The document discusses different states of consciousness including sleep, dreams, hypnosis, meditation, and drug-induced states. It describes the stages of sleep and theories about why we dream. Hypnosis is described as a suggestible state guided by a hypnotist, while meditation involves focusing attention to produce relaxation. Psychoactive drugs like marijuana, LSD, and opiates interact with the central nervous system to alter mood, perception, and behavior.

1. Chapter 7 Altered States of Consciousness

2. Section 1 Sleep and Dreams

3. What is Sleep? Is a state of unconsciousness with periods of dreaming Altered state of consciousness, characterized by patterns of brain activity and inactivity is vital to mental health

4. Studying Sleep Has been very difficult until recently A researcher can not have a sleeping person report without waking them; thus making the study invalid EEG or electroencephalography is a device that records the electric activity of the brain

5. Consciousness Is a state of awareness Can range from alertness to nonalertness A person who is not aware of what is going on is in an altered state of consciousness

6. Why do we Sleep? Characterized by lack of mobility or unresponsiveness to the environment It is restorative “recharges our batteries” Brain recovers from stress and exhaustion Sleep conserves energy Clears our mind of useless information

7. Stages of Sleep Stage I Pulse slows and muscles relax Breathing becomes uneven and brain waves grow irregular Lasts for up to 10 minutes EEG brain waves is marked by the presence of theta waves (lower in amplitude and frequency than alpha waves)

8. Stages of Sleep Stage II Brain waves shift from low-amp, high frequency to high-amp, low frequency waves (this pattern means you have entered this stage) Eyes roll slowly from side to side Usually lasts about 30 minutes

9. Stages of Sleep Stage III Characterized by large-amplitude delta waves begin to sweep your brain almost every second

10. Stages of Sleep Stage IV Deepest sleep of all Very difficult to awaken sleeper Large regular delta waves occur 50% of the time when you are in this stage of sleep If you are awaken during this stage, you often feel disoriented Deep sleep is important to your physical or psychological well-being

11. REM Sleep Is a stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, a high level of brain activity, a deep relaxation of the muscles, and dreaming Pulse rate and breathing become irregular Called active sleep Dreams take place during this stage Lasts for 15-45 minutes At no point in your sleep, does the brain become totally inactive

12. How much sleep? Your will spend 1/3 of your life sleeping Varies from individual to individual Circadian rhythm- is a biological clock that is genetically programmed to regulated physiological responses within a time period of 24-25 hours Without any environmental cues, people have still kept their circadian cycle

13. How Much Sleep? Circadian rhythms do not control our sleep patterns (two things do) The environment 24-hour day Jet lag- usually takes about a day for each hour of time change to “reset” your circadian rhythm (biological clock)

14. Sleep Disorders Insomnia- is the failure to get enough sleep at night in order to feel rested the next day Some people with this disorder rarely get more than and hour or two of uninterrupted sleep Anxiety, depression, overuse of alcohol or drugs can cause insomnia

15. Sleep Disorders Sleep Apnea Is a disorder in which a person has trouble breathing while sleeping Specific kind of snoring that may occur hundreds of times per night each episode lasts 10-15 seconds and ends suddenly, usually with a physical movement of the body The sleeping person is actually choking when a passage of the lungs is blocked

16. Sleep Disorders Sleep Apnea Affects more than 12 million Americans Must feel listless, sleepy, or irritable Usually caused by a physical problem instead of mental stress

17. Sleep Disorders Narcolepsy Is a condition characterized by suddenly falling asleep or feeling very sleepy during the day May have sleep attacks during the day Victims usually have a problem with work, leisure, and interpersonal activities Prone to accidents

18. Sleep Disorders Nightmares Unpleasant dreams that occur during REM sleep Night terrors Sleep disruptions that occur during Stage IV of sleep, involving screaming, panic, or confusion Last from 5-25 minutes Involves rapid heart rate, screaming, sweating, and confusion Usually have no memory of them

19. Sleep Disorders Sleepwalking- is walking or carrying out behaviors while asleep Most children who have the disorder will outgrow it Usually harmless, unless the victim falls or hurts themselves Has been linked to stress, fatigue and the use of sedative drugs by adults

20. Sleep Disorders Sleep talking Is a common sleep disruption Can occur in REM and NREM sleep The sleep talker sometimes pauses as if he or she was having a conversation You can engage in a conversation with a sleep talker

21. Dreams Mental activity that takes place during sleep 8 in 10 dreams involved negative emotions 􀂃􀂃 1 in 10 male dreams are sexual – 1 in 30 female dreams are sexual Incorporate everyday events Do not occur in a split second, they correspond to a realistic time scale

22. Why do we dream? Freud Royal road to the unconscious Wish fulfillment Manifest content Story line Latent content 􀂃􀂃 Underlying meaning of a dream

