Altered states of
consciousness
I. Meditation
A
method some people use to try to
narrow their consciousness, so that the
stresses of the outside world fade away.
 All
methods of meditation share a
common thread which is focusing on a
practical repetitive stimulus.
II. Biofeedback:
A
system that provides (feeds back) data
about something happening in the body
is called biofeedback.
 Through
biofeedback training, people
have learned to control certain bodily
functions as heart rate.
III. Hypnosis
 It
all started with the German physician
Franz Mesmer in the late 1700. He thought
that all the various parts of the universe
were connected by forms of magnetism.
 How
to achieve hypnosis?
Professional hypnotists may put people in a hypnotic
trance by asking them to focus on something
specific- a spot, an object held by the hypnotist or
merely the hypnotist’s voice.
What is the difference between
hypnosis and sleep?
People who are sleeping have very different brain
waves from people in trances.
What is the psychological
explanation for the hypnosis state?
According to Freud, hypnotized people permit
themselves to put fantasy and impulse before fact
and logic. Therefore, they believe that the hypnotist
tells them.
According to role theory, people who are
hypnotized are playing a part as if they are in a play.
What are the uses of hypnosis
Memory
E.G:
memories
of
witnesses
to a
crime
Pain
prevention
Some people
undergo surgery
without anesthesia
if they are
hypnotized
Quitting
bad
habits
E.G
overeating