States of Consciousness

What does it mean to be conscious? Consciousness –Awareness of ourselves & our environment –States of consciousness Awake Daydreaming Sleep Dreaming Hypnosis Drug Induced Meditation

Who Dunnit? U2Mvo Simmons LA 1:54

Selective Attention –Ability to attend well to only one thing at a time Change blindness –failing to notice changes in the environment

Sleep and Dreams

Biological Rhythms and Sleep Circadian Rhythm Circadian rhythm –24 hour cycle –Temperature changes –melatonin Night=Body Temp drops e.com/watch?v=Ub Q0RxQu2gM 4:00 Sleep hormone released by pineal gland

Objective 2 What is the biological rhythm of our sleep? Stages of sleep –Awake Alpha waves –Awake but relaxed –Stage 1 Transition 1-7 minutes Light sleep Hypnagogic sensations Easy to awaken Aroused from stage 1 report they were awake

Biological Rhythms and Sleep Sleep Stages Stage 2 –Onset of true sleep –Sleep spindles High frequency bursts of brain activity –Muscles relax, heart rate, respiration,temp Stage 3 –Transition to deeper sleep –Continue to show more delta waves

Stage 4 – Delta sleep – Deepest stage of sleep; most difficult to wake – Sleepwalking & talking present – Night terrors in children – If awaken, don’t remember

REM 20% of sleep time Eyes move rapidly back & forth Fast frequency low amplitude Paradoxical sleep Heart rate & blood pressure increase Lose muscle tension & movement Dreams REM rebound – if deprived of REM; REM increase next night.

Biological Rhythms and Sleep REM Sleep REM sleep vs NREM sleepREM sleep NREM sleep –Paradoxical sleep Typical nights sleep –90 minute cycle eVthVM Baby in REM

Biological Rhythms and Sleep Typical Nights Sleep

Sleep Theories Objective 4: What is sleep’s function? Sleep theories –Sleep protects –Sleep helps recuperation –Memory storage –Sleep and creative thinking –Sleep and growth 8 min.

Objective 5: What are the major sleep disorders? Sleep disorders –InsomniaInsomnia –NarcolepsyNarcolepsy –Sleep apneaSleep apnea –Night terrorsNight terrors – –Sleepwalking/ sleeptalking

Objective 6: What Do We Dream? Manifest Content –Storyline Daily life works way into dreams External stimuli works way into dreams Latent Content -symbolic meaning “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

Objective 7: To satisfy our own wishes –Freud; psychic safety valve; –Manifest Content / Latent Content To file away memories –Information processing –Fix the day’s experiences in our minds To develop/preserve neural pathways –Babies = Lots of REM To make sense of neural static –Limbic system active during REM (i.e. amygdala) while frontal lobe less active

A Lifetime of Sleep

Attitudes Towards Hypnosis A total score is obtained by 1 st reversing the numbers given in response to statements 6,7,9,10,11,13, & 14 (1=7, 2=6, 3=5, 4=4, 5=3, 6=2, 7=1) Now…add up all numbers in front of all 14 items Scores range from Higher scores reflect a more positive attitude toward hypnosis

Hypnosis

Objective 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. –Hypnotic induction –Hypnosis as an altered state?

Facts and Falsehoods Can Anyone Experience Hypnosis? –Yes…if willing –Postural sway people who respond w/o hypnosis are the same people who respond with –Susceptibility imaginative activities; focus on task Can Hypnosis Enhance Recall of Forgotten Events? –no age regression / hypnotically refreshed memories

Facts and Falsehoods Can Hypnosis Force People to Act Against Their Will? –No…the person in authority can usually induce unlikely behavior whether hypnotized or not Can Hypnosis Be Therapeutic? –Hypnotherapists harness one’s own healing powers –Posthypnotic suggestionPosthypnotic suggestion Drug, alcohol & smoking addictions don’t respond well Can Hypnosis Alleviate Pain? –Yes…hypnosis inhibits pain-related brain activity

Explaining the Hypnotic State Hypnosis as a Social Phenomenon Social influence theo ry –Trust hypnotist, let them direct their attention & fantasies –Normal consciousness NOT AN ALTERED STATE not “faking it”

Divided Consciousness Theory Carry out suggestion even when think no one watching Distinct brain activity –areas of brain lit up when imagining color Dissociation Mind split / levels of consciousness Hypnosis dissociates the sensation of the pain stimulus from the emotional suffering = feels cold but not painful