ch7 alteredstates reg. psych

Chapter Seven: Altered States of Consciousness

I. Sleep and Dreams

Sleep

An altered state of consciousness, characterized

by specific patterns of brain activity and inactivity

Consciousness

A state of awareness

EEG

Electroencephalograph

A device that records the electrical activity of the brain

Sleep and Dreams

Sleep and Consciousness Why Do We Sleep?

Stages of Sleep How Much Sleep Sleep Disorders

Dreams

Characteristics of Sleep

Unresponsiveness to the environment

Limited physical mobility

Purpose of Sleep

Restorative; recovery from exhaustion/stress

Primitive hibernation; conservation of energy

Purpose of Sleep

Adaptive behavior; evolution of night time safety strategy

Defragmentation of disks

Dream

Physical Characteristics of Sleep

Lowered body temperature Lowered pulse rate

Lowered rate of respiration Brief alpha wave period

Body twitching, eye rolling, brief visual imagery

Stages of Sleep

Early Stages Stage I

Stage II Stage III

Later Stages Stage IV

REM Sleep

Early Stages of Sleep: Stage I

Lightest level of sleep Slow pulse/ muscles relaxed

Irregular brain waves Up to 10 minutes along

Theta waves Shifting waves move to Stage II

Early Stages of Sleep: Stage II

Shifting waves Eye rolling

Up to 30 minutes Deeper drift into Stage III

Early Stages of Sleep: Stage III

Large amplitude delta waves One wave per second

Move to Stage IV

Later Stages of Sleep: Stage IV

Deepest level of sleep Large delta waves

50% of the time Sleepwalking; sleep talking;

bedwetting Descent into REM sleep

Later Stages of Sleep: REM Sleep

Rapid Eye Movement Muscle relaxation

Irregular pulse rate and breathing patterns

Increased levels of adrenaline and sexual hormones

Later Stages of Sleep: REM Sleep

Slow waves (similar to waking waves)

15 minutes (early) to 45 minutes (late)

90 minute cycles Stage IV Decreases

REM increases

How Much Sleep?

1/3 of your life is spent in sleep

Newborns: 16 hours (1/2 REM)

HS Students: 10-11 hours College students: (8 hours)

Elderly: 5 hours

How Much Sleep?

25 % REM

75% NREM

Circadian Rhythm

Internal biological clock Regulates your sleep/wake

cycle 24-25 hours long

Operates even without daytime/nighttime cues

Circadian Rhythm

Need for sleep is dictated by the environment and the 24 hour day

Lack of sleep interrupts your circadian rhythm

Jet lag: one day recovery for each hour of time change

Sleep Disorders

Insomnia Sleep Apnea

Narcolepsy Nightmares/Night Terrors

Sleepwalking/talking

Insomnia

A prolonged and abnormal inability to sleep

Can be caused by stress, depression, anxiety, overuse

of alcohol or drugs

Sleep Apnea

Frequent interruption of breathing during sleep

Symptoms include 10-15 minute snoring episodes; breathing actually stops

Sleep Apnea

1 out of every 100 Americans have the disorder

More common among older people

Causes include enlarged tonsils; infection; obesity

Narcolepsy

Permanent sleepiness and fatigue

Unusual sleep/dream patterns

Sleep attacks with brief REM periods

Nightmares/Night Terrors

Nightmares occur during the dream phases of REM sleep

Night terrors occur during Stage IV sleep (usually during the first or

second episode of Stage IV)

Terrors last from 5-20 minutes; subjects usually have no memory of

them

Sleepwalking/Sleep Talking

Sleepwalkers are partially but not completely awake.

Disorder usually associated with children

May be inherited


Not a psychological disorder

Linked to stress, fatigue, and sedative use

Usually outgrown


Occurs in both REM and NREM

Many people do it, but don’t remember it

Dreams

The mental activity that takes place during sleep

Dreams become longer and more complex as the sleep

cycle advances

Dreams

People generally remember the last dream (of many) they have

during a sleep cycle

Sleep deprivation increases the amount of time spent in REM sleep, and therefore the time

dreaming

Dreams

We remember interesting dreams more than dull ones

Most dreams involve everyday subjects

Negative dreams are nightmares

Dreams

Negative dreams are nightmares

The emotional quality associated with nightmares probably results from increased brain activity in

