1. States Of Consciousness.

2. Our Unconscious mind performs most of our processing Processes almost all the sensory data that enters our nervous system:10, 999, 960 bits of data per second Processes data on parallel tracks Evaluates, analyzes & makes decisions based on previous learning without our awareness

3. Examples of Processing without Awareness Blindsight: a man can sense the emotions of faces he cannot consciously see Repeated motor routines that do not require our conscious attention Routine sensory data that no longer are perceived by our conscious mind

4. Conscious Mind is for Learning New Skills & Concepts Processes sensory data sequentially: 40 bits of data per second Effective learning occurs when conscious mind is alert Requires focused & engaged practice

5. Our Conscious Mind has Selective Attention Explains why driving and texting result in significant increase in accidents Why magicians can perform ‘sleight of hand’ by directing our attention elsewhere Why some miss the gorilla in the room!

6. Altered States of Consciousness Altered state: a significant increase or decrease in the number of brain neurons firing. Our activities & thought patterns, sleep and psychoactive drugs impact level of brain activity. And, vice versa, level of brain activity influences our mood, thoughts and behaviors.

7. The EEG or electroencephalograph measures our level of brain activity Electrodes are placed on the scalp to detect number of electric impulses coming from the surface of our brain. It then transforms electric impulses into brain waves. More frequent electric impulses create more frequent brain wave patterns

8. These Brain Waves Show Lots of Alpha: Inattentiveness lead to low levels of learning

9. A Brain that predominates in Beta brain waves has a pretty good allocation of brain resources

10. An excessive amount of beta waves shows that a person is overly aroused and anxious

11. Some Activities increase our level of brain activity Aerobic exercise Working on a challenging, engaging task Helping others Engaging social interactions Experience novelty—as travel, learn new skills, meet new people.

12. When involved in challenging & stimulating activities, they report feeling good!

13. Social Involvement Crucial

14. Low levels of physical activity decreases brain activity and over time will make us bored and depressed

15. Being a couch potato has short- term gains—long term losses

16. Sleep alters consciousness Stages of sleep during Non-REM We move through light sleep to deeper sleep to very deep sleep After deep sleep, brain moves back up into REM sleep where brain is very active

17. Level of brain activity during our stages of sleep Brain waves become less frequent as we move through the 3 stages of Non-REM sleep. Then our brain becomes very frequent during REM

18. Sleep and Dreams In every cycle, after our brain moves through the stages of Non-REM sleep, it then enters REM. During REM sleep our brain is very active. This high level of activity causes our brain to produce dreams—as it needs to make sense out of the firing of our neurons in our visual & emotional centers.

19. We move through stages of Non-REM and REM 4 or 5 times a night. Each time we move through stages of non-REM and REM is a sleep cycle

20. Cycles change as go through our night’s sleep We only experience deep sleep during our first two cycles of sleep. At the end of cycle one, our REM is very short. Bit with each successive cycle our time in REM gets longer and longer.

21. Purpose of Sleep Rejuvenation of mind and body Repairing of tissue damage

22. Purpose of REM Sleep High level of brain activity enables us to be alert to nocturnal predators Hippocampus is sending memories to cortex for permanent storage Dreams create sense out of nonsense

23. Activation-Synthesis Theory of Dreaming High level of brain activity during REM induce our brain to create dreams in order to make sense of all the brain activity Content of dreams sometimes random Clearly though dreams borrow on our memories and knowledge of the world

24. Sleep Disorders Narcolepsy: Fall asleep during the day Sleep Apnea: Obstruction of airwaves so wake up and gasp for air many times a night Night Terrors: Waking up during deep sleep in a panic

25. Narcolepsy & Apnea

26. Psychoactive Drugs: Influence brain activity so mood & behavior Depressants slow down neural activity & increase levels of GABA All depressants cause people to feel relaxed, calm & less inhibited All depressants, including alcohol, marijuana, xanax and opiate-like substances, disrupt our ability to learn & form memories

27. Sedatives can all also reduce pain but opiates are by far the most effective Vicodine and Codeine: legally prescribed opiate-like pain killers Stronger opiates like morphine and heroin are stronger pain-killers as well as more addictive

28. Major Problem of all Sedatives: Develop Tolerance All sedatives increase the level of GABA by inhibiting the reuptake of this neurotransmitter But the dosages of all sedatives need to be steadily increased to obtain the initial impact Alcohol and opiates also reduce the reuptake of dopamine, thereby leaving more dopamine in our synapses, causing addiction to the sense of pleasure

29. Symptoms of Consuming Depressants Initially relaxed, less inhibited and happy Slower processing, poorer memory formation, poorer judgment and slower motor responses People can experience black-outs as hippocampus no longer can make memories Becomes a far more serious problem when different sedatives are used simultaneously

30. Stimulants: Increase our arousal neurotransmitters By increasing serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, they increase our alertness and ability to learn and form memories

31. How do stimulants affect our mood and behavior? Stimulants energize, excite and provide a sense of empowerment We become more active and productive An over-dose can cause anxiety and panic, especially for a person who is already anxious or overly-hyped up.

32. Stimulants reduce the reuptake of our major arousal neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine

33. Dangers of Drugs Overdose of stimulants can cause the heart to beat too fast and result in a heart attack—cocaine addiction, e.g. Overdose of depressants can result in death as the medulla is overwhelmed and ceases to function: far more dangerous

34. Who are the most likely candidates for drug dependency? Lack of purpose and drive Need to escape state of boredom, loneliness or high stress Provided few effective more productive coping skills to deal with life’s challenges

35. We become addicted to the pleasurable feelings produced by drugs Drug abuse is a learned pattern vs. a disease Drug use is not a compulsive, out-of-control behavior as is often portrayed We do have choices but need to STOP and take the time to decide what choices will take us where we want to go—and get support for healthy choices

37. Biofeedback enables us to alter our brain activity levels: Why do we not use this more!!?? Neurofeedback or electroencephalography (EEG). This measures brain waves. It may be used for attention deficit hyperactivitybrain disorder (ADHD), epilepsy and other seizure disorders.epilepsy People can learn to decrease brain waves to significantly reduce seizures People can learn to increase brain waves to significantly increase ability to maintain attention and focus