Essay on Altered States of Consciousness

Introduction: I’m sure everyone likes sleep. Everyone needs sleep to keep the least bit active through out there day. Sleep is an important factor for your body to restore energy. Sleeping is a time to rest your body from all the hard work you have done. It is relaxing so deeply that you lose consciousness of your surroundings.

Numerous factors determine when and why you feel tired, full of energy, and hungry. A person's state of consciousness and awareness varies throughout the day and depends on a person's activity, environment, and time clock.

The average human spends about 25 years of their life sleeping. That is equal to one-third of a person’s life. So if sleep is vital and common among every single human, what do you know about it? What happens when we sleep (Attention Grabber)? Before the 1950s, scientists believed that the brain would just “shut off” when we would go to sleep. It wasn’t until the discovery of the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) state that scientists really looked into what happens in the brain while we are asleep. Studies have found that we go through a cycle of stages during sleep, and it is important for our health (Orientation to Topic). Today, I am going to inform you about what really happens when we sleep, and some issues that are found among it (Specific Purpose). In order to really understand this worldwide commonality, you need to know some background on sleep, the stages in the cycle, and some common disorders (Central Idea). I have taken a year long psychology course that went into depth on sleep psychology, and I have done extensive research on the topic to better grasp it (Statement of Credibility). I want to inform you on sleep so you can understand what happens when you close your eyes every night, and so you can detect any irregularities in your sleep pattern (Statement of Goodwill). First, I will give a background of why and how we know to sleep, then I will explain the stages in the sleep cycle, and finally I will tell you about some common disorders (Preview).

When the person is hypnotized they feel calm and relaxed. The therapist using verbal repetition makes them more open to suggestions. The individual being hypnotized is conscious but is able to ignore the most of everything going on around them. When being hypnotized the person excludes all other thoughts.

An altered level of consciousness in children has many causes, with a fundamental differentiation being between structural and medical conditions. Infection of the brain encephalitis or meninges is the most common cause of altered level of consciousness, accounting for more than one third of nontraumatic cases. Non Accidental Injury should be considered in any infant presenting with an altered level of consciousness and apnea. [3] List of causes of differential diagnosis of Altered level of consciousness are listed in Table 2

Hypnosis is seen by the general public as a type of mind control. A common misconception about hypnosis is that you can be forced to do something you would not normally do. In reality, the subject has to allow themselves to be hypnotized or it will not work. It is vital the subject of hypnotism approach it with an open mind. Around 90% of the human population is able to be brought into a hypnotic state. (Brown,1986, p. 3) . Hypnosis is a characterized state which allows for higher focused attention, heightened suggestibility and vivid fantasies.(Wagner). John Kihlstrom, the professor department of Psychology at the University of California, has said “The hypnotist does not hypnotize the

Sleep is a natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body. When you sleep your eyes are usually closed and you are not moving as much as you would if you were awake. Everybody needs sleep to keep them going throughout the day.

Next up is meditation, which defined is to engage in mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness. There are many techniques when it comes to meditation. All methods share a common thread: they focus on a peaceful repetitive stimulus that is used to help one relax and or sleep. Some Studies have found that it helps some lower their blood pressure. Even though it is not scientifically proven, some claim that it helps them achieve a “Oneness with the universe”, pleasure, or some great

Consciousness is an individual's awareness of the environment around them, their thoughts, feelings, memories and sensations. In order to be conscious, one must be awake and aware of the life around them. Many studies and articles have proved that there are many ways to change the way one thinks when not fully conscious. Someone in an altered state of mind will not be in full consciousness of themselves or surroundings. The brain state loses the sense of identity with one's body or normal sense perceptions. A very popular way to go about altering the human state of mind is through the use of psychoactive drugs. So what really is happening in the brain when under the influence of psychoactive drugs? The brain mistakes drugs for serotonin. The

Sleep is the resting period so the body can eliminate muscle waste, repair cells, strengthen immune system, and recover mental flexibility, attention and creativity. There are four stages we go through while we sleep. In stage 1 , brain waves become small/irregular and drift to edge of consciousness (light sleep) where it proceeds to start stage 2 where the brain emits short bursts of rapid and high-peak waves (sleep spindles). In Stage 3 Brain waves stage 2 + some high peak slow delta waves (slow breath/hard to wake) and last stage, is when the brain emits delta waves and is in deep sleep.

Sleep is one of the most important needs that naturally is daily develop in our body, the brain plays a huge role in the sleep process since it doesn't power off, while the person is sleeping.Also, the brain has the ability to block messages leaving you paralyzed, except for your eyes. There are four important stages in the sleep process, the first one is NREM-1 which take function when the body is relax and feel sleepy, in this stage you can experience hypnagogic sensations that is when you feel you falling while asleep, the second one is NREM-2 that involves sleep spindles, and in this stage you can be asleep but can easily be awakened. The third stage is NREM-3 is the start of deep sleep and is responsible of fragmental dreams.The fourth

How do your chosen texts represent altered states of consciousness (e.g. dreaming, drugged states, trances, madness)? What does the representation of these states explore that the representation of normative states does not?

I personally have never experienced an altered state of consciousness during a ritual, but I have been able to see friends and many other people entering into an altered state of consciousness. About two years ago, I was kindly invited to my friend’s Christian church, which I accepted. I recall it was a Sunday afternoon and all the people were dressed with their fine clothes, ready to exalt the lord. The whole service for that afternoon was approximately two hours. During those two hours, two specific moments I remember that I quickly figured that people were like in a trance and not acting themselves was when it was time to perform their rituals; singing and praying.

Neil Stanley once said, “Sleep is a selfish thing to do.” Sleep is defined as a natural state of rest for the body and mind. A person spends at least 1/3 of his or her lifetime asleep. When one sleeps, the brain goes through a process that is necessary in learning, memory, and creativity in ways that scientists do not fully understand. Sleep also protects the body and restores energy.

There are five stages of sleep: 1) light sleep, drowsy sleep, myoclonic jerks or sudden movements of muscle. 2) decreased muscle activity, no awareness of environment. 3 & 4) delta waves are the slowest with the highest amplitude. 5) REM sleep, rapid eye movements, dreaming occurs, fast wave activity. Stages one through four are non-REM and stage five is REM.