Psy 191 Conciousness Notes

Ali Kilinc

10/18/2007

Notes on ‘States of Consciousness’ Chapter *State of awareness – meaning consciousness or unconsciousness •

NSC [Normal State of Consciousness] – “Normal” is different for every person

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ASC [Altered State of Consciousness] I.

Hypnosis

II.

Sleep and Dreaming

III.

ESP [Extra-Sensory Perception]

IV.

Drug Induced

Hypnosis A. Is REAL B. People while hypnotized, will not violate his/her morals, or values C. FALSE Myths about hypnosis: 1. Possibility of being hypnotized against will 2. A zombified state is required to become hypnotized 3. Being trapped inside hypnosis, because something happens 4. Ability to do things you can’t do in a non-hypnotized state, like extra physical abilities Things required for a good hypnosis subjects: a. Willingness to try it (something you don’t understand) [open-mind] b. Having the ability to focus and/or concentrate c. Must be an adult (does not work on children, non-subjects, unable to focus) d. Good imagination – the better his/her imagination, the better the subject e. 90% of the general population, falls under these requirements Things that CAN be achieved though hypnosis: a. Enhance your ability to focus and concentrate

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Ali Kilinc

10/18/2007 b. Pain control – can control pains such as chronic pain c. Re-live past memories in your life •

This information derived from hypnosis can NEVER be used in court

d. Can be a source of entertainment Things that CANNOT be achieved through hypnosis: a. Increasing your physical ability [SOLELY] through it b. Cannot age-regress yourself [IMPOSSIBLE] (exp: re-living your childhood)

Sleep and Dreaming •

The need to sleep is a PRIMANRY NEED (without it, you die)

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Sleep IS a state of consciousness

Vocabulary: SDP [Sleep Deprivation Psychosis]: when you lose the ability to differentiate the difference between reality and dreaming, you start to see things, mirages etc. Hypnic Jerk: light jerk of your body – happens when all your major muscles relax at the same time REM Behavior Disorder: person who is in REM cycle, but does not experience the immobilization or paralysis

Stages of Sleep: 1. Stage ONE: light sleep [REM only occurs here] (see: Hypnic Jerk) 2. Stage TWO: medium sleep [NVREM-II sleep] 3. Stage THREE: deep sleep 4. Stage FOUR: deepest sleep (very hard to achieve and usually can’t stay here long) (it is IMPOSSIBLE to ‘skip’ a stage of sleep, you must move from 3 to 4, 4 to 3, 3 to 2, etc.)

Types of sleep: 2

Ali Kilinc

10/18/2007

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REM [rapid eye movement] Sleep: (dream sleep)

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NREM [non-REM] Sleep: (non-dreaming sleep)  When you wake someone up from REM sleep, there is an 85% chance, that they are in some sort of dream  When you awake someone from NREM sleep, there is a 95% that the person is NOT dreaming  REM sleep is almost ‘exclusively’ attached to stage ONE sleep  EVERYBODY dreams [everyone] REM Sleep: a. Stage ONE b. Dreaming stage c. Immobilized (see: REM behavior disorder)

Sleep Disturbances: 1. Insomnia: a.

30% person of the general population experience this disorder

b. 9% of those cases are serious cases which could lead to S.D.P. Tips to cure Insomnia: 1. Avoid stimulants and alcohol before sleeping 2. If you have worries, deal with them when you are awake, hours before your sleep time, even if you can’t solve of finish them, DEAL with them 3. Find a way to relax: o

Progressive relaxation: lie on your bed and put yourself through a very specific technique – tense all your body parts, and then, slowly release starting from your toes, moving up, all the way to your nose

o

Guided imagery: imagine the most relaxing scenario in the world

o

Meditation 3

Ali Kilinc

10/18/2007 4. Sleep restriction: set yourself on a sleep schedule 5. Stimulus control: make your bedroom a place to sleep and sleep o

Do all your activities, in other rooms

6. Paradoxical intention: When you constantly worry such as: “Why can’t I sleep?”, “ Damn, I need some sleep!”; tell yourself the exact opposite, “I don’t need sleep”, “I can stay awake all night” 2. Sleep walking: MUST be in NREM sleep 3. Sleep talking: 4. Nightmares: nothing more than a bad dream (usually caused by something traumatic in real life) Things to do to prevent repeat nightmares: a. Wake yourself fully b. Write down as much of the dream as possible c. Later on, re-script the dream, but this time, remove the horrific parts 5. Sleep Apnea: Repeated interruption of breathing during sleep, usually associated with snoring

Drug Induced Altered States: 1. ANY drug can cause one, enough of ANY drug can cause an altered state 2. Sugar High – very common, and not illegal 3. Some drugs work to make [force] the brain produce more neurotransmitters (X, Meth) 4. Some drugs slow down the process of the movement of neurotransmitters (coke) 5. Some drugs act on the brain directly (nicotine, caffeine) 6. Alcohol and tranquilizers serves as relaxants on certain brain cells 7. Some drugs BLOCK the transfer of neurotransmitters

Psychological Dependence: 4

Ali Kilinc

10/18/2007

A. DEPENDENCE B. ADDICTION C. TOLERANCE D. TOXICITY

 Dependence – NOT addiction, but absence from this, can/will cause serious psychological turmoil, breakdown, and or depression  Addiction – Physical need (nothing more, nothing less) relevant ONLY to substances o

[all addictions are also attached with some sort of dependence, be it small or large]

 Tolerance – Over time, the need of an increased amount of any substance, to produce a desired result  Toxicity: a. Used by behavioralists: Point of drug ingestion, at which drug effects, and symptoms occur b. Used by people who, symptoms are irrelevant: Point of which drug causes body collapse, coma, or death (this, never changes, never)

Meditation: 1. Concentrative: focus on one thing for a long time to relieve stress 2. Transdental: assume a comfortable position, and chant . . . 3. Receptive: Rather than focusing on ONE thing, just let your mind go, and think about random things, around your environment, anything, just anything, without thinking

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