States of Consciousness

Consciousness

• Our awareness of ourselves & our environment

Levels of Consciousness

• Conscious Level• Non-conscious

Level• Preconscious Level• Subconscious Level• Unconscious Level

Information Processing

• Conscious Processing:

– Happens in sequence

– Slow

– Limited in capacity

• Parallel processing:

– Subconscious processing

– Ex: Thinking of something while doing another task

WHY DO WE SLEEP?

THREE THEORIES

1) Sleep fits our ecological niche/conserves energy2) Helps to recuperate from daily activities (recharge

the body’s “battery”).3) Restores body tissues.

Sleep• Sleep is a state of

consciousness.

• We are less aware of our surroundings.

• Periodic, natural

Sleep and Dreams

Biological Rhythms periodic physiological fluctuations

Circadian Rhythm the biological clock regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-

hour cycle, such as of wakefulness and body temperature

Sleep and Dreams

Measuring sleep activity (Using EEG machine)

Brain Waves and Sleep Stages

Alpha Waves slow waves of a

relaxed, awake brain Delta Waves

large, slow waves of deep sleep

Hallucinations false sensory

experiences

Stages in a Typical Night’s Sleep

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4

3

2

1

Sleepstages

Awake

Hours of sleep

REM

Stage 1

• Kind of awake and kind of asleep (light sleep)

• Only lasts a few minutes

• Sensation of falling or floating

• Your brain produces Theta Waves.

Stage 2

• More Theta Waves that get progressively slower.

• Begin to show sleep spindles…short bursts of rapid brain waves.

• Sleep talking

Stages 3 and 4• Stage 3 is only a few min.

transition to Stage 4:– Slow wave sleep.

– You produce Delta waves.

– If awoken you will be very groggy.

– Vital for restoring body’s growth hormones and good overall health.

At the end of Stage 4 we go back thru Sleep Stages in REVERSE order to get to REM Sleep. (ex. 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, REM = 90 min cycle

REM Sleep• Rapid Eye Movement

• Paradoxical sleep– Our muscles are relaxed,

but our other body systems are highly active

– Heart rate rises, breathing becomes rapid & irregular, genital arousal occurs, & eyes flutter

• Dreams (Vivid) usually occur – Nightmares

Are you REALLY sleep deprived?

» Page 278

• Symptoms?

Sleep Deprivation

Effects of Sleep Loss fatigue impaired

concentration depressed immune

system greater vulnerability

to accidents

Sleep Deprivation

• It impairs creativity and concentration• Irritability• Occasionally:– Slight hand tremors– Slowed Physical Performance

• Misconceptions / Misperceptions on Monotonous Tasks (driving, piloting, boating, data input in computer, etc…)

Sleep Deprivation

2,400

2,700

2,600

2,500

2,800

Spring time change(hour sleep loss)

3,600

4,200

4000

3,800

Fall time change(hour sleep gained)

Less sleep,more accidents

More sleep,fewer accidents

Monday before time change Monday after time change

Accident frequency

Sleep Disorders

SLEEP DISORDERS

INSOMNIA

NARCOLEPSY

SLEEP APNEA

Night terrors

Insomnia

• Persistent problems falling asleep/ staying asleep

• Effects 10% of the population

Narcolepsy• Sleep attacks last 5

mins +/-• Suffer from

sleeplessness and may fall asleep at unpredictable or inappropriate times.

• Directly into REM sleep

• Less than .001 % of population.

Sleep Apnea• A person stops breathing during their sleep.

• Wake up momentarily, gasps for air, then falls back asleep.

• Deprivespeople of “slow wave” –

stage 4 sleep = deep sleep

• Very common, especially in heavy males.

• Can be fatal.

Night Terrors • Not a nightmare• Occurs during stage

4 sleep, whereas Nightmares occur in REM sleep).

• Wake up screaming and have no idea why.

• Experienced mainly by children

• Most common in (boys) between ages 2-8.

Somnambulism

• Sleep Walking• Most often occurs

during the first few hours of sleeping and in stage 4 (deep sleep).

• If you have had night terrors, you are more likely to sleep walk when older.

