Altered States Of consciousness WEEK 4 Flashcards
These substances increase alertness, energy, and focus by boosting brain activity. Examples include caffeine, amphetamines, and cocaine.
Stimulants
These substances slow down the central nervous system, leading to relaxation, sedation, and reduced brain activity. Examples include alcohol, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates. and heroine according to the text book
Depressants
Also known as psychedelics, these substances alter perception, mood, and cognition, leading to vivid sensory experiences. Examples include LSD, psilocybin (magic mushrooms), and DMT.
Hallucinogens
These substances interact with opioid receptors in the brain to reduce pain and induce feelings of euphoria. Examples include heroin (not according to textbook), morphine, and prescription painkillers like oxycodone.
Opioids
Derived from the Cannabis plant, cannabis contains psychoactive compounds like THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that can produce altered perceptions and mood changes.
Cannabis
THC stands for
tetrahydrocannabinol
These substances induce feelings of detachment from reality and may cause hallucinations or out-of-body experiences. Examples include ketamine and PCP
Dissociatives
Inhalants are chemicals found in household products that are inhaled to produce psychoactive effects. Examples include paint thinner, glue, and aerosol sprays.
Inhalants
These are synthetic substances designed to mimic the effects of other illicit drugs. Examples include synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones (bath salts)
Designer Drugs
As you read through your text you may like to consider some of the biological, psychological and environmental, social and cultural factors involved in drug-induced states of consciousness to prepare for your learning activity for this sub-topic this is called the
Biopsychosocial approach
the usual conscious ways of perceiving, thinking, and feeling are modified or disrupted
Altered States of Consciousness
developing a deep state of tranquillity by altering the normal flow of conscious is known as
meditation
What practice focuses attention on a simple stimulus or by concentrating on stimuli that are usually in the background of awareness (such as one’s breathing),
shuts down the normal flow of self-conscious inner dialogue
Meditation
(With the usual goal-directed flow of consciousness disrupted, the procedures that normally direct conscious attention are ‘de-automatised’ or disrupted.)
meditation can achieve different
states of consciousness Aplha, Beta, Theta
Mindfulness meditation involves directing attention to the contents of one’s moment-to-moment experience, without judgement and without reaction
Mindfulness meditation
A state of focused awareness whereby an individual calls upon all senses to shift focus from external stimuli to internal awareness and develop the mental, emotional, physical and social competencies needed to successfully
handle life’s challenges.
Mindfulness
involves a heightened awareness of thoughts, feelings and
behaviours.
Mindfulness
hypnosis, was named after Hypnos, the Greek god of
sleep
An altered state characterised by deep relaxation
and suggestibility (proneness to follow the suggestions of the faciliator
Hypnosis
volition
voluntary control over actions
ypnosis can be used effectively in
pain management, mental health conditions, quitting habits
Not everyone can be hypnotised. People differ in
hypnotic susceptibility,
the recall
of forgotten memories.
hyperamnesia,
Hypnotised participants SHOW an apparent lack of pain despite pain-inducing stimulation.
hypnotic analgesia
One of the major problems is that people under hypnosis are
are highly suggestible,
and a subtle inflection or leading question can lead hypnotised eyewitnesses to report more than
they actually know
hypnosis is, in fact, an altered state
of consciousness, at least in
highly hypnotisable people.
drugs that operate on the nervous system to alter mental activity
psychoactive substances
Some psychoactive drugs resemble the molecular structure of naturally occurring neurotransmitters and thus
have similar effects at synapse
Some psychoactive drugs alter the normal processes of synthesis, release, reuptake or breakdown of neurotransmitters and consequently affect the
rate of neural firing in various regions of the brain.
The major types of psychoactive substances in widespread use include
alcohol and other depressants,
stimulants, hallucinogens and marijuana.
substances that depress, or slow down, the nervous system.
Depressants (Common depressants are barbiturates and benzodiazepines.)
class of drug that provide a sedative or calming effect and in
higher doses can be used as sleeping pills.
Barbiturates (‘downers’)
class of drug that is anti-anxiety agents, serve as tranquillisers; common examples are Valium and Xanax
Benzodiazepines
Depressants can produce both psychological and
physical .
dependence
a depressant that slows down the activity of the central nervous system. Immediate effects of its use can range from an intense pleasure and a strong feeling of wellbeing to feeling confused, drowsiness, reduced coordination, nausea and vomiting.
Heroin
People who are physically dependent on heroin usually develop ———- to the drug, making it necessary to take more and more to get the desired effects.
tolerance
alcohol appears to enhance the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid; Buck, 1986). Because GABA inhibits
norepinephrine,
which is involved in anxiety reactions, alcohol can reduce anxiety.
