinking about problems
CONSCIOUSNESS AND ATTENTION

Selective attention
The cognitive mental process that limits the amount
of information into consciousness

Subconscious Mental
Activity
Subconscious Process
Mental and behavioral activities that
takes place outside of conscious
awareness.
Preconscious process
Subconscious activities that can be brought into
awareness by paying attention to them

Unconscious process
Subconscious mental activities that are more or
less permanently unavailable to consciousness

Sleeping and
Sleep
Dreaming

1/3 life
Physiological activity called Circadian rhythms
Circadian Rhythm: biological clock that regulates body
rhythms on a 24 hour cycle.larks vs. owls.
Biological Rhythms: periodic physiological Fluctuations
built into human beings. Ex: 28 day menstrual cycle, 24 hour
Alertness cycle, annual cycle, 90 minute sleep cycles.

Rooted biologically
Not a single, continuous statecomplex
combination of states
Revitalize and restore our bodies and minds
EEG
Electroencephalogram
Measures electrical brain activity

Stages of Sleep
NREM- Non-Rapid Eye
Movement
1st stage lightest level of
sleep (when we drift to
sleep) irregular low
voltage waves
Twilight state we are
neither day dreaming
nor dreaming
Hypnagogic state
a relaxed state of
dreamlike awareness
between wakefulness and
sleep

Myoclonia a sudden
movement (abrupt
movement) sudden jerk

Brain Waves and Stages of

Sleep

Stages of Sleep
2nd stage a deeper level of sleep (appearance of very rapid
waves from time to time)
Sleep spindles
3rd stage transition from relatively high to very deep sleep
(periods of low frequency , high-voltage waves)
Delta Waves: (large, slow brain waves associated with
deep sleep) begin appearing in stage 3 but are
increasingly apparent in Stage 4
4th stage deepest level of sleep (delta waves are constant)
Stage at which children may wet the bed or sleep walk
Stage when you are hard to awakenbut still aware of
stimuli around you.
Stage at which children may wet the bed or sleep walk.
Also experience night terrors

Stages of Sleep
REM- Rapid Eye Movement
Where dreams usually occur
4 to 6 times a night but rarely remembers more than
a fraction of those dreams
Non-REM dreams(cannot be remembered)
REM dreams (remember)

Characteristics of Dreams
Are made up of succession of usually vivid and
colorful images
Often accompanied by emotions
Products of our imagination

Characteristics of Dreams
Are made up of
succession of
usually vivid and
colorful images
Often
accompanied by
emotions
Products of our
imagination

Dream Theories
Dreams as wish fulfillment
Dreams are derived form unconscious drives
and wishes (repression)
Sigmund Freud
2 levels of the content of dreams
Manifest content- the events that happens in a
dream
Latent content-unconscious wishes or drives (drives)

Dreams as brain activity

J.A.Hobson and R McCarley
Activation Synthesis Hypothesis
The dream state of REM is generated within the area
of the brain stem: pons
Dreams are by-product of periodic brain activation
rather than a result of unconscious wishes

Sleep Disorders
Insomnia
Long-term inability to obtain adequate sleep
Sleep walking
Deepest parts of NREM sleep
Sleep talking
Any stage during sleep cycle
Narcolepsy
Sudden irresistible attacks of sleep during normal waking hours
Sleep Apnea
Repeated interruption of sleep due to cessation of breathing
(Obstruction of air flow in the throat)
Nightmares
It is a frightening dream that awakens a dreamer from REM sleep
Night Terror
It is characterized by sudden arousal from sleep and intense fear

Altered States of
Consciousness
Meditation
Mantras- words often have religious meaning
Transcendental state- desirable altered state of
consciousness
It is a practice that trains attention in order to
bring mental process under greater voluntary
control: awareness and concentration
It has an effect on personality, performance,
and perception

 Hypnosis
Change in perception, memory and behavior
in response to suggestions by the
hypnotist(high relaxation)

Deep relaxation(floating, sinking, shrinking)

Hypnotic hallucinations
Hypnotic analgesia (lose sense if touch)
Time
Uncontrollable movements

Depersonalization
Perceptual experience of ones body becoming
distorted or unreal in some ways
Astral projection Out-of body experience
May indicate psychological problems

Psychoactive drugs
Stimulants
Drugs that increase activity of the central
nervous system
Uppers(caffeine, nicotine)
Amphetamines-energy alertness,
enthusiasm euphoric high(distorted
thinking, confusion, intense suspiciousness
and rapid change in emotions)
Cocaine(crack/shabu)
Alertness, high energy, optimism, self confidence,
happiness and talkativeness
Anxiety, depression, irritability.

Psychoactive drugs
Narcotics
Powerful and highly addictive depressants
Opiums
Heroin, morphine and codeine
Relieves pain

Depressants
Depresses central nervous system
Alcohol
Most widely abused drug to which most individuals are
physiologically addicted

Sedatives and tranquilizers

Sedatives are called downer
Mid dose calm relaxation
Tranquilizer are milder drugs
(valiums, libriums, ativan, miltown and equanil)

Psychoactive drugs
Hallucinogens (psychedelics)
Drugs that can most powerfully alter consciousness
Lysergic acid diethylamide, mescaline, and
psilocybin
Drug induces states (trips)

Other drugs
Marijuana
Decrease cognitive process, weaken immune system.

Inhalants