 What is Consciousness?  What Causes Consciousness?  States of Consciousness  Sleep  Hypnosis

 Awareness of the environment and of your own mental processes  The “self in the act of knowing” (Damasio)

 Descartes (1600’s): the body and soul interact through the pineal gland  Damasio (1999): the thalamus helps to relate signals across brain areas

 Absence seizures  Brain damage  Automaticity

 Level and type of awareness can vary  Seizures  Sleep  Psychoactive Drugs  Hypnosis

 EEG pattern: theta waves (slower, higher amplitude than when awake)  Relatively high awareness of environment  Easy to wake

 EEG pattern: spindles (rapid, low amplitude) and K complex (high amplitude)  harder to wake than Stage 1

 EEG pattern: delta waves (slower, higher amplitude than Stage 1)  harder to wake than Stage 2

 EEG pattern: increased delta waves  very difficult to wake  sleepwalking may occur

 EEG pattern: similar to awake pattern (fast, low amplitude)  partial paralysis  dreaming occurs  REM rebound effect

 Sleep is important for growth and repair of the body (release of HGH)  Learning is increased when followed by sleep

 decreased awareness  increased reaction time  increase in accidents  lowered immune system

 increased suggestibility  focused awareness  variable susceptibility

 State Theory  Role Theory  Dissociation Theory

 More memories recalled, but less likely to be accurate  Post-hypnotic suggestions change behavior about as much as non-hypnotic interventions  Effective pain control for some