Download 07.States_of_Consciousness

States of Consciousness
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/intro-to-states-of-consciousness.html
Sleep
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/sleep-cycle.html
• Sleep is a state of
consciousness.
• We are less aware of
our surroundings, but
conscious.
• Circadian Rhythm – the
“biological clock”;
regular rhythms that
occur on a 24 hr cycle
(body temp,
wakefulness, etc.)#13
Sleep Cycle
• Researchers use an EEG
machine to determine
stages of sleep.
• When you are awake or
in the onset of sleep,
your brain emits alpha
waves.
• In onset of sleep,
people may have mild
hallucinations, like a
feeling of falling.
Stage 1
• Kind of awake and
kind of asleep.
• Only lasts a few
minutes, and you
usually only
experience it once a
night.
• Your brain produces
theta waves.
Stage 2
• More theta waves
that get
progressively slower.
• Begin to show sleep
spindles (short
bursts of rapid brain
waves).
Stages 3 and 4
• Slow wave sleep
• The brain produces
delta waves.
• If awoke, you will be
very groggy.
• Vital for restoring
body’s growth
hormones and good
overall health.
From stage 4, your brain
begins to speed up and you
go to stage 3, then 2, then…
REM Sleep
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/why-do-we-sleep-and-dream.html
• Rapid Eye Movement
• Often called
paradoxical sleep:
– Brain is very active.
– Body is essentially
paralyzed.
• Dreams usually occur in
REM.
• REM Rebound
Sleep Disorders
Insomnia
• persistent
problems falling
asleep
• Effects 10% 15% of the
population
Narcolepsy
Click above to see Skeeter the narcoleptic dog.
• suffer from
sleeplessness and
may fall asleep at
unpredictable or
inappropriate times
• severe cases directly into REM
sleep
• 1 out of 2000 people
Sleep Apnea
• a person stops
breathing during their
sleep
• wake up momentarily,
gasp for air, then fall
back asleep
• 1 in 20; very common,
especially in
overweight males
Night Terrors
• Characterized by
intense crying,
screaming, or fear
• Not a nightmare
• Most common in
children between
ages 3-12.
• Stage 4
Somnambulism
• a.k.a. - Sleep Walking
• most often occurs during
stage 4
• more common in children
(especially those who
have experienced night
terrors)
• harmless
Sleeptalking
• can occur during any
sleep stage
• typically garbled and
non-sensical
• like sleepwalking,
common in children
and harmless
Dreams
Freud’s Theory of Dreams
• Dreams are a
roadway into our
unconscious.
• Manifest Content
(storyline)
• Latent Content
(underlying meaning)
Activation-Synthesis Theory
• the cerebral cortex
is trying to interpret
random electrical
activity we have
while sleeping
• that is why dreams
sometimes make no
sense
• a biological theory
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
Hypnosis
Hypnosis
#14;start @ 11:50
• Altered State of Consciousness?
• Posthypnotic Suggestion – a proposition,
made to a “hypnotized” subject, to be
carried out after hypnosis
• Posthypnotic Amnesia - supposed inability
to recall things that happened during
hypnosis
Hypnotic Theories
Role Theory
• Hypnosis is NOT an altered
state of consciousness.
• Different people have
various levels of hypnotic
suggestibility.
• A social phenomenon where
people want to believe and/or
fulfill the “role” of the
hypnotized.
• Support:
• the young and those with
richer “fantasy lives” are more
susceptible
• research has shown that those
who are told to act as
hypnotized do the same as
those who are “hypnotized”
• Age regression hypnosis
problems
State Theory
• Hypnosis is an altered
state of consciousness.
• Support:
– Some health benefits
(especially “treatment” of
pain; obesity)
Dissociation Theory
• Theory by Ernest
Hilgard and his
experiments with ice
water.
 We voluntarily divide
our consciousness.
 We have a “hidden
observer”, or a part
of us that is always
aware
Drugs
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/psychoactive-drugs.htm
Let’s Have a Mouse Party!
mouse party
Drugs
• Our brain is
protected by a layer
of capillaries called
the blood-brain
barrier.
• The drugs that are
small enough to pass
through are called
psychoactive drugs.
Drugs are either….
faces of meth
• Agonists
• Antagonists
• Reuptake inhibitors
If a drug is used often,
a tolerance is created
for the drug.
Thus you need more of
the drug to feel the
same effect.
If you stop using a drug
you can develop
withdrawal symptoms.
Stimulants
• Speed up body
processes.
• More powerful ones
(like cocaine) give
people feelings of
invincibility.
Depressants
• Slow down body
processes.
– Alcohol
– Anxiolytics
(barbiturates and
tranquilizers)
Alcohol
• More than 86 billion
dollars are spent
annually on alcoholic
beverages.
• Alcohol is involved in
60% of ALL crimes.
• Alcohol is involved in
over 70% of sexual
assaults.
Hallucinogens
• a.k.a. - Psychedelics
• cause changes in
perceptions of reality
• i.e. - LSD, peyote,
psilocybin mushrooms
and marijuana.
• reverse tolerance –
when successive doses
cause equal effect of
original doses
Opiates
• Have depressive and
hallucinogenic qualities.
• Agonist for endorphins.
• Derived from poppy
plant.
• Morphine, heroin,
methadone and codeine.
• All these drugs cross
the placental barrier….
teratogens.