States of Consciousness
Consciousness
Awareness of yourself and the environment.
The immediate awareness of mental activities and internal sensations, and of the external environment
Medical Awakenings – Levels of Consciousness
How do we adjust from a state of conscious awareness into various
states of unawareness and unconsciousness?
Some things occur naturally in the world that make us either more or less aware
Some things we do purposefully that makes us either more or less aware
Biological Rhythms - natural life cycles that help to guide our levels of awareness and our behaviors
Examples of Biological Rhythms Annual Cycles – Seasonal changes affecting
moods, appetite, sleep patters Twenty-Eight Day Cycle – Female Menstrual
Cycle Twenty-Four Hour Cycle – Daily cycle of
levels of alertness, hormones, body temperature, etc.
Ninety-Minute Cycle – Sleep Cycle
Examples of Things We Do
Diet Psychoactive Drugs Exercise and Health Stress Lifestyles Travel Work Schedules
Levels of Consciousness
Sleep !!
Why Do We Sleep? Strengthening Memory
The Science of Sleep Part I The Science of Sleep Part II
Why do we sleep? Adaptive Theory of Sleep (Evolutionary Perspective)
Unique sleep patterns of different animals evolved over time to promote survival and environmental adaptation.
When and where we sleep, and for how long, is determined by your status in the hierarchy
Lions sleep anytime, anywhere. Mice, short bursts of sleep in well protected nests.
Why do we sleep? Restorative Theory of Sleep (Biological
Perspective)Sleep promotes physiological processes that
restore and rejuvenate the body and the mindIt works on a biological clock schedule to ensure
that we have the opportunity to sleepNREM (typically dreamless) = bodily restoration
and REM (dream) = mind restoration
Circadian Rhythms A cycle or rhythm that is roughly 24
hours long. Our biological clock is synchronized
with the 24-hour cycle of day and night, producing a general pattern of wakefulness and sleep.
Circadian rhythms are hardwired and a natural part of the body’s daily routine.
Circadian RhythmsThe circadian rhythms related
to wakefulness and sleep are controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is a cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus
The Sleep-Wake Cycle
The SCN is connected to the visual system of the body.
When there are decreased levels of light, the SCN triggers the pineal gland to release melatonin, which causes sleepiness and reduced activity level
When there are increased levels of light, melatonin levels decrease and conscious awareness level increase
Free-Running Circadian Rhythms Experiments in which all environmental
time cues are removed – no clocks, and light is artificially controlledThe body creates its own sleep-
wake cycle that is roughly one-hour off of normal sleep and wake times – it works on a 25 hour day schedule
SleepThere are two different types of sleep:
NREM Sleep: quiet, typically dreamless sleep in which rapid eye movements are absent
REM Sleep: type of sleep during which rapid eye movements and dreaming occur and voluntary muscle activity is suppressed
Stages of SleepThe Stages of Sleep
When you are awake and alert, brain waves known as Beta Waves are generated in the brain
After your head hits the pillow, you close your eyes, and your muscles begin to relax, the brain begins to generate Alpha Waves as you prepare for sleep
After you begin to sleep, the brain generates Theta Waves
The deepest parts of sleep are characterized by Delta Waves
Stage 1 NREM (Alpha to Theta):About 5 minutesAs you transition from wakefulness to
early sleep (drowsy stage), you may experience some type of hypnagogic hallucinations and/or myoclonic jerks
You may hear a loud crash, hear someone call your name, feel a sensation of floating, smell something burning, see a variety of colors
Involuntary muscle spasms
Stage 2 (Theta):The next 20 minutesBreathing becomes rhythmicalSome small muscle twitchesBrain activity begins to slow down, sleep
talking may occur, and the appearances of sleep spindlesQuick bursts of brain activity that last for a second or two – creation of memories?
Stages of Sleep
Stages 3 and 4 (Delta):Next 35 MinutesHeart rate, blood pressure, and
breathing drop to their lowest levelsReplenishing chemical supplies,
growth hormones released, fortifying the immune system
Stage 4 has more than 50% delta waves
Stages of SleepBy the time a sleeper has reached
Stage 4, they have been asleep for about 60 minutes total. After Stage 4 has been reached, the sleeper cycles back from Stage 3, through Stage 2, and close to Stage 1 in a matter of minutes and enters REM Sleep.
REM Sleep (Paradoxical Sleep):The brain becomes more active and generates
small, fast brain wavesVisual and motor neurons fire during this stage,
but voluntary muscle movements are suppressed (paralysis)
Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration increase, muscles twitches, heightened sexual arousal
The first REM stage lasts about 30 minutes – the first sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes total
REM Rebound SleepThe less time we spend in REM sleep one night, the longer amount of time we will spend in REM sleep the next night
Beyond the first 90 minutes
Sleepers cycle between NREM and REM sleep throughout the night
Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes Just before and after REM sleep, you typically
change body positions As the night progresses, Stages 3 and 4 get
shorter and REM sleep increases, up to 40 minutes at a time
Sleep Disorders
Sleep Disorders Insomnia Apnea Narcolepsy
InsomniaA condition in which a person regularly experiences an inability to fall asleep, to stay asleep, or to feel adequately rested by sleep.
Sleep ApneaA sleep disorder in which the person repeatedly stops breathing during sleepCarbon-dioxide builds up in the blood, causing a momentary awakening, during which the sleeper snorts or gulps for air
NarcolepsyA sleep disorder characterized by
excessive daytime sleepiness and brief lapses into sleep throughout the dayThough narcoleptics can fall asleep at any
time, often times arousals trigger sleep – laughter, anger, surprise, sex
Narcoleptics instantly lose muscular control, and enter REM sleep. The dreams are often terrifying.
