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States ofConsciousness

Chapter 5

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Consciousness

Awareness or state which a person is awake

Could be to: Sensory awarenessInner awareness

Sense of self that each person experiences

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Selective Attention

• Focusing on a particular stimulus– What you pay

attention to

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Levels of Consciousness•Preconscious level

–Not in your awareness at the moment but able to recall them•Example: what did you eat for lunch yesterday

•Unconscious level (Subconscious)–Unavailable to awareness

•Example: Being mad at a parent but not really knowing why–Turns out that parent was not there for you when you were sick and you are still upset about it

•Nonconscious level –Things that you will not be aware of

•Example: your finger nails growing (feeling them grow)•Example: your pupils getting smaller

Altered States of Consciousness

• Where a persons sense of self or sense of the world changes – Examples include:

• When you doze off and no longer conscious of what is going on around you

• When you are asleep• If an individual is under the influence of drugs• During meditation, hypnosis, sensory deprivation

or starvation

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Sleep & Dreams

Circadian rhythms are:•Your natural biological rhythms•Your natural 24 hour clock Circadian rhythms include: •body temperature, blood pressure, sleepiness and wakefulness

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Measuring sleep: About every 90 minutes, we pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages.

Sleep Stages

Hank Morgan/ Rainbow

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Awake & Alert

During strong mental engagement, the brain exhibits low amplitude and fast,

irregular beta waves (15-30 cps). An awake person involved in a conversation shows

beta activity.

Beta Waves

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Stage 1

• Lightest stage of sleep

• Kind of awake and kind of asleep

• Alpha waves• Produces mild

hallucinations, like a feeling of falling or floating.

Click dude for alphaWaves.

Click to see an awake brain.

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Stage 2

•Fully asleep •Begin to show sleep spindles…short bursts of rapid brain waves.

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Stage 3 & Stage 4

• Slow wave sleep• Deep sleep • You produce Delta

waves.• If awoken you will

be very groggy.• Vital for restoring

body’s growth hormones and good overall health.

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REM Sleep

• Dream sleep • Often called

paradoxical sleep.• Brain is very

active.• Body is essentially

paralyzed.

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Stages of Sleep• Stage 1

– lightest stage of sleep

• Stage 2 – We spend the most

time in stage 2 sleep

• Stage 3– Deep sleep

• Stage 4– Deep Sleep (Deepest

stage of sleep)

• REM sleep– Dream sleep

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Why do we sleep?

We spend one-third of our lives sleeping.

We sleep to help the immune system, to help our bodies function normally, and to help with concentration

Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc./ C

orbis

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Sleep Deprivation

1. Fatigue and subsequent death.

2. Impaired concentration.

3. Emotional irritability.

4. Depressed immune system.

5. Greater vulnerability.

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Sleep Theories

1. Sleep Protects: Sleeping in the darkness when predators loomed about kept our ancestors out of harm’s way.

2. Sleep Recuperates: Sleep helps restore and repair brain tissue.

3. Sleep Helps Remembering: Sleep restores and rebuilds our fading memories.

4. Sleep and Growth: During sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormone. Older people release less of this hormone and sleep less.

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Dreams

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Freud’s Theory of Dreams

• Dreams are a roadway into our unconscious.

• Manifest Content (storyline)

• Latent Content (underlying meaning)

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Activation-Synthesis Theory

• Our Cerebral Cortex is trying to interpret random electrical activity we have while sleeping.

• That is why dreams sometimes make no sense.

• Biological Theory.

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Information-Processing Theory

• Dreams are a way to deal with the stresses of everyday life.

• We tend to dream more when we are more stressed.

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Physiological Function theory: Dreams provide the sleeping brain with periodic stimulation to develop and preserve neural pathways. Neural networks of newborns are quickly developing; therefore, they need more sleep.

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4. Cognitive Development theory: Some researchers argue that we dream as a part of brain maturation and cognitive development.

All dream researchers believe we need REM sleep. Whendeprived of REM sleep and then allowed to sleep,

we show increased REM sleep called REM Rebound.