Dreams

Dreams

Dreams sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts

passing through a sleeping person’s mind hallucinatory imagery Discontinuities/breaks/ gaps inconsistencies delusional acceptance of the content difficulties remembering

What do we Dream? Pg. 281• Common dreams revolve

around:– Failing in an attempt to do

something

– Being Attacked

– Being Chased

– Being Rejected

– Daily activities

– Experiencing Misfortune

Dreams: Freud

Sigmund Freud--The Interpretation of Dreams (1900) wish fulfillment discharge otherwise unacceptable feelings

Manifest Content remembered story line

Latent Content underlying meaning

Freud’s Theory of Dreams

• Dreams are a roadway into our unconscious.

• Dreams allow us to express our unconscious wishes that are unacceptable in real life

• Manifest Content (storyline)

• Latent Content (underlying meaning)

Critique Sigmund Freud’s interpretations of dreams.

Thoughts?

Differentiate between the Activation-Synthesis Theory

and Information-Processing

Theory.

Activation-Synthesis Theory

• Our Brain is trying to interpret random neural activity while we are in REM sleep

• That is why dreams sometimes make no sense.

Information-Processing Theory

• Dreams are a way to deal with the stresses of everyday life.

• We tend to dream more when we are more stressed.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis

Hypnosis a social interaction in which one person (the

hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

Posthypnotic Amnesia supposed inability to recall what one

experienced during hypnosis induced by the hypnotist’s suggestion towards

the end of the interaction

Explaining Hypnosis

What is the connection between hypnosis and the medical field?

How could medical professionals use hypnosis to help patients?

HYPNOSISCan hypnosis FORCE people to ACT against theirWILL? NO

Can hypnosis be therapeutic? Pg.290YES! Post-hypnotic suggestion has helped people alleviate headaches,

asthma, warts, stress related skin disorders, to stop smoking, and to stop overeating.

Can hypnosis alleviate PAIN? YES! 2 theories are:1. Either by “dissociating” the pain sensation from conscious awareness OR 2. focusing attention on other “things.” (example: Lamaze childbirth training)

Hypnosis pg. 290-291

Posthypnotic Suggestion suggestion to be carried out after the subject is no

longer hypnotized used by some clinicians to control undesired

symptoms and behaviors Dissociation

a split in consciousness allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur

simultaneously with others

• Differentiate between the role theory and state theory about hypnosis.

Hypnotic Theories

Role Theory

• Hypnosis is NOT an altered state of consciousness.

• Different people have various state of hypnotic suggestibility.

• A social phenomenon where people want to believe.

• Work better on people with richer fantasy lives.

State Theory

• Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness.

• Dramatic health benefits

• It works for pain best.

Drugs

• Explain the effects that drugs (stimulants, hallucinogens and depressants have on a person’s brain and state of consciousness.

Drugs• Our brain is

protected by a layer of capillaries called the blood-brain barrier.

• The drugs that are small enough to pass through are called psychoactive drugs.

Psychoactive Drugs

Stimulants (“Uppers)• Speed up body processes

by exciting neural activity

• More powerful ones (like cocaine) give people feelings of invincibility.

Depressants

• aka “Downers”

• Slows down body processes & depress central nervous system– Alcohol

– Anxiolytics (barbiturates and tranquilizers)

– Opiates

Alcohol• More than 86 billion

dollars are spent annually on alcoholic beverages.

• Alcohol is involved in 60% of ALL crimes.

• Alcohol is involved in over 70% of sexually related crimes.

• Is it worth the cost?

Opiates• Has depressive and

hallucinogenic qualities.• Agonist for

endorphins.

• Derived from poppy plant.• Morphine, heroin,

methadone and codeine.

• All these drugs cross the placental barrier….Teratogens.

Hallucinogens

• Psychedelics

• Causes changes in perceptions of reality

• LSD, peyote, psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana.

• Reverse tolerance or synergistic effect

Near-Death Experiences

Near-Death Experience an altered state of

consciousness reported after a close brush with death

often similar to drug-induced hallucinations

Near-Death Experiences

Dualism the presumption that mind and body

are two distinct entities that interact Monism

the presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing

Dissociation Theory• Theory by Ernest

Hilgard.

• We voluntarily divide our consciousness up.

• Ice Water Experiment.

• We have a hidden observer, a level of us that is always aware.