Alcohol also enhances the activity of
——— and ———, which provide pleasurable feelings that reinforce behaviour
dopamine and endorphins
Depressant that derives its powerful effects from its capacity both to diminish unpleasant feelings and heighten pleasurable ones.
alcohol
One theory suggests that it disengages normal inhibitions; that is, alcohol contributes to aggression ‘not by stepping on the gas but rather
by paralysing the brakes’
A theory suggests that alcohol facilitates aggression by derailing other psychological processes that normally decrease the
likelihood of aggression, such as the ability to assess risks accurately.
A theory suggests that violence-prone individuals drink so that they can
have an excuse for aggression, particularly since they tend to believe that alcohol makes them
aggressive.
Long-term ingestion of alcohol produces physical changes in the brain that can seriously affect
cognitive functioning, sometimes to the point of dementia
Long-term ingestion of alcohol produces physical changes in the brain that can seriously affect
cognitive functioning, sometimes to the point of dementia (confusion and disorientation)
Korsakoff’s syndrome.
a precursor to Korsakoff’s syndrome, is caused
by a deficiency of thiamine in the body of a person who abuses alcohol
Alcohol-induced Wernicke’s encephalopathy,
nerve damage due to excessive drinking
alcoholic polyneuropathy
drugs that increase alertness, energy and autonomic reactivity (such as heart rate and
blood pressure). These drugs range from commonly used substances such as nicotine and caffeine to
more potent ones such as amphetamines and cocaine.
Stimulants
cigarette smokers often report that smoking increases their arousal and alertness while also providinga soothing effect this is because Nicotine
increases heart rate and blood pressure while often decreasing emotional reactivity.
The molecular structure of amphetamines is similar to that of the neurotransmitters
dopamine and norepinephrine (Stimulation of norepinephrine receptors appears to produce alertness, while stimulation of dopamine receptors produces euphoria and increased motor activity.)
induces psychosis in vulnerable individuals, death by overdose or ill health in chronic users, who essentially
circumvent the normal signals sent by the brain to protect the body from fatigue and overuse can be caused by
opiods
drug that causes hyperarousal, leading to a ‘rush’ that can last a few minutes to several hours. Cocaine is
one of the most potent pleasure-inducing substances, as well as one of the most addictive, ever discovered.
Cocaine
drug that increase the activity of norepinephrine and dopamine. Chronic use depletes
these neurotransmitters and can cause chronic depression similar to the crash that occurs when the initial
high is over
Cocaine
common symptoms of cocaine reported
paranoia, anxiety and panic
drug that causes increased
body temperature and heart rate, reduced appetite and heightened levels of energy and alertness. Although
cocaine can cause euphoria and increased confidence, it may cause anxiety and panic.
Cocaine
sensations and perceptions that occur in the
absence of external stimulation
hallucinations
alter sensory data to produce bizarre or unusual perceptions.
Hallucinagens
people may experience time as speeding up or slowing
down or sense colours bursting from the sky, walls moving or ants crawling under their skin using these drugs
Hallucinagens
synthetic hallucinogen LSD stands for
lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
Chronic use of —– is associated with psychotic
symptoms, depression, paranoia, lack of motivation and changes in brain physiology
LSD
Even when they are not experiencing
these symptoms, their EEGs show a pattern of abnormal firing of neurons in visual pathways of
the brain
Chronic LSD users
similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and cocaine symptoms include increased heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, chills and sweating.Psychological problems such as confusion, depression, insomnia, severe anxiety, paranoia and psychotic episodes can also occur with which drug
Ecstasy
a subject of controversy for decades. It continues to be among the most
widely used recreational drugs across all age groups in Australia.
marijuana
using this drug the individual may feel euphoric,
giddy, uninhibited or contemplative. During a high, judgement is moderately impaired, problem solving becomes less focused and efficient, and attention is more difficult to direct; some people report paranoia or panic symptoms.
Marijuana produces a state of being high, or ‘stoned’,
Disorders of consciousness are usually caused by
severe brain injury
A drug that increases the activity of a neurotransmitter
Agonist
A drug that inhibits or decreases the activity of a neurotransmitter
Antagonist
Drugs can enter the blood stream and are carried around in the brain by little blood vessels called
Capillaries
Capillaries contain a ———special lining of tightly packed cells that let vital nutrients pass through so that nerons can function
Blood brain barrier
The blood brain barrier screens out most
foreign sunstances but some will be able to pass through
Psychoactive drugs: If the substance does pass the blood brain barrier they will alter your consciousness by altering
neurotransmitter activity in the brain
Chemicals that transmit signals between neurons and junctions called synapses
Neurotransmitters
Chemical substances that carr messages to other neurons, muscles or glands
Neurotransmitters
reactions that are opposite to that of the drug - increase tolerance
Compensory Respones
Occurance of compensory responses after discontinued drug use
Withdrawal
Biological, Psychological and Social influences can create
Disordered drug use