the limbic system

Dream Interpretation

Ancient peoples interpreted dreams as long ago as 5000

years

Freud believed that dreams contain thoughts the

consciousness refuses to acknowledge


Inuit peoples believe dreams have hidden meaning

Dreamers enter a spiritual realm and interact with the dead


Kleitman: dreams may serve no purpose at all

Dreams may be the result of random brain cell stimulation


Dreams facilitate problem solving

Dreams clean out the memory closet


II. Hypnosis, Biofeedback, and

Meditation

Hypnosis

Yet another form of altered consciousness in which

attention is very narrowly focused and people become

extremely suggestible

Hypnosis

Allows shifts in the perception of your

consciousness

Hypnosis induces a trance state, which is much different from sleep

Hypnosis

Unlike sleep, people under hypnosis are much more

open and receptive to internal and external stimuli

Theories of Hypnosis

Barber: Hypnosis is just the result of suggestibility

Hilgard: neodissociation theory; the ‘hidden observer’

Theories of Hypnosis

Green: degree of suggestibility is critical to the

success of hypnosis

Smith & Coe: subjects play the role of hypnotized

subjects

Uses of Hypnosis

Entertainment

Medicine

Therapy

Post-hypnotic Suggestion

A suggestion made to a hypnotized subject to

perform a particular behavior; or to repress a

specific piece of knowledge; once he is no longer in a

hypnotic trance

Medical/Theraputic Uses

Pain reduction

Reveal problems

Gain insight

Biofeedback

A technique used to control ones internal physiological

processes

Requires a biofeedback machine

Biofeedback

Brain waves (EEG) Heart rate

Blood pressure Skin temperature (GSR)

Sweat gland activity

Meditation

A heightened state of relaxation

Practiced for thousands of years

Three Major Approaches

to Meditation Transcendental meditation

Mindfulness meditation

Breath meditation

Transcendental Meditation

Mantra

Sanskrit

15-20 minutes twice a day

Mindfulness Meditation

Buddhist origin

Focusing and visualizing each body part, one at a

time

Breath Meditation

Focus on the process of breathing -- inhaling and

exhaling

Benefits of Meditation

Lowers blood pressure Lowers heart rate

Lowers respiration rate


III.Drugs and Consciousness

How Drugs Work

Absorbed through the capillaries

Carried to tissue throughout the body

Marijuana

THC -- tetrahydrocannabinol

Cannabis sativa/ Indian hemp

Hashish

Marijuana

Enhanced sensory experience

Heightened emotion

Psychological addiction

Hallucinations

Perception that have no direct external cause

Hallucinations are sensory, involving misapprehensions of sight, hearing, touch taste and

feeling

Causes of Hallucinations

Hypnosis Meditation

Drugs Drug withdrawal

Psychological breakdown

Causes of Hallucinations

Dream states

Sleep deprivation

Heightened emotional states

Fatigue

Similarity of experience

Seigel (1977) Native American peyote rituals

Simultaneous disorganization and arousal of the CNS

Similar hallucinations across cultures

Hallucinogens

Also called psychedelics

Produce a loss of contact with reality

LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide

Synthetic substance

Usage is referred to as a ‘trip’

LSD

Effects last anywhere from 6-14 hours

Delivery method is usuage dissolution onto a paper strip (called a tab) or on a

sugar cube

Perceptual hallucinations are common

Effects of LSD

Impaired thinking

Panic attacks

Flashbacks

Possibility of chromosomal damage

Opiates

Narcotics

Opium

Morphine

Heroin

Effects of Opiates

Analgesia (pain reduction)

Euphoria (pleasurable state somewhere between waking and

sleeping)

Constipation

Dangers of Opiates

Physically addictive

Overdosing causes breathing to stop resulting in death from

respiratory failure

Alcohol

Most widely used (and abused) mind-altering substance in

America

Legal in every state by age 21

Alcohol

Loosens inhibitions

Inhibits normal brain functioning

Lessens self-control

Impairs judgment and physical reaction

Effects of Alcohol

Determined by the amount consumed and the body weight of the drinker

Slurred speech

Blurred vision

Faulty memory

Effects of Alcohol Abuse

Brain damage

Liver damage

Change in personality

Perceptions of Alcohol

Physical effects

Social effects

Aggression Sexual arousal

Less anxiety

Reasons for Drug Use

Boredom Peer influence

Self-confidence Escape problems

Risks of Drug Use

Death Injury

Overdose Accident

Health risks Legal issues

Destructive behavior

Treatment of Drug Use

The drug abuser must admit that he has a problem

The drug abuser must enter a treatment program or get

therapy

Treatment of Drug Use

The drug abuser must remain drug free

Support groups help prevent relapse

ch7 alteredstates reg. psych

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