Chapter 7 States of Consciousness

Consciousness: All the sensations, perceptions, memories and feelings you are aware of in any instant  Waking Consciousness: Normal, alert awareness Altered State of Consciousness: Awareness that is distinctly different in quality or pattern from waking consciousness Some Early Definitions

Microsleep: Brief shift in brain wave patterns similar to those during sleep Sleep Deprivation: Sleep loss; being deprived of needed amounts of sleep Sleep-Deprivation Psychosis: Confusion, disorientation, delusions and hallucinations occur because of sleep loss Sleep

Figure 8.3 Development of sleep patterns. Short cycles of sleep and waking gradually become the night- day cycle of an adult. Although most adults don’t take naps, midafternoon sleepiness is a natural part of the sleep cycle. (After Williams et al., 1964.)

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 Measuring States of Consciousness

Figure 8.5 Changes in brain wave patterns associated with various stages of sleep. Actually, most wave types are present at all times, but they occur more or less frequently in various sleep stages.

Launch Video

Stage 1: Small, irregular waves produced in light sleep. People may or may not say they were asleep 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 Stages of Sleep

Rapid Eye Movements (REM): Associated with dreaming. Sleep is very light here Non-REM (NREM) Sleep: Occurs during stages 2, 3 and 4; no rapid eye movement occurs  Seems to help us recover from daily fatigue Body is very still during REM sleep  Lack of muscle paralysis during REM sleep is called REM Behavioral Disorder States of Sleep

Insomnia: Difficulty in getting to sleep or staying asleep  Sleeping pills exacerbate insomnia; cause decrease in REM and Stage 4 sleep and may cause dependency Drug-Dependency Insomnia: Insomnia that follows withdrawal from sleeping pills Tryptophan: Amino acid (chemical) that produces sleep Sleep Walking (Somnambulism): Occurs during NREM Sleep Sleeptalking: Speaking while asleep; occurs in NREM Sleep Sleep Disturbances

Nightmares: Bad dreams  Occur during REM sleep.  May occur once or twice a month; brief and easily (unfortunately) remembered  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 Disturbances Continued

Narcolepsy: Sudden irresistible sleep attack  Rare; runs in families  Lapse immediately into REM sleep Physiological Sleep Problems

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 (SIDS; Crib Death): Sudden, unexplained death of healthy infant. Infants should sleep on back or on side to try to prevent Other Physiological Sleep Problems

REM Rebound: Extra rapid eye movement sleep following REM Sleep deprivation Psychodynamic (Freudian) Theory: Emphasizes internal conflicts, motives and unconscious forces Wish Fulfillment: Freudian belief that many dreams are expressions of unconscious desires  Much evidence to refute this Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis: Dream content may be affected by motor commands in the brain that are not carried out Dreams

Altered state of consciousness characterized by intensely 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 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 Hidden Observer: Detached part of the hypnotized subject’s awareness that silently observes events Hypnosis

Hypnosis CAN:  Help people relax  Reduce pain  Get people to make better progress in therapy Hypnosis CANNOT:  Produce acts of superhuman strength  Produce age regression  Force you to do things against your will Hypnosis Can’s and Cannot’s

Any major reduction in amount or variety of sensory stimulation Benefits include:  Sensory enhancement  Relaxation  Changing habits Hypnogogic Images: Images similar to those that occur just before sleep Sensory Deprivation

Figure 8.10 A sensory isolation chamber. Small flotation tanks like the one pictured have been used by psychologists to study the effects of mild sensory deprivation. Subjects float in darkness and silence. The shallow, body-temperature water contains hundreds of pounds of Epsom salts, so that subjects float near the surface. Mild sensory deprivation produces deep relaxation.

Psychoactive Substance: 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 Drugs and Altered States of Consciousness

Figure 8.11 Spectrum and continuum of drug action. Many drugs can be rated on a stimulation-depression scale according to their effects on the central nervous system. Although LSD, mescaline, and marijuana are listed here, the stimulation-depression scale is less relevant to these drugs. The principal characteristic of such hallucinogens is their mind-altering quality. Launch Video

Amphetamine: Synthetic stimulants that stimulate nervous system  Dexedrine and Methamphetamine are two types of stimulants Amphetamine Psychosis: Loss of contact with reality because of amphetamine use; user tends to be paranoid Stimulants

Central Nervous System stimulant derived from leaves of coca plant; also used as local anesthetic  From , Coca-Cola did indeed have cocaine in it!  Highly addictive drug  Anhedonia (Loss of pleasure): Common after short-term cocaine use Cocaine

Most frequently used psychoactive drug in North America; present in colas, chocolate, coffee, tea Causes tremors, sweating, talkativeness, tinnitus, suppresses fatigue or sleepiness, increases alertness  May be hazardous to pregnant women if used excessively Caffeine

Natural stimulant mainly found in tobacco; known carcinogen May cause stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, tremors Nicotine is addictive Responsible for 97% of lung cancer deaths in men, 74% in women Sum: DON’T SMOKE; SMOKING KILLS (SO DOES CHEWING TOBACCO) Nicotine

Barbiturates: Sedative drugs that depress brain activity  Seconal and Amytal are two types Tranquilizers: Lower anxiety and reduce tension  Valium, Xanax and Librium are some types  Rohypnol: Related to Valium; lowers inhibitions and produces relaxation. In larger doses can induce short- term amnesia and sleep Date rape drug because it’s odorless and tasteless Drug Interaction: Combined effect of two drugs that exceeds the addition of one drug’s effects to the other Sedatives

Ethyl Alcohol is the intoxicating element in fermented and distilled liquors  Alcohol is NOT a stimulant but it DOES lower inhibitions Detoxification: Withdrawal of the person from alcohol; occurs in a medical setting and is tightly controlled. This is oftentimes necessary before long-term treatment begins Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): Worldwide self-help organization comprised of recovering alcoholics; emphasizes admitting powerlessness over alcohol usage and wanting to try to recover.  Has a spiritual component  Free; around for over 70 years! Alcohol

Figure 8.12 The behavioral effects of alcohol are related to blood alcohol content and the resulting suppression of higher mental function. Arrows indicate the typical threshold for legal intoxication in the United States. (From Jozef Cohen, Eyewitness Series in Psychology, p. 44. Copyright © by Rand McNally and Company. Reprinted by permission.)

Hallucinogen: Substance that alters or distorts sensory perceptions Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana; pot): Leaves and flowers of the hemp plant  Active chemical is THC Effects include relaxation, time distortion, perceptual distortions Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD): Hallucinogen that can produce hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms Hashish: Resinous material scraped from leaves of the hemp plant; has higher concentration of THC Marijuana (Pot) and Other Hallucinogens

Freud identified four dream processes (mental filters) that hide true purposes of dreams  Condensation: Combining several people, objects, or events into a single dream image  Displacement: Directing emotions or actions toward safe or unimportant dream images  Symbolization: When feelings or ideas are expressed symbolically in dreams; not literal expression  Secondary Elaboration: Making a dream more logical and adding details while remembering it Perls: Most dreams are a special message about what is missing in our lives, what we avoid doing when awake, or feelings that we need to re-own Dream Interpretation

Lucid Dreaming Person feels fully awake within the dream and feels capable of normal thought and action Person feels fully awake within the dream and feels capable of normal thought and action