Download States of Consciuosnes

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
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
 Annual
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 mind
It works on a biological clock schedule to
ensure that we have the opportunity to sleep
NREM (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 Rhythms
 The
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 controlled
The body creates its own sleepwake cycle that is roughly onehour off of normal sleep and wake
times – it works on a 25 hour day
schedule
Sleep
 There
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 Sleep
The 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 minutes
As 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 minutes
Breathing becomes rhythmical
Some small muscle twitches
Brain activity begins to slow down,
sleep talking may occur, and the
appearances of sleep spindles
Quick bursts of brain activity
that last for a second or two –
creation of memories?
Stages of Sleep
 Stages
Next
3 and 4 (Delta):
35 Minutes
Heart rate, blood pressure, and
breathing drop to their lowest levels
Replenishing chemical supplies,
growth hormones released, fortifying
the immune system
Stage 4 has more than 50% delta
waves
Stages of Sleep
 By
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 waves
Visual 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
The
Rebound Sleep
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

Insomnia
A
condition in which a
person regularly
experiences an inability to
fall asleep, to stay asleep,
or to feel adequately
rested by sleep.
Sleep
Apnea
A
sleep disorder in which the
person repeatedly stops
breathing during sleep
Carbon-dioxide
builds up in
the blood, causing a
momentary awakening,
during which the sleeper
snorts or gulps for air
 Narcolepsy
A
sleep disorder characterized by
excessive daytime sleepiness and
brief lapses into sleep throughout
the day
 Though
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
Usually
(somnambulism)
within the first three
hours of sleep, in Stage 4
The 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 others
IE.
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.
Cocaine
Cocaine
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