Unit 5: States of Consciousness

Module 22: Understanding Consciousness and Hypnosis

Consciousness

• Awareness of ourselves and the environment under a condition of arousal.
  
  

History of Consciousness in Psychology

• Psychology began as the study of consciousness.
  
  

• Behaviorists shifted focus to observable behavior.
  
  

• After 1960, mental concepts like consciousness reentered psychology.
  
  

• Advances in technology now allow for deeper study of consciousness.
  
  

Meanings of Consciousness

• William James: Described the mind as a stream of consciousness—a continuous flow of sensations, thoughts, and feelings.
  
  

• Awareness of:
  
  

  • Ourselves: Thoughts, feelings, memories, uniqueness (Theory of Mind).
    
    

  • World: Sensory input, selective attention.
    
    

Levels of Consciousness

• Nonconscious: Completely outside awareness.
  
  

• Preconscious: Not currently aware, but accessible.
  
  

• Unconscious:
  
  

  • Freud: Hidden memories, unacceptable thoughts.
    
    

• Medical Unconscious: Unawareness due to brain states.
  
  

Neuroscientists believe consciousness results from multiple interacting brain events.

Altered States of Consciousness

• Sleep, meditation, biofeedback, drug use, hypnosis.
  
  

Hypnosis

• Popularized by Franz Mesmer (1700s).
  
  

• Cooperative interaction: Hypnotist + subject responding to suggestions.
  
  

• Features:
  
  

  • Highly focused attention.
    
    

  • Acceptance of distorted logic.
    
    

  • Altered sensation and perception.
    
    

• Benefits: Pain relief, weight loss, anxiety reduction.
  
  

Aspects of Hypnosis

• Posthypnotic Suggestion: Action carried out after hypnosis.
  
  

• Posthypnotic Amnesia: Supposed inability to remember hypnosis events.
  
  

Facts and Falsehoods

• Hypnosis power depends on openness to suggestion.
  
  

• Can anyone be hypnotized? Yes, to some extent.
  
  

• Can hypnosis enhance memory recall? No.
  
  

Theories on Hypnosis

• Social Influence Theory: Subjects play a role like imaginative actors.
  
  

• Divided Consciousness Theory: A dissociated state where some thoughts/behaviors occur simultaneously.
  
  

Biological Rhythms

• Annual Cycles: Seasonal changes (appetite, sleep, mood).
  
  

• SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder.
  
  

• 28-Day Cycles.
  
  

• 24-Hour Cycles: Hormones, alertness.
  
  

• 90-Minute Cycles: Sleep cycles.
  
  

Circadian Rhythm

• The biological clock—regular bodily rhythms over 24 hours.
  
  

• Located in hypothalamus.
  
  

  • Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN): Synchronizes with light/dark via retina.
    
    

• Light reduces melatonin, increasing alertness.
  
  

• Inconsistent sleep disrupts rhythms.
  
  

Sleep Stages

• Five stages, cycling every 90 minutes.
  
  

Stages

1. Stage 1: Light sleep (~20 min), hypnagogic sensations (floating, falling).
   
   

2. Stage 2: Deeper sleep, sleep spindles (neural bursts), lower temp, slow heart rate.
   
   

3. Stage 3: Deep slow-wave sleep (Delta waves), sleepwalking, night terrors, growth.
   
   

4. REM: Brain resembles Stage 1, heart rate/breathing up, muscle paralysis, dreams, nightmares.
   
   

• REM = Rapid Eye Movement.
  
  

• Stages 1-4 = NREM Sleep.
  
  

Sleep Theories

• Adaptive Theory: Sleep protects us at night.
  
  

• Restoration: Brain/body repair.
  
  

• Consolidation: Memory integration, neural strengthening, improved creativity.
  
  

• Psychological Well-being: Stress recovery.
  
  

• Growth Hormone: Released during sleep for muscle growth.
  
  

Module 25: Sleep Deprivation, Disorders, and Dreams

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

• Varies individually.
  
  

• Effects:
  
  

  • Moodiness, irritability.
    
    

  • Weakened immune system.
    
    

  • Concentration issues.
    
    

  • Weight gain.
    
    

  • Accident risk.
    
    

  • Severe deprivation = death.
    
    

Insomnia

• Inability to fall/stay asleep or get restful sleep.
  
  

• Often stress-related.
  
  

• Treatments:
  
  

  • Medication.
    
    

  • Progressive relaxation, routines, imagery.
    
    

  • Get up if worries persist.
    
    

Nightmares vs. Night Terrors

• Nightmares: Bad dreams, occur in REM, may follow upsetting events.
  
  

• Night Terrors:
  
  

  • Intense fear, racing heart, gasping.
    
    

  • Occur in Stage 3, early sleep.
    
    

  • Affect mostly children (immature nervous system).
    
    

  • No detailed narrative like nightmares.
    
    

Other Sleep Disorders

• Somnambulism: Sleepwalking (Stage 3).
  
  

• Sleep Talking: Also Stage 3.
  
  

• Narcolepsy: Sudden sleep attacks, into REM, even while active.
  
  

• Sleep Apnea:
  
  

  • Breathing stops during sleep.
    
    

  • Linked to obesity.
    
    

  • Causes high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke.
    
    

Dreams

What Do We Dream?

• Real-time, realistic or fanciful.
  
  

• Reflect daily life, events, sensory input.
  
  

• 80% of REM sleep dreams are recalled; <50% in other stages.
  
  

• REM dreams: Vivid, emotional, plot-driven.
  
  

• NREM dreams: Vague, fleeting, boring.
  
  

Dream Content

• 80% have negative emotions: failure, attack, rejection.
  
  

• 1 in 10 dreams are sexual for men; 1 in 30 for women.
  
  

• Men dream more about men; women dream about both sexes equally.
  
  

Drugs and Consciousness

Psychoactive Drugs

• Chemicals altering perception/mood (consciousness).
  
  

Dependence and Addiction

• Addiction: Craving despite negative consequences.
  
  

• Tolerance: Repeated use = reduced effect → need more.
  
  

• Withdrawal: Pain, cravings (physical), negative emotions (psychological).
  
  

Types of Psychoactive Drugs

Depressants

• Slow neural activity & body functions.
  
  

  • Alcohol: Affects motor skills, judgment, memory, increases aggression, reduces self-awareness.
    
    

  • Barbiturates (e.g., Seconal): CNS depressants, reduce anxiety but impair memory/judgment.
    
    

  • Opiates (e.g., morphine, heroin): Depress neural activity, reduce pain/anxiety, highly addictive.
    
    

Stimulants

• Excite neural activity, speed body functions.
  
  

  • Caffeine, Nicotine, Amphetamines, Ecstasy (MDMA), Cocaine.
    
    

Hallucinogens

• Distort perceptions, evoke sensory images without input.
  
  

  • LSD, THC (Marijuana).
    
    

  • Marijuana is difficult to categorize.