Transcript Ch. 7 States of Consciousness

What is consciousness?
Waking Consciousness
• Thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that occur when we
are awake and alert
Altered States of Consciousness
• A mental state that differs noticeably from normal
waking consciousness
Types of consciousness
 Daydreaming
 Napping
 Sleeping
 Dreaming
 Unconscious
 Preconscious
 Meditative state
 Hypnosis
 Drug-induced states (e.g. hallucinations)
 Near death experience
Consciousness and Information Processing
 Waking consciousness is the “tip of the information
processing iceberg”
 Role of non-directed thought, napping, daydreaming
and even sleeping
Freud’s Levels of Consciousness
Sleep and Dreaming
 Sleep is characterized as unresponsiveness to the
environment and limited physical mobility.
 How much sleep do we really need?
 Sleep deprivation results in deterioration of immune
function, lowered ability to concentrate, and an
increase in accidents.
Stages of Sleep
 As we begin to fall asleep our body temperature drops,
pulse rate drops, and our breathing slows.
 Eventually, our eyes close and our brain shows alpha
waves on the EEG, which is associated with the
absence of thought and with relaxation.
 Stage 1 – lightest level of sleep; pulse slows more,
muscles relax, but breathing becomes uneven and
brain waves grow irregular. Lasts about 10 minutes.
 Stage 2 – eyes begin to role from side to side.
 Stage 3 – About 30 minutes later, deeper sleep.
 Stage IV – deepest sleep possible; may feel disoriented
if suddenly woken up.
 Sleepwalking, bed wetting, talking out loud all happen
during this stage and it leaves no trace on the memory.
 75% of sleep time is spent in stages I-IV by the average
person.
 REM sleep – stage of sleep with Rapid Eye Movement,
high levels of brain activity, pulse rate and breathing
become irregular, levels of adrenal and sexual hormones in
the blood rise, deep relaxation of muscles, and dreaming
occur.
How much sleep do we need?
Circadian Rhythm
 Our biological clock that is genetically programmed to
regulate physiological responses within a 24-25 hr time
period.
 Controls body temperature, metabolism, blood pressure,
hormone levels, and hunger.
 Role of light in regulating cycles (optic nerve and skin)
 Pineal gland and melatonin
 Jet lag is the result of desynchronization of the circadian
rhythm (shift work, sleep deprivation, DS time change)
Sleep Disorders
 Sleep is essential for mental and
physical restoration.
 However, some people suffer
from a variety of sleep disorders
that keep them from getting
sufficient rest.
 Insomnia is a failure to get
enough sleep at night in order to
feel rested the next day.
 Anxiety, depression, overuse of
alcohol and drugs can cause
insomnia.
 Sleep apnea is a sleeping
disorder in which someone
had problems breathing or
stops breathing for a brief
period of time.
 Affects 1 in 100 Americans.
 Can be caused by a
blockage of the airway,
throat, middle and ear
infections, or even obesity.
 Narcolepsy is a
condition
characterized by
suddenly falling asleep
or feeling very sleepy
during the day.
 Can cause unusual
sleep and dream
patterns, as well as
paralysis.
 Nightmares are
unpleasant dreams.
 Night terrors are sleep
disruptions that occur
during Stage IV sleep,
which can often involve
screaming, panic,
sweating, increased heart
rate or confusion.
 Can last up to 20
minutes.
 Sleepwalking is being partly, but not totally awake.
 Sleepwalking can be inherited
 Sleep talking is a common disruption; most people
talk in their sleep, but do not have any memory of
doing so.
Dreams
 Everyone dreams and most
people do remember their
dreams.
 Dreams we remember often
times were interesting; filled
with action, sensuality, emotion.
 Dreams involve strenuous
activity or passive events
(watching tv or reading a book).
Most dreams involve negative or
unpleasant emotions (anxiety,
sadness, fear, anger).
 Dreams do not occur in a split
second, but in a realistic time
frame.
What are dreams?
Why do we dream?
 Dreams are an extension of concerns in daily life (Calvin
Hall), and so…
 Wish Fulfillment Freud suggested that dreams provide a
psychic safety valve to deal with unacceptable feelings. The
dream’s manifest (apparent) content may also have
symbolic meanings (latent content) that signify our
unacceptable feelings.
 Information Processing Dreams may help sift, sort, and fix
a day’s experiences in our memories. Memory
consolidation model
Dream Interpretation
 Freud believed tat no matter how simple a dream,
dreams contain clues to thought one is afraid to
acknowledge with in a conscious state.
 http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/
 Daydreams require a low level of awareness and
involves fantasizing or thinking about something
specific.
 Daydreaming can help our creativity and can help
control our emotions.
Hypnosis
 Hypnosis is a form of altered consciousness in which people become
highly suggestible to changes in behavior and thought.
