States of Consciousness

Waking Consciousness Outside stimuli- Internal Stimuli- Too much to process simultaneously so we select only a fraction of them. This is what we refer to as Waking Consciousness

Our brains still process all of the information that we are seemingly ignoring. If it is deemed vital, we’ll instantly pay attention Ex- Accident in front of you on the road Ex- “Cocktail Party Phenomenon” “Flow states”-

What is Waking Consciousness? William James- “Stream of Consciousness” Rodolfo Llinas- The Thalamus “sweeps” your brain and that each time it does so is a moment of consciousness Freud- “Tip of the Iceberg” – consciousness is what our brain allows us to “see”. The real info is in your unconscious mind.

Daydreams Universal ASC that occurs w/o effort The urge to daydream occurs every 90 minutes (about every 5 for Amanda apparently) They peak between noon and 2 pm Your daydreams are reflective of who you are.

Types of Daydreams A) Anxious people- tend to have daydreams about worry and loosely connected topics B) Achievement-oriented- recurring themes of achievement, guilt and fear of failure C) Happy- pleasant fantasies D) Unusually curious- scenes from objective world and controlled lines of thought 4% of population is very creative and their daydreams are fantasy-prone

How important are they? 1) Not at all 2) They help you deal with unpleasant desires (Freud) 3) They help you endure difficult situations (Pulaski) 4) build cognitive skills and deal w/ “unfinished business” (Singer)

Circadian Cycles “Biological Clock”- sleep and waking follow 24 hr cycle governed by the sun. This changes with the seasons. Are you more sleepy during the winter? Not all cycles follow this pattern. Ex- Epinephrine- peaks around 11AM and declines until midnight Ex- Melatonin- surges at night and drops off during the day

SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “Twilight State”- you begin to lose awareness and fail to respond to stimuli that would elicit a response were you awake Alpha Waves- very quick and tight Mild hallucinations like the sensation of falling or patterns. You sometimes jolt back into consciousness

Stages 1& 2 Brain waves are tight (Theta Waves) Pulse slows. Muscles relax and eyes may roll side to side. Lasts only a few minutes. Usually only experience once/night Stage 2- slower Theta waves and you begin to show “sleep spindles”- bursts of brain activity

Stage 3 & 4 Progressively deeper sleep. Brain waves increase in amplitude and slow down. Delta Waves Heart rate, BP, body temp all at their lowest point Vital for body’s growth hormones and overall health. If awoken you will feel very groggy First sleep to be made up Lessens with age After about 1 hour you descend the sleep stages until you reach…………………………………..

REM Sleep “Paradoxical Sleep”- Why? Voluntary muscles are essentially paralyzed. Why? Most dreams occur here 20% of sleep is REM (REM rebound) 50% is Stage 2 30% is Stage 3 & 4

How much sleep do you need? Infants= 13-16 hours with higher % REM sleep. What does an infant dream about? CUTE!!! Teens= 8-10 Hours (D’OH!!) Adults= 6-8 Hours (WOO-HOO!!) Elderly= Less sleep, wake up more often and much less time in REM Men- sleep less well than women

“To Sleep, Per chance to Dream” Avg. person has 4-5 dreams /night lasting about 1-2 hours Dreams become more complex as we age Content is dependent on gender, age, what you did prior to sleeping and even socioeconomic status

What do dreams mean? 1) Freud- Dreams are the “royal road to the unconscious”. Manifest content- what you literally dreamed about Latent content- what it meant