States of Consciousness
What is consciousness?
Who passes the
mirror self recognition test?
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/
secret-you/
Start at 633
What are some states of
consciousness that you’ve
experienced?
Some Early Definitions of consciousness
• Consciousness: All the sensations, perceptions,
memories, and feelings you are aware of in any
instant.
• Your sense of yourself.
– Waking Consciousness: Normal, clear,
organized, alert awareness
– Altered State of Consciousness (ASC):
Awareness that is distinctly different in
quality or pattern from waking consciousness
• Drug induced states, illness, sleep,
hypnosis
Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pW
g1vMyfUA
Hypnotist getting out of a speeding ticket:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gcQDuv_Kb0
What do both hypnoses in the videos have in
common?
Want to try safely altering your state of
consciousness? Use headphones and iPAD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUFYJ2Nppfg
Unit 4 Project: YOU, NEW AND IMPROVED?
• Driving question: How effectively can I
manipulate my conscious experience to
achieve a positive goal?
1. Set a personal goal
2. Decide on a method to achieve it
3. Determine a method to assess success – was
goal achieved?
4. Summary piece – Art, Powerpoint, Paper. Will
present to class.
1) Set a personal goal
Goal must be:
1)
2)
3)
– Set a goal that will improve your life.
– Think of patterns you’d like to break or habits you’d
like to acquire…. What would you like to start
DOING?
– This should be your SEED or FOCUS for self
hypnosis, meditation or sleep processing.
2) Decide on a method to achieve it.
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•
•
•
Self hypnosis
Sleep/dream processing power
Meditation
NLP
Other (research!)
3) Determine a method to assess
success. Was goal achieved?
•
•
•
•
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Test
Journal
Survey of others in your life
Performance on task related to goal
Many others methods…
4) Summary piece – Art, Powerpoint,
Research paper, or other format
• Main project deliverable
• All students will do a surrealist in art (Bales)
• Start collecting sketches, writings, magazine
cut outs, anything related to this project
• Exhibition piece!
• You will present to class, POL style
• You will be graded by class and me
Today…
• Define a PERSONAL GOAL (specific,
positive, attainable)
• Think about and document your negative
patterns associated with that goal and how
you might change them
• Conduct preliminary research on methods to
achieve your goal, write key points
Hypnosis
• Altered state of consciousness characterized
by intense relaxation, narrowed attention and
increased openness to suggestion
– Mesmer: Believed he could cure diseases by
passing magnets over body; true “animal
magnetism” (“mesmerize” means to
hypnotize)
– Must cooperate to become hypnotized
– You pass through hypnosis every time you
fall asleep and return to waking state
Hypnosis Can
• Help people relax
• Reduce pain
• Get people to make better progress in
therapy
• Allow people to achieve goals, such as not
smoking, being more confident, losing weight,
improving memory…
Hypnosis Cannot
• Produce acts of superhuman strength
• Force you to do things against your will
Goal of hypnosis
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Quiet the conscious mind
Shut up the noise
Get rid of mental clutter
Stop judgment… in order to
Access the vast processing potential of the
SUBCONSCIOUS mind
3 phases to hypnotic process
• Induction
• Suggestion implanted in subconscious (while
“under”)
• Return to waking state
•
Hypnosis starts with INDUCTION: subject listens
and relaxes. Shuts off conscious mind.
– Ex: listens to alphabet backwards
– Ex: Imagines relaxing liquid flowing though body,
part by part
•
hypnotist guides you into deep trance by asking
you to focus on relaxing your body and breathing
•
Subject must realise that they are being
hypnotised. It is a VOLUNTARY process.
•
It is NOT possible for someone to be hypnotised
against their will.
Once the subconscious is accessed,
hypnotist implants SUGGESTIONS
Ex: You will find cigarettes disgusting
Ex: You will find that you want to smile
and hold your posture confidently at
parties
Ex: You will remember an event that
happened a long time ago and revisit
associated emotions (ex abuse)
• People differ in how
susceptible they are to
hypnotic suggestions.
• This can be measured by
hypnotic susceptibility
scales.
Sample test items from the
Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility
Scale, Form C
Item
Suggested
Behaviour
Criterion for
Passing
Arm lowering
Right arm will
become heavy
Arm lowered by at
least 6 inches
Moving hands apart Force is pushing
hands apart
Hands are 6 or more
inches apart
Mosquito
hallucination
Mosquito is buzzing Any grimace or
nearby
acknowledgement
Posthypnotic
amnesia
Will not remember
suggestions
Three or fewer
items recalled
Hypnotic Susceptibility
• According to Hilgard (1977), in an average
testing session
– 10% of subjects will be completely
nonresponsive,
– 10% will pass all or nearly all items,
– and the rest will fall in between.
• Susceptibility can be enhanced by increasing
people’s expectations (Spanos et al., 1991;
Vickery & Kirsch, 1991).
Behavior under Hypnosis
• Hypnotised people are very suggestible and
their behaviour will conform with what the
hypnotist tells them. Typical behaviour that
can be induced include:
• Acting out imaginary scenes.