23. Why do we dream? Information Processing – Consolidate experiences Activation-synthesis Theory Interpret random brain activity Physiological Function Provide sleeping brain periodic stimulation

24. Dream Interpretation Freud believed that dreams might contain clues to thoughts a dreamer might be afraid to acknowledge in his or her waking hours Believe dreams might have hidden meaning Many social scientists believe dreaming serves no function other than to stimulate the brain while sleeping

25. Daydreams Requires low level of awareness and involves fantasizing, or idle but directed thinking, while we are awake Reminds us or prepares us for events in the future Can improve our creativity by generating thought processes Allows us to control our emotions

26. Section 2 Hypnosis, Biofeedback, and Meditation

27. What is Hypnosis? Is a form of altered consciousness in which people become highly suggestible to changes in behavior and thought A hypnotist guides and directs the person into thinking about things he or she is usually unaware of Hypnosis shifts our perceptions

28. Hypnosis Does not put people to sleep The person is highly receptive and responsive to certain internal and external stimuli Psychologists stress that a relationship between hypnotist and participant should involve cooperation, not domination.

29. Theories of Hypnosis Theodore Barber (1965) States that hypnosis is not a specific state of consciousness but a result of suggestibility Ernest Hilgard Believes there is something special about the hypnotic state Neodissociation theory- the consciousness includes many different aspects that may become separated or dissociated during hypnosis

30. Theories of Hypnosis Sarbin & Coe (1972 & 1979) Hypnotized people behave as they do because they have accepted the role as a hypnotized subject Reveals people have potential abilities they do not use Continued study may show where these abilities come from and how to use them better

31. Uses of Hypnosis Entertainment Medical Therapeutic Posthypnotic suggestion- suggested things for their participants to remember or forget when the trance is over Hypnotic analgesia- a reduction in pain reported by patients after they have undergone hypnosis

32. Biofeedback Is a technique in which a person learns to control his or her internal physiological processes with the help of feedback “Feedback makes learning possible” Uses machines to tell people about very subtle moment-to-moment changes in the body From this, people can learn to change their physiological processes

33. Meditation A person focusing on his or her attention on an image or thought with the goal of clearing the mind and producing relaxation or inner peace 3 approaches of meditation Transcendental meditation Mindfulness meditation Breath meditation

34. Meditation Transcendental meditation- involves mental repetition of a mantra, usually Sanskrit phrase Lasts for 15 to 20 minutes Mindfulness mediation- was developed from a Buddhist tradition Focuses on the present moment Breath meditation- is a concentration on one’s respiration

35. Meditation Been found to help lower blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration rate Those who succeed with meditation continue to do it Bias and self-selected samples provide the research

36. Section 3 Drugs and Consciousness

37. Psychoactive Drugs A type of drug that interacts with the central nervous system to alter a person’s mood, perception, and behavior Common drugs Caffeine, depressants, alcohol, marijuana, LSD

38. How Drugs Work Drugs are carried by the blood and taken to target tissues in parts of the body Drug molecules act as neurotransmitters and hook to dendrites of neurons and send out their own chemical messages Alcohol molecules tell nerve cells to slowdown and usually leads to passing out LSD molecules cause nerve cells to fire resulting in hallucinations

39. Marijuana Is dried leaves and flowers of Indian hemp that produce an altered state of consciousness when smoked or ingested Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the active ingredient in marijuana Disrupts memory formation (making it difficult to carry out mental and physical tasks Long-term use can lead to dependence

40. Hallucinations Perceptions that have no direct external cause—seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or feeling things that do not exist Occur during or when: Hypnosis Mediation Certain drugs Withdraw from a drug Psychological breakdown Normal conditions

41. Hallucinogens Drugs that often produce hallucinations Also called psychedelics because they create a loss of contact with reality LSD- a potent psychedelic drug that produces distortions of perception and thought

42. Hallucinogens LSD Trips Can last from 6 to 14 hours The user may encounter distortions in familiar objects A single stimulus may become the focus of attention for hours Impairs thinking even though users feel they are thinking more logically and clearly than before

43. Opiates Usually referred to as narcotics Opium Morphine Heroin Produce analgesia or pain reduction Regular use leads to addiction Overdose leads to loss of control of breathing

44. Alcohol Most widely used and abused mind altering substance in the United States Is a depressant that serves to inhibit brain function The affect of alcohol depends on the frequency of drinking and the drinker’s body weight

45. Drug abuse and treatment Drug abuse can lead to injury, damage to body, ultimately death Treatment for drug abuse usually follows these steps: 1) the abuser must admit he or she has a problem 2) the abuser must enter a treatment program or get therapy 3) the drug abuser must remain drug free

46. Source: Kasschau, Richard, A. Understanding Psychology . McGraw-Hill, Glencoe, New York, New York, 2008.