Altered states of consciousness can occur through sleep, dreams, hypnosis, meditation, or psychoactive drugs. Sleep involves stages including light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep where most vivid dreams occur. Dreams reflect memories and experiences and may symbolically represent hidden desires according to Freud. Hypnosis can relieve pain through dissociation and is enhanced by relaxation and imagination. Psychoactive drugs like stimulants, depressants, narcotics, and hallucinogens alter brain function and can cause dependence.

1. ALTERED STATES
OF
CONSCIOUSNESS

2. CONSCIOUSNESS
■ Consciousness refers to the state of mind where
the person is aware of his or her mental Operations.
(motives, desires, thoughts and feelings)
■ Much of people’s time awake in spent in a state
called waking consciousness in which their
thoughts, feelings & sensations are clear &
organized & they feel alert.
■ These variations in consciousness are called altered
states of consciousness.

3. ■ An altered state of consciousness Occurs when there is
shifting the quality or pattern of people’s mental activity
(tart, 1986).
■ Thoughts may become fuzzy & disorganized & people may
become less alert, or their thoughts may take bizzare turns
as they so often do in dreams.
■ There are many pathways to altered states of
consciousness using drugs, daydreaming, being
hypnotized or achieving a meditative state.
■ But The most common Which people experience on a
nightly basis i.e, SLEEP

4. SLEEP
■ Sleep is body’s biological rhythms. People stay
awake but they must eventually sleep.
■ Some people also walk in sleep. People who sleep
are not entirely insensitive to enviormemt & sleep
is also not entirely planless.
■ People can do without sleep for a while but not for
long hours.

6. stages of sleep.
■ Stage 1: alpha stage. Here when eyes are closed. Brain
waves become less regular and are reduced in amplitude.
■ Frequency of 8-12 Hertz. It is a state of relaxation or like
sleep. Hear people may also experience visual events
called hypnagogic images which are bits and pieces of
what hoon main event will you become dreams.
■ Stage 2: characterized by pAppearance of Spindles.
Spindles are run of rhythmical responses. Also
occasionally sHarp rise and fall in amplitude of a Ji Which
is referred to as K corisex. Heart rate slows and breathing
becomes shallow.

7. ■ Stage 3 & 4: delta waves. 1-2hrtz. These are slow waves
that indicate the deepest stage of sleep. People get up
from sleep if they listen something personal(baby crcrying.)
impersonal things are ignored. Sometimes people also
walk in sleep.
■ Stage 5: rapid eye movement Here EEG becomes very
active. One can even watch the sleeper’s eyes move around
when eyes are closed. This stage is also called paradoxical
sleep. It is associated with dreaming & 90% of dreams
take place in REM SLEEP. Rem dreams are vivid and
detailed.
■ Some people also suffer from insomnia( inability to sleep).

8. DREAMS
■ Dream is thinking while sleeping. Type of thinking we do in
dreams differ in various ways from type of dream we do
when we are awake therefore we form memories while
sleeping.
■ Freud’s interpretation of dreams: he said dreams act as a
symbol. Dreams of a person indicate all the motives and
desires which are hidden in unconscious and are not
fulfilled I’m reality.
■ There are two types of content.
■ Manifest content: it is the actual dream itself.
■ Latent content: here true meaning of the dream lay hidden
or latent and the only expressed in symbols.

9. Activation synthesis hypothesis.
■ it states that dream is nearly another kind of thinking that
occurs when people sleep. it is less realistic because it
comes not from the outside world of reality buT from within
people’s memories and experiences of the PaSt
Pacaahshsaa it is a revised version of activation synthesis
explanation of Dreams in which information that is exercise
during working hours can have an influence on the synthesis
of Dreams.
■ therefore dreams reflect the events that occur in everyday
life and men more often dream of other males where as
women tend to dream about males and females equally.

10. Hypnosis
■ It is a state of consciousness in which the person is
especially liable to be influenced to a suggestion.
■ There are several key steps in inducing hypnosis by
druckman(1994)
■ The hypnotist tells the person to focus on what Is being
said.
■ The person is told to relax & feel tired.
■ The hypnotist tells the person to let go & accept
suggestions easily.
■ The person is told to use vivid imagination.

11. ■ A person can be hypnotized when person is active & alert.
■ A test of hypnotic susceptibility… The degree to which a person
is a good hypnotic subject.
■ Hypnosis can relieve pain by allowing a person to remove
conscious attention from the pain. Smell, hearing, & ability to
see visual illusions can be affected by hypnosis. .
■ Theories of hypnosis
■ HYPNOSIS AS DISSOCIATION.: Hilgard believed Believed
that hypnosis worked only on the immediate conscious mind of
a person, while a part of that person’s mind remained aware of
all that was going on.
■ In one study by Miller subjects hypnotized and told to put their
arms in ice water although they were instructed to feel no pain.
■ The subjects who were successful at d9 the pain allowed them
to disassociate from the pain as they imagined themselves
being at a beach or some other place.

12. Hypnosis as social role playing:
■ Theory assumes that people who are hypnotized are not in an
altered state but are merely playing the role expected of them
in the situation.
■ They might believe that they are hypnotized but because of the
good performance , even subjects are unaware that they are
role playing.
.
PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS.
#These drugs alter thinking, perception & memory.
Drugs either create psychological dependence or physical
dependence both of which can lead to lifelong pattern of
abuse.

13. ■ Physical dependence: People become physically
dependent where body craves for the drug.
■ Drug tolerance: As person continues to use the drug,
larger & larger doses of he drug are needed to achieve
same initial effects of the drug.
■ Withdrawl: When deprived of drugs it causes pain, high
BP, & crankiness.
■ PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE:
■ It is a feeling that a drug is needed to continue a
feeling of emotional or psychological well being.
■ categories are:
■ Stimulants: Drugs that increase the functioning of the
nervous system.

14. ■ types of stimulants are:
■ Amphetamines: stimulants that are made in
laboratories rather than being found in nature.
Causes vomiting & high bp.
■ Cocaine: natural drug derived from the leaves of
coca plant. Produces feeling of euphoria, energy &
power. Also suppresses the appetite.
■ Nicotine: it is active ingredient in totobacco. It has a
relaxing effect & reduces stress.
■ Caffeine: mild stimulant found in coffee & tea. It
helps maintain alertness, and is added to pain
relievers.

15. ■ Depressants: these decrease the functioning of the
nervous system.
■ It’s types are:
■ Barbiturates: (major tranquilizers) these have a
sedative effect.Can also lead to unconscious or
coma.
■ Benzodiazepines: (minor tranquilizers) it reduces
anxiety and stress.
■ ALCOHOL Abuse : This causes health risks to the
liver brain and heart alcohol is associated with loss
of work time loss of a job and loss of economic
stability.
■ women feel the effects sooner than the men.

16. ■ Narcotics:these suppress the sensation of pain & slow down
the action of nervous system.
■ Types:
■ Opium: it has pain relieving and pain inducing properties.
■ Morphine: it is used to treat severe pain.
■ Heroine: it is harmful & extremely addictive
■ Hallucinogens: these cause false sensory messages,altering
the perception of reality.
■ Marijuana: (weed) it comes from the leaves and flowers of
the hemp plant. It has ability to produce meaning of well
being mild intoxication and mild sensory hallucinations.(joint,
tobacco)

17. Thankyou!