• Pretending to be an animal.
• Believing a limb cannot move or is insensitive
to pain.
• Positive and negative hallucinations – seeing
things that are not really there, or not seeing
objects that really are present.
•
•
Posthypnotic suggestibility – a subject is
given instructions under hypnosis and
follows them after returning to a nonhypnotised state.
Posthypnotic amnesia – the subject is
instructed to not remember any of the
suggested behaviour after leaving the
hypnotic state.
Hypnosis and changes in perception
• Does hypnosis really change a person’s
perception during positive and negative
hallucinations?
• Miller et al. (1973) tested this hypothesis
using the Ponzo illusion.
The Ponzo Illusion
Hidden Observer
• Detached part of hypnotized person’s
awareness that silently observes events
Stage Hypnosis
• Simulation of hypnotic effects
Tricks of the Trade
• Waking Suggestibility: People on stage do not
want to spoil the act, so they will follow any
instruction.
• Selection of Responsive Subjects: Any
“volunteer” who does not get hypnotized in
the stage group and does not follow
instructions is “voted off.”
• The Hypnosis Label Disinhibits: On stage,
once you are “in a hypnotic trance,” your
responsibility for actions is removed; you can
do whatever you want!
More Stage Hypnosis “Tricks of the
Trade”
• Hypnotist as Director: Once they are in a
trance, the “volunteers” are suddenly the
show’s stars, and they will act like it. The
hypnotists only need to direct them.
• Stage Hypnotists Use Tricks: Stage hypnosis
is 50% deception and 50% taking advantage
of the situation
More Hypnosis Concepts
• Hypnotic Susceptibility: How easily a person
can be hypnotized
• Basic Suggestion Effect: Tendency of
hypnotized people to carry out suggested
actions as though they were involuntary
Meditation
• Mental exercise designed to produce
relaxation or heightened awareness
• Concentrative Meditation: Attention is paid to
a single focal point (i.e., object, thought, etc.)
– Produces relaxation response and thus
works to reduce stress
• Mindfulness Meditation: Based on widening
attention span to become aware of everything
experienced at a given moment
• Mantra: Word(s) or sound(s) repeated during
concentrative meditation
Relaxation Response
• Occurs at time of relaxation; internal
response that prevents activation of adrenal
glands
Drugs and Altered States of
Consciousness
• Psychoactive Drug: Substance capable of
altering attention, judgment, memory, time
sense, self-control, emotion, or perception
• Stimulant: Substance that increases activity in
body and nervous system
• Depressant: Substance that decreases
activity in body and nervous system
Physical Dependence
• Physical Addiction based on drug tolerance
and withdrawal symptoms
– Drug Tolerance: Reduction in body’s
response to a drug
– Withdrawal Symptoms: Physical illness
following withdrawal of the drug
Psychological Dependence
• Drug dependence based on psychological or
emotional needs
– Usually crave drug
– Can be as powerful as physiological
addiction
Stimulants (Uppers)
• Amphetamines: Synthetic stimulants that
excite the nervous system
– Dexedrine and Methamphetamine are two
types of stimulants
• Amphetamine Psychosis: Loss of contact with
reality because of amphetamine use; user
tends to have paranoid delusions
Cocaine
• Central Nervous System stimulant derived
from leaves of coca plant; also used as local
anesthetic
– From 1886-1906, Coca-Cola did indeed
have cocaine in it!
– Highly addictive drug
– Anhedonia (Inability to Feel Pleasure):
Common after cocaine withdrawal
MDMA (Ecstasy)
• Chemically similar to amphetamine; created
by small variations in a drug’s structure
– Risks of using MDMA are unclear
– May cause severe liver damage
– Repeated use damages serotonergic brain
cells
Caffeine
• Most frequently used psychoactive drug in
North America; present in colas, chocolate,
coffee, and tea
• Causes hand tremors, sweating,
talkativeness, tinnitus, suppresses fatigue or
sleepiness, increases alertness
– May be hazardous to pregnant women if
used excessively
Caffeinism
• Physiological dependence on caffeine
– Symptoms: Insomnia, irritability, loss of
appetite, chills, racing heart, elevated body
temperature
Nicotine
• Natural stimulant found mainly in tobacco;
known carcinogen
• May cause stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea,
confusion, tremors
• Addictive
• Sum: Don’t smoke; smoking kills (so does
chewing tobacco)
Sedatives: Barbiturates
• Sedative drugs that depress brain activity
– Seconal and Amytal are two types
– Easy to overdose
GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate)
• Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant
that relaxes and sedates; combination of
degreasing solvent and drain cleaner
– Sedative effects may result in nausea, loss
of muscle control, and either sleep or a
loss of consciousness
– Inhibits gag reflex, so some choke to death
on their own vomit
– Addictive and deadly
Sedatives: Tranquilizers
• Lower anxiety and reduce tension
– Valium, Xanax, and Librium are three types
