Hypnosis, Meditation, and Altered States of Consciousness

Altered States of Consciousness General characteristics– Distortions of perception– Intense positive emotions– Sense of unity– Illogical– Indescribable– Transcendent– Self-evident reality

Types of states•Meditation•During drug use

•Moment of religious conversion

•Unusual intense sexual orgasm

Meditation= when a person focuses his or her attention on an image or thought with the goal of clearing the mind and producing relaxation, or an inner peace•Roots in Buddhism•Many varieties of meditation•Simplest – relax, concentrate on breathing•Mantras – silent repetition of sounds or words with special meaning have calm effect•Transcendental state – achieved, desired altered state of consciousness

•Natural remedy for stress-related problems

Meditation

3 major approaches:Transcendental meditation- mental repetition of a mantra, usually a Sanskrit phraseEyes closed about 15-20 min

Mindfulness meditation- focuses on the present momentExample: the participant may move his or her focus through the body from the tips of the toes to the top of the head, while paying particular attention to areas that are in pain

Breath meditation- concentration on respiration

Most people can benefit from meditationLowers blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration rate

Meditation

Mindfulness - focus awareness on present

• Example: father concentrates on children, blocks out thoughts of work and other events

•Mindfulness training may reduce mood disturbance during stressful experiences

•Not all benefit from intense focusing on present

Psychologists have great interest in this

Altered States

Hypnosis is a form of altered consciousness in which people become highly suggestible to changes in behavior and thought.

• Hypnotist’s voice talks or lulls person into altered state of consciousness

• Typical characteristics• Relaxation•Hypnotic hallucinations•Hypnotic analgesia •Hypnotic age regression•Hypnotic control

What is Hypnosis?

Mesmer trained in classical medicine•Unusual practice called quackery by others•Treated patients with magnetic seances•Sought to create magnetism in patient’s body

•Created mysterious hypnotic trance known as Mesmerism

Limited belief that pain of some may be effectively controlled with hypnotism

Mesmer and Mesmerism

Trust is essential to hypnosisIt should involve cooperation, not dominationThe participant can be convinced to do things they normally wouldn’t

Anyone can resist hypnosis by refusing to open their mind to the hypnotist

However, participants can be convinced to do things against their will

What is Hypnosis?

• People often view hypnosis as entertainment, but it has medical uses, as well.• Posthypnotic suggestion- a hypnotist can suggest things for the participant to remember or forget when the trance is over• Example: a participant is told not to hear the word psychology.• He may report that people are talking strangely, leaving words out• He is not aware his consciousness was told to block out that word

•Memory can be enhanced• It can even change certain behaviors (smoking, overeating, etc.)•Hypnotherapists use hypnosis to allow their patients to think of their problems in a new way• Some patients fear the loss of control, so it will not always work

Uses of Hypnosis

As therapy?•No support that it is any better than positive suggestions outside of hypnosis (placebo effect?)

Alleviate pain?• YES• 10% can become so deeply hypnotized they can undergo major surgery without anesthesia• 50% experience some pain relief from hypnosis.•How? Selective attention or actually dissociating pain from conscious awareness?

Uses of Hypnosis

• Psychoactive drugs – chemical that alters perceptions and mood

• Tolerance – user requires a larger amount to get same effects• Withdrawal – user experiences discomfort when discontinuing

use • Physical – physical pain • Psychological – cravings

Most people do NOT become addicted when using drugs medicinally

People are equally as likely to overcome addiction by themselves as when they seek therapy

Drugs and Consciousness

Drug Use: Basic Considerations

Five factors affecting response to a drug•Dose and purity•Personal characteristics•Expectations•Social situation•Moods

States of Consciousness

Stimulants • amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine, caffeine• Produces both positive and negative emotions dependent on when used•Reduces need for food and sleep•Dangerous to even occasional user – can cause heart attacks•User tolerance varies so overdose is easy• increased heart and breathing rate, pupils dilate, blood sugar rises, appetite diminishes, self-confidence rises•May “crash” when drug is metabolized – headaches, fatigue, irritability, depression

Ephedra (ma huang) – herbal stimulant

Drugs and Consciousness

Low

Change in test score for each

measure of emotion

2

Dose of caffeineNone

1

0

3

High

Hostility Depression

Anxiety

Change in emotion after drinking decaffeinated

coffee, and coffee containing small or large amounts

of caffeine

•Caffeine• Blocks adenosine (a

neurotransmitter that blocks the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin)

•Cocaine• Blocks reuptake of

dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin

Drugs and Consciousness•Amphetamines• First became a problem

when used as diet drugs in 1950’s• Increase secretion of

dopamine and norepinesphrine• increased heart and

breathing rate, pupils dialate, blood sugar rises, appetite diminishes, self-confidence rises• May “crash” when drug

is metabolized – headaches, fatigue, irritability, depression

•Nicotine• Mimics acetylcholine receptors

that lead to release of dopamine and serotonin (and adrenaline into bloodstream)

