Altered States of Consciousness

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Chapter 5

• Altered States of Consciousness

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Bell ringer!!!!!

• Write down the most vivid dream that you have had
  recently.
• Try to recall specific details in your dream and
  what happened
• Once you are done put this sheet aside we will be
  using it again later

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States of Consciousness

• Consciousness is a state of awareness. When we
  talk about altered states of consciousness we are
  talking about different levels of awareness
• Consciousness includes a persons feelings,
  sensations, ideas and perceptions
• Sleep is a form of altered states of consciousness

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Sleep stages

• Falling asleep will cause your body temperature
  to drop and your breathing and pulse rate to
  slow. This happens at stage one.
• In stage one your pulse rate slows a bit more and
  your muscles relax. Your breathing also becomes
  irregular along with your brain waves becoming
  irregular.

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Stages of sleep

• In stage 1 if you are awakened you might say you
  were drifting off to sleep
• In stage 2 your eyes start to move from side to
  side. About thirty minutes later you enter into a
  deeper sleep in Stage 3
• In this stage your breathing and pulse rate
  continues to slow

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Stages of sleep

• Stage four is the deepest of all the stages and
  it is often difficult to awaken someone when they
  are in this stage
• About 75 of sleep time is spent in these first
  four stages
• Stages 1 through 4 are often called N.R.E.M. for
  non-rapid eye movement

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R.E.M. Sleep

• After the first four stages you enter R.E.M.
  where your eyes begin to move rapidly underneath
  your eyelids
• Also in this stage your fingers twitch and your
  large muscles become paralyzed

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R.E.M. Sleep

• During this stage is when most of your dreaming
  takes place
• R.E.M. sleep lasts for 15 to 45 minutes
• Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives
  sleeping. Newborns spend around 16 hours a day
  sleeping.

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Interpretation of Dreams

• Now lets go back to the dream you wrote down at
  the beginning of class.
• Remember our movie over Freud and how he
  interpreted dreams? Now we are going to do that
  as a class and share our responses.
• Go to http//www.experiencefestival.com/dream_dict
  ionary.
• Type in the google search box the major themes of
  your dream and write down underneath what you
  recall from the dream its meaning. Is it true or
  do you think it is way off base?

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Sleep Disorders

• Circadian rhythms are rhythms of activity and
  inactivity lasting approximately 24 hours.
• Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which a person
  fails to get enough sleep at night. Someone with
  this disorder has the trouble falling asleep and
  or staying asleep

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Sleep Disorders

• Sleep Apnea is when a person has frequent
  problems breathing while sleeping
• Narcolepsy is a condition characterized by
  someone suddenly falling asleep at any point in
  time.

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Nightmares

• Nightmares are frightening dreams that occur
  during the REM stage of sleep.
• The sleeper usually has vivid memories of these
  dreams
• Night terrors occur during stage IV of sleep

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Sleep

• These night terrors involve screaming, sweating,
  confusion, etc. However, the dreamer usually
  doesnt remember night terrors
• Sleep walking is a disorder that involves walking
  or carrying out behaviors while asleep

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Sleep Walking

• Sleep walking usually occurs in children, but
  adults may sleepwalk also
• Contrary to what many believe, it is not
  dangerous to awaken a sleep walker (think Step
  Brothers)
• Also contrary to what many believe, dreaming does
  not take place in a fraction of a second. In
  reality, dreams correspond to a realistic time
  scale.

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Daydreaming and Hypnosis

• Daydreaming is also a form of ASC
• Hypnosis is a form of Altered Consciousness in
  which people become highly suggestible to changes
  in behavior and thought.

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Hypnotism

• Anton Mesmer is said to have discovered hypnosis.
  In fact, it was originally called mesmerism.
• When someone is hypnotized, the hypnotist can
  often suggest things for their subjects to
  remember or forget when the trance is over. This
  is known as post-hypnotic suggestion.

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Drugs and Alcohol

• Drugs interact with the Central Nervous System
  and can alter a persons mood or behavior.
• Some drugs may cause hallucinations. This is when
  we hear, see, smell, taste and feel things that
  do not really exist.
• Hallucinogens are plants around the world that
  cause hallucinations when consumed

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Drugs and Alcohol cont.

• These drugs are also called psychedlic drugs
  because they create a loss of touch with reality.
  The most potent known hallucinogen is LSD.
• Opiates include opium, morphine, and heroin.
  Opiates produce analgesia or pain reduction

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ASC

• Barbiturates are popularly known as downers and
  are used for ailments such as insomnia,
  bedwetting, epilepsy and arthritis.
• Nicotine and Caffeine are very popular
  stimulants. Other stimulants include amphetamines
  and cocaine

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Trends in Drug Use

• As trends in clothing and music pass by, so do
  trends in drugs. For example, drugs during the
  60s that were popular included marijuana, PCP,
  and LSD.
• While marijuana has remained popular, PCP and LSD
  have virtually faded away
• During the 70s and 80s cocaine became the popular
  drug
• Most recently ecstasy became a popular drug among
  many people.