States of Consciousness Levels of consciousness, Sleep & dreaming, Sleep Disorders, Hypnosis and Drugs

Levels of Consciousness – Clearing up the language… Consciousness – Your awareness of the outside world, yourself, and your thoughts, feelings and perceptions Preconscious – Memories and feelings that are outside of our awareness, but easily accessible – Ex. “What happened in the football games this weekend?” Unconscious/Subconscious – Psychodynamic concept – All of the thoughts, feelings and desires that are not available to our conscious mind – too inappropriate Non-Conscious – Bodily processes that occur totally outside of our conscious awareness, such as blood flow and hormonal activity

Getting your zzzzzz’s…Sleep and Dreaming Sleep is a combination of different states of consciousness The amount of sleep we get varies – Newborns average about 16-18 hours per day, most adults average about 7 AP Exam Review - What portions of the brain control our levels of wakefulness, arousal and attention? The Reticular Formation, Thalamus and Hypothalamus Circadian Rhythm - physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle

Stages of Sleep Brain Waves are measured with Electroencephalograms (EEGs) Awake – Beta Waves Relaxed Wakefulness (Hypnagogic State) – Alpha Waves Two types of sleep – REM and NREM – NREM is divided into 4 stages Stage 1 – Theta Waves Stage 2 – Sleep Spindles – High frequency bursts of brain activity Stage 3 – Transition stage. Beginning of Delta Waves Stage 4 – Deep sleep. Delta (D Deep) Heart rate, temperature, blood flow to the brain are all reduced Then, the countdown – 3,2,1 REM sleep – Paradoxical Sleep – Eyes move, breathing is irregular, heart rate increase, etc. but muscles are relaxed.

Dreams Freud believed dreams revealed the secrets of the unconscious – a safety valve for our desires Manifest Content – The story that we remembered Latent Content – The underlying meaning Activation-Synthesis Theory – Pons generates action potentials, and then the dreamer creates a story line Key Question – Are dreams psychological (Psychoanalysts) or physiological (A-S Theory)?

Sleep Disorders REM-Rebound – More time is spent in REM sleep the night after a “bad sleep” Insomnia – The inability to fall asleep or stay sleeping Narcolepsy – An awake person falls asleep – Sudden and uncontrollable – Usually directly into REM sleep Sleep Apnea – Temporary cessation of breathing Night Terrors – Childhood sleep disruption from Stage 4 sleep Sleepwalking/ Somnambulism - Childhood sleep disruption from Stage 4 sleep In both cases, usually nothing is remembered in the morning

Hypnosis Hypnosis – an altered state of consciousness – deep relaxation and heightened suggestibility “When I ring this bell, you will begin to cluck like a chicken” May smell, taste, see or hear things that are not really there Highly vivid and intense High levels of focus Manage pain, quit certain unwanted behaviors, relaxation, etc.

Drugs Psychoactive Drugs – Substances that can pass through the blood/brain barrier to alter perception – Ex. Coffee Depressants – Reduce the activity of the Central Nervous System and induce relaxation – Barbiturates, tranquilizers & alcohol – Valium, Xanax, “roofies” Narcotics – CNS depressants – Opiates – Morphine, opium, heroin – Relieve pain and induce sleep Stimulants – Reduce inhibitions and increase motivational centers of the brain – Caffeine, cocaine and Ecstasy Hallucinogens – alter mood and distort perceptions – LSD, PCP, Marijuana