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Dream Theories

Summary

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Sleep Disorders

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Insomnia

• Persistent problems falling asleep

• Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep

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Night Terrors

• Wake up with from a deep sleep.

• May feel panic• May wake up

screaming and have no idea why.

• Not a nightmare.

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Somnambulism

• Sleep Walking• Most often occurs

during the first few hours of sleeping and in stage 4 (deep sleep).

• If you have had night terrors, you are more likely to sleep walk when older.

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Sleep Apnea• A person stops

breathing during their sleep.

• Wake up momentarily, gasps for air, then falls back asleep.

• Very common, especially in heavy males.

• Can be fatal.

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Narcolepsy

• Suffer from sleeplessness and may fall asleep at unpredictable or inappropriate times.

• Directly into REM sleep• Video

– Narcoleptic dog

Meditation

• A method some people use to try to narrow their consciousness so to get rid of stress

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Biofeedback

• Training the body to calm itself down and slow down the heart rate using machines

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Hypnosis

HypnosisAltered state of consciousness where people

respond to suggestions and

behave as though they are in a

trance

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Franz Anton Mesmer

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• Posthypnotic suggestion

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Strength, stamina, and perceptual and memory abilities similarly affect those

who are hypnotized

Hypnotic Feats

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Hypnotic Theories

Social influence/Role Theory

• Hypnosis is NOT an altered state of consciousness.

• Different people have various state of hypnotic suggestibility.

• A social phenomenon where people want to believe.

• Work better on people with richer fantasy lives.

Divided consciousness/ State Theory

• Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness.

• Dramatic health benefits

• It works for pain best.

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Facts and Falsehood

Those who practice hypnosis agree that its power resides in the subject’s openness to suggestion.

Can anyone experience hypnosis? Yes, to some extent.

Can hypnosis enhance recall of forgotten events?

No.

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Facts and Falsehood

Can hypnosis be therapeutic? Yes.

Can hypnosis alleviate pain? Yes.

Can hypnosis force people to act against their will?

No.

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Drugs and Consciousness

Psychoactive Drug: A chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood (effects

consciousness).

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Categories of drugs

• Depressants– Slow down brain

activity• Stimulants

– Speed up brain activity

• Hallucinogens– Produces

hallucinations• Visual• Textile• Auditory

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Depressants

• Slows down body processes

• Alcohol• Narcotics

(barbiturates & tranquilizers)

• Heroin

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Alcohol

1. Alcohol affects motor skills, judgment, and memory…and increases aggressiveness while reducing self awareness.

Drinking and Driving

Daniel H

omm

er, NIA

AA

, NIH

, HH

S

Ray N

g/ Tim

e & L

ife Pictures/ G

etty Images

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Stimulants• Speed up body

processes– Caffeine– Nicotine– Cocaine– Amphetamines– Ecstasy

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Methamphetamines

Amphetamines stimulate neural activity, causing accelerated body functions and associated energy

and mood changes, with devastating effects.

National Pictures/ T

opham/ T

he Image W

orks

• http://kdvr.com/2012/02/25/faces-of-meth/

• http://fav-meth-head-of-the-day.com/faces-of-meth/

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Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens are psychedelic (mind-manifesting) drugs

that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the

absence of sensory input.

Ronald K

. Siegel

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Hallucinogens

1. LSD: (lysergic acid diethylamide) powerful hallucinogenic drug (ergot fungus) that is also known as acid.

2. Marijuana1. THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol):

is the major active ingredient in marijuana (hemp plant) that triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations.

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Addiction is a craving for a chemical substance, despite its adverse

consequences (physical & psychological).

•Addiction hotline 1-888-984-5653•Rehabilitation•Counseling•Support groups

- NA & AA

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Treatments for Drug Abuse

1. Detoxification– Removal of harmful substances from the body– Withdrawal: Upon stopping use of a drug

(after addiction), users may experience the undesirable effects of withdrawal.

2. Dependence: Absence of a drug may lead to a feeling of physical pain, intense cravings (physical dependence), and negative emotions (psychological dependence).

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Drugs

Summary