Sleepwalking (somnambulism)Usually within the first three hours of
sleep, in Stage 4The sleeper typically has the ability to
navigate around objects, albeit poorly coordinated and in a stiff, automatic manner
Night Terrors (in Stages 3/4)Night terrors are usually accompanied by a
single, terrifying sensation that awaken the sleeper. Sleepers will usually fall back to sleep without memory of the night terror.
Night terrors may also invoke waking hallucinations
Dreams
What Are Dreams?
Dreams are a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind. Notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and delusions
A lucid dream is the act of consciously perceiving and recognizing that one is dreaming, enabling a more cogent ("lucid") control over the content and quality of the experience.
Dreams are the result of random neural impulses put into a story format by the cortex in order to try and make sense of it.
(Activation Synthesis Model)
Dreams are a purposeful way for the brain to try to organize and interpret the overwhelming amount of stimulation that it receives during the day.
(Information Processing Theory)
Dreams are manifestations of “unfulfilled desires". Dreams reflect our real passions, aggressions, emotions, etc. They are stored in the unconscious part of the brain and not dealt with in real life.Psychoanalytical Perspective
The manifest content of a dream is the literal storyline and events that occurred
The latent content of a dream is the interpretation of the unconscious drives, wishes, and desires that created the dream
Hypnosis
Altered States of Consciousness
Hypnosis
A social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur
Posthypnotic Suggestion
A suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized
Posthypnotic Amnesia
A temporary memory loss; supposed inability to recall what one experienced during hypnosis
A Few Clarifications About Hypnosis
Hypnosis is not a state of unconsciousness, nor is it complete mind control
Most everyone can be hypnotized, unless you are resistant to the idea
Hypnosis is a heightened state of awareness and relaxation, combined with a large degree of openness to suggestion
A Few Clarifications About Hypnosis
Age regression therapy (the ability to re-live childhood memories) is very limited in its effectiveness
25% of Americans believe in reincarnation, though hypnosis does not seem to accurately bring any “past lives” to the surface
Can hypnosis force people to act against their will? The person who is hypnotized is aware of
everything the hypnotist says at all times while they are experiencing hypnosis.
An authoritative person in a legitimate context can induce people, hypnotized or not, to perform some unlikely acts
Directly proposed hypnotic suggestions cannot make you do anything against your morals, religion, or self-preservation.
Can hypnosis alleviate pain? Dissociation is a split in consciousness,
which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with othersIE. An unhypnotized patient will feel the
pain of an ice bath in less than 25 seconds. A hypnotized patient will feel the cold, but not the pain, though their sensory systems will register the activity is present
Hypnotic Dissociation
Meditation
Altered States of Consciousness
Meditation" in the modern sense may involve
focusing the mind on a single object (such as a religious statue, or one's breath, or a mantra)
a mental "opening up" to the divine, invoking the guidance of a higher power
attempting to clear the mind of discursive or conceptual thought
reasoned analysis of religious teachings simple relaxation
Drugs and Consciousness
Altered States of Consciousness
Teen Drug Abuse Alcohol Abuse Treating Drug Addiction TLC Addiction Series
Define Psychoactive Drugs
Chemical substances that change moods, perceptions, behaviors, and consciousness
Addiction refers to
The ongoing abuse of drugs that leads to compulsive use of the substance.
Tolerance refers to
Higher doses of a drug are required to produce the original effects.
Withdrawal refers to
The unpleasant physical or psychological effects following discontinued used of a substance
Drug Rebound Effect
Withdrawal symptoms are often the opposite of the drug’s action
Do I Have A Drug Problem?
Dependence is defined by exhibiting three of the following seven symptoms over a 12-month period of time
Developing tolerance Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when
attempting to stop Using a substance for a longer period, or in
greater quantities, than originally intended Making repeated attempts to stop or cut-
back on drug usage
Devoting a great deal of time attempting to obtain or use a substance
Giving up or reducing social, occupational, or recreational activities as a result of drug use
Continuing to use a substance even after negative physical or psychological effects have occurred, or will continue to occur with usage
Depressants Chemicals that slow down behavior or cognitive
processes; inhibit central nervous system activity; relieve anxiety, lower inhibitions, lowers pain; affects the brain areas responsible for arousal, wakefulness and alertness, coordination
Including: Alcohol, Barbiturates, Tranquilizers, Opiates (painkillers such as Heroin)
Depressants and the Brain Alcohol Addiction Treating Drug Addiction
Stimulants Drugs that stimulate the nervous system
and produce feelings of optimism and boundless energy, arouse behavior, and increase mental awareness;
Including: Caffeine, Nicotine, Amphetamines (Speed, Ecstasy), Cocaine
IE. CocaineCocaine blocks the reuptake of
dopamine (pleasure), norepinepherine (energy), and serotonin (arousal), so the feelings generated by those neurotransmitters intensifies as they linger in the synapse longer
Psychedelics/Hallucinogens
Drugs that distort visual and auditory perception
Including: LSD, Mescaline, Peyote, Marijuana
Why is marijuana considered a hallucinogen?It relaxes, disinhibits, and may
cause a euphoric high like alcohol, but it may also amplify sensitivity to colors, sounds, tastes, and smells