– Rohypnol: Related to Valium; lowers
inhibitions and produces relaxation or
intoxication. Larger doses can induce
short-term amnesia and sleep
• Date rape drug because it’s odorless
and tasteless
• Drug Interaction: One drug increases the
effect of another
Alcohol
• Ethyl Alcohol: Intoxicating element in
fermented and distilled liquors
– Not a stimulant but does lower inhibitions
– Depressant
• Binge Drinking: Consuming five or more
drinks in a short time; four or more for women
– Serious sign of alcohol abuse
Detoxification
• Withdrawal of the person from alcohol
• Occurs in a medical setting and is tightly
controlled
• Often necessary before long-term treatment
begins
Some Hallucinogens
• Hallucinogen: Substance that alters or
distorts sensory impressions
• Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD):
Hallucinogen that can produce hallucinations
and other psychotic symptoms
• Mescaline (Peyote) and Psilocybin (Magic
Mushrooms)
• PCP (Angel Dust): Initially can have
hallucinogenic effects; also an anesthetic and
has stimulant and depressant effects
Marijuana
• Leaves and flowers of the hemp plant
– Active chemical: THC
– Effects: Relaxation, time distortion,
perceptual distortions
Some Health Risks of Using Marijuana
• Increases risk of a variety of cancers,
including prostate and cervical cancer
• Can suppress immune system, perhaps
increasing risk of disease
• Activity levels in the cerebellum are lower
than normal in pot users
• Pot may damage some of the brain’s memory
centers
Sleep
• Innate, biological rhythm
• Microsleep: Brief shift in brain-wave patterns
similar to those of sleep
• Sleep Deprivation: Sleep loss; being deprived
of needed amounts of sleep
• Sleep-Deprivation Psychosis: Major
disruption of mental and emotional
functioning that occurs because of sleep loss
• Hypersomnia: Excessive daytime sleepiness
Measuring Sleep Changes
• Electroencephalograph (EEG): Brain-wave
machine; amplifies and records electrical
activity in the brain
• Beta Waves: Small fast waves associated
with alertness and awakeness
• Alpha Waves: Large, slow waves associated
with relaxation and falling asleep
Stages of Sleep
• Stage 1: Small, irregular waves produced in
light sleep (people may or may not say they
were asleep)
– Hypnic Jerk: Reflex muscle twitch
throughout body that may occur in Stage 1
Stage 2
• Deeper sleep; sleep spindles (bursts of
distinctive brain-wave activity) appear
Stage 3
• Deeper sleep; Delta waves appear; very large
and slow
Stage 4
• Deepest level of normal sleep; almost purely
Delta waves
Kinds of Sleep
• Rapid Eye Movements (REM): Associated
with dreaming; sleep is very light
– Body is very still during REM sleep
– Lack of muscle paralysis during REM sleep
is called “REM Behavioral Disorder”
• Non-REM (NREM) Sleep: Occurs during
stages 1, 2, 3, and 4; no rapid eye movement
occurs
– Seems to help us recover from daily
fatigue
Sleep Disturbances
• Insomnia: Difficulty in getting to sleep or
staying asleep, or waking early
– Sleeping pills exacerbate insomnia; cause
decrease in REM and Stage 4 sleep and
may cause dependency
• Drug-Dependency Insomnia: Sleeplessness
that follows withdrawal from sleeping pills
Types and Causes of Insomnia
• Temporary Insomnia: Brief period of
sleeplessness caused by worry, stress, and
excitement.
– Avoid fighting it and read a book, for
example, until you’re struggling to stay
awake.
• Chronic Insomnia: Exists if sleeping troubles
last for more than three weeks.
– Adopt regular schedule; go to bed at the
same time each night, for example.
Sleep Disturbances
• Sleepwalking (Somnambulism): Occurs in
NREM sleep during Stages 3 and 4
• Sleeptalking: Speaking while asleep; occurs
in NREM sleep
Nightmares
• Bad dreams that occur during REM sleep
• Imagery Rehearsal: Mentally rehearse the
changed dream before you go to sleep again;
may help to eliminate nightmares
Night Terrors
• Total panic and hallucinations may occur
– Occurs during Stage 4 sleep
– Most common in childhood; may occur in
adults
Sleep Apnea
• Interrupted breathing during sleep; cause of
very loud snoring
– Hypersomnia: Extreme daytime sleepiness
– Apnea can be treated by
• Surgery
• Weight loss
• Breathing mask
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• Also known as SIDS or Crib Death; Sudden,
unexplained death of healthy infant (infants
should sleep on back or on side to try to
prevent)
• SIDS babies have a weak arousal reflex;
prevents them from changing positions and
resuming breathing after an apnea episode
REM Rebound
• Extra rapid eye movement sleep following
REM sleep deprivation
Psychodynamic (Freudian) Theory of
Dreaming
• Emphasizes internal conflicts, motives, and
unconscious forces
• Wish Fulfillment: Freudian belief that many
dreams are expressions of unconscious
desires
– Much evidence to refute this
• Dream Symbols: Images that have a deeper
symbolic meaning
Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis
• Dream content may be affected by motor
commands in the brain (that occur during
sleep) that are not carried out