States of Consciousness Flashcards
Sleep cycle
Stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4, stage 4, stage 3, stage 2, REM, stage 2…
From the beginning to stage2 before REM = 90min
Up to 6 90-min cycles in one night
REM sleep’s length tends to increase from 10-20min as the night progresses
Consciousness
Awareness of how and why you react to your surroundings + self perception. Humans are self-aware.
Conscious deliberate behaviors (scheduling an exam)
Unconscious automatic behaviors (worrying about passing it)
Psychoanalytic theory of dreaming
Dreams manifest our repressed desires
The manifest content (dream’s content)
The latent content (repressed desires)
Activation-synthesis theory of dreaming
REM sleep activates some areas of the brain, and the brain attempts to synthesize this activity into something meaningful
For regulating internal activity / for regulating external activity
Psychotherapeutic theory of dreaming
Dreams are for confronting our emotions in a safer environment
Psychoactive drugs
Alter sensory perception, moods, thinking and behavior, by impacting neurotransmitters
Stimulants
Nicotine, caffeine, cocaine; they block the reuptake of some neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine; can lead to increased energy, panic, and anxiety.
Depressants
Alcohol; increase production of GABA (inhibitory neurotransmitter) and help them bind to their receptors, thereby reducing nervous system activity and decreasing reactions in the brain; lead to slowed reactions, and induced sleep, and impaired speech and memory.
Narcotics
Morphine, heroin, codeine; create a sense of euphoria (stimulate endorphin)
Cannabis has properties of both narcotics and hallucinogens.
Hallucinogens
LSD, mescaline, ecstasy; mimic the effects of serotonin and epinephrine which lessen pain; can trick the brain (hallucinations); leads to paranoia and anxiety.
Tolerance
Receptors are overstimulated from prolonged drug use, resulting in fewer or less sensitive receptors.
Withdrawal
Drugs can be psychologically or physiologically addictive. Some severe cases must be monitored or even given a substitute drug (such as methadone).
Addiction (system dependence)
More of a drug is needed to achieve the original effect in a less sensitive system.
Effects of a drug depend on:
People, amount, potency, mood, motivation, expectations, the way of administration, tolerance level (which is affected by prior experience, age, and weight), and the environment.
Altered state of consciousness
An altered state of consciousness is a change in one’s normal mental state that is not considered unconscious. Although we may think of illicit drug use when we hear the phrase ‘altered consciousness’ this is far from the only type of altered state of consciousness. Many altered states of consciousness are important to our health, such as sleeping and the effect of prescribed medications. Some altered states, like those that come with high fever or depression, can alert us that something is wrong.