 Hypnosis Trance-like state in which people can respond more easily to
suggestion
 Hypnotic susceptibility
 Induction and depth
 Therapeutic uses of hypnotherapy
 Hypnosis has been used in conjunction with psychotherapy and as
an anesthetic in dentistry and surgery
 Smoking cessation, pain relief
Theories of Hypnosis
 Theodore Barber
 Hypnosis is not a special state of consciousness, but a
simple result of suggestibility.
 People try their hardest when they are given
instructions, therefore being able to do whatever they
are told by a hypnotist.
 Ernest Hilgard
 Something special about the hypnotic state.
 People who are hypnotized are highly suggestible and do
what the hypnotist tells them, yet do not initiate the
actions themselves.
Uses for Hypnosis
 Entertainment
 Medical
 Therapeutic
 Posthypnotic suggestions – suggestions made to
forget or remember once the trace is over.
 Hypnotic analgesia – reduction of pain in people
who undergo hypnosis for medical purposes.
Biofeedback
 Biofeedback – process of learning to control
bodily states with the help of machines
monitoring the states to be controlled.
 Monitors and records physiological responses,
including brain waves, heart rate, blood pressure,
skin temperature, and sweat gland activity.
 “Feedback makes learning possible”
Meditation
 Meditation
 Techniques which improve the ability to focus and relax
 Suppresses activity of the sympathetic nervous system
 Brain activity similar to deep sleep states
Drugs and Consciousness
 Psychoactive drugs –
chemicals that affect the
nervous system, which
alter a person’s mood,
perception, and behavior.
 These drugs range from
caffeine (coffee, soda) to
depressants like alcohol
and hallucinogens (LSD,
marijuana)
 Tolerance
 Effects diminish requiring more substance to obtain the
original effect
 Withdrawal
 Physical discomfort when the substance is stopped.
Believed to be related to deficit of neurotransmitters
How do drugs work?
 Drugs are carried through the blood stream then
absorbed into target tissue
Marijuana
 Marijuana is a plant that is
dried.
 Hashish is a gummy powder
taken from the flower tops.
 Active ingredient in marijuana is
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
 Commonly found in Cannabis
sativa (weed), or Indian hemp.
 Marijuana is typically smoked,
but can be cooked in food and
eaten.
Hallucinations
 Seeing, hearing, smelling,
tasting, or feeling things
that do not exist.
 Can be caused by
meditation, hypnosis,
certain drugs, drug
withdrawal, sleep
deprivation or
psychological breakdown.
Hallucinogens
 Found in plants all over the
world
 Drugs that usually cause
hallucinations.
 Psychedelics are
hallucinogens that cause a
loss of contact with reality.
 Most common and potent
hallucinogen – LSD
 A does of a few millionths of a gram has a noticeable
effect.
 100 – 300 micrograms (average dose) causes a trip
(experimental state) that can last 14-16 hours.
 Usually taken as dissolving strips or in sugar cubes.
Opiates
 Also called
narcotics…opium,
morphine, heroin.
 Create pain reduction,
euphoria (pleasurable state
between wake and sleep).
 Highly addictive
 Overdose is usually due to
respiratory failure.
Stimulants - Amphetamines and Meth
Amphetamines stimulate neural activity, causing
accelerated body functions and associated energy
and mood changes, with devastating effects.
Ecstasy (Stimulant)
Ecstasy or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA) is a stimulant
and mild hallucinogen. It
produces a euphoric high
and can damage serotoninproducing neurons, which
results in a permanent
deflation of mood and
impairment of memory.
Cocaine
Cocaine induces immediate euphoria followed by a crash.
Crack, a form of cocaine, can be smoked (Crack). Cocaine
can also be sniffed or injected.
Prescription Drugs
 The nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs is a
serious and growing public health problem in this
country.
 Most people take prescription medications
responsibly; however, an estimated 48 million people
(ages 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for
nonmedical reasons in their lifetimes.
 This represents approximately 20 percent of the U.S.
population.
 Monitoring the Future survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th-
graders found that 9.3 percent of 12th-graders reported
using Vicodin without a prescription in the past year,
and 5.0 percent reported using OxyContin-making
these medications among the most commonly abused
prescription drugs by adolescents.
 Most Commonly Abused Prescription Drugs
 Opiates, which are most often prescribed to treat pain;
 Central nervous system (CNS) depressants, which are used to treat
anxiety and sleep disorders; and
 Stimulants, which are prescribed to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy
and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Alcohol
 Mind altering substance
 Depressant that inhibits normal brain function.
 Effects of alcohol depend on amount of alcohol
drinks consumed and hour and the drinker’s body
weight.
 Causes slurred speech, blurred vision, impaired
judgment, memory loss, and blackouts.
Drug Abuse and Treatment
 Drug abuse comes from boredom, wanting to fit in,
need for self-confidence, to forget problems/worries,
relaxation, or just to feel good.
 Drug abuse can cause death, possible overdose,
damage to health, legal consequences, or destructive
behavior.
 Treatment includes :
 Drug abuser must admit they have a problem
 Drug abuser must enter a drug program
 Drug abuser must remain drug free; join a support
group; stay away from temptation.