Depressants – calm neural activity and slow body function

• Barbiturates• Depress sympathetic nervous

system• Impaired memory and judgment• Mixed with alcohol, can be fatal

• Alcohol• decreases inhibitions – people are

more aggressive and more loving• Relaxes sympathetic nervous

system (reactions slow speech slurred, performance deteriorates)• Disrupts processing of information

into long-term memory• suppresses REM sleep• People who believe they have

ingested alcohol exhibit symptoms of being drunk

• Narcotics: Opium• Powerful, high physiological addictive;

prolonged addiction profoundly damages body

• Use of opium poppy is over 7,000 years old• Opiates: Morphine, heroin, codeine

• Sudden rush, then relaxed state• Withdrawal – brain stops producing

natural endorphins; when use is stopped, user suffers pain

• Labs have produced synthetic narcotics• Demerol, Percodan, OxyContin

Drugs and Consciousness

Psychotropic DrugsDepressants• Sedatives •Used for sleep problems•Both highly addictive and dangerous with alcohol

•Ambien•Halcion•Restoril

States of Consciousness

– Tranquilizers• Milder drugs

• Common names• Xanax• Valium• Librium• Ativan• Miltown• Equanil

Inhalants: toxic substances that produce a sense of intoxication when inhaled.

Hallucinogens: evoke vivid images or hallucinations

• LSD, mescaline, shrooms, PCP • serotonin antagonist• strong emotions from euphoria

to detachment to panic• Person’s mood and

expectations can influence the experience• Hallucinations – geometric

forms, meaningful images (often a tunnel), replay past emotional experiences, often feel outside of body

• Glue, cleaning fluid, paint• Typically placed in paper

bags and sniffed. • Common among children• Highly addictive and

extremely dangerous. • Toxic fumes cause

permanent brain damage and other serious complications.

Drugs and Consciousness

Psychotropic DrugsPCP or phencyclidine

• Derived from animal tranquilizer

• Usage common among adolescents

• Effects last 4 to 6 hours

• Some experience hallucinations, detachment from the environment, and euphoria

• Considered one of most dangerous street drugs

States of Consciousness

•Marijuana• Hotly debated, popular conscious-altering drug• THC – active ingredient• relaxes, disinhibits, and produces euphoric high, inhibits pain, increases

appetite, alleviates nausea, disrupts memory formation and motor coordination• mechanism of action unknown, but recent evidence indicates that THC

binds to a previously undiscovered neurotransmitter active during childbirth that block memory formation

• Not physically addictive; regular users have uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms• Prolonged use • decreases cognitive processing efficiency• Weakens immune system response• Decreases action of male sex hormones• Greatly increases risk of lung cancer

Drugs and Consciousness

Psychotropic DrugsAct-Alike and Designer Drugs

• Legal in most states to manufacture and sell drugs that look and act like illegal substances

• Act-alike drugs: combinations of high doses of powdered caffeine and some over-the-counter decongestants produce same effects of amphetamines

• Designer drugs – not yet classified illegal

States of Consciousness

Drug Abuse and DependenceDrug abuse – when it causes physical or psychological harm• Alcohol and liver damage• Inhalants and brain damage• Performance decline and marijuana• Stimulants and heart attacks• Shared needles and HIV

States of Consciousness

Drug Abuse and DependenceDrug dependence – intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms when not using drug

• Three reasons for psychoactive drug addiction

• Sensitization of pleasure and reward systems in the brain

• Reduction of negative feelings

• Learning

States of Consciousness

Human Diversity:Substance Abuse and Human Diversity

Drug and alcohol abuse – major U.S. problem

• About 1 in 4 once had substance abuse problem

• Men 2x as likely as women to abuse substances

• African Americans less likely to abuse drugs, alcohol, and tobacco than whites; ethnic influence counters income and education trends

States of Consciousness

Nicotine and AlcoholNicotine found in tobacco products

• Usage rates high, given clear evidence of cancer, heart attacks, lung and birth problems, and death

• Most smokers began in teenage years. Why?

• Peer pressure

• Rebel against parental authority

• Nicotine dependence takes over

States of Consciousness

Nicotine and AlcoholAlcohol

•Works as depressant in liquid form

• Stimulates sociability, depresses inhibitions•Reduces anxiety, increases self-confidence•Can deepen moods, increase aggression

• Impairs visual judgment, motor control, and induces sleepiness

•Heavy use harms work, health, and social life• Fetal alcohol syndrome•Alcoholism

States of Consciousness