Information On altered state of consciousness

An altered state of consciousness (ASC),lt;/ref> also named altered state of mind, is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking beta wave state. The expression was used as early as 1969 by Charles Tart lt;ref name"isbn0-471-84560-4">lt;/ref>lt;/ref> and describes induced changes in ones mental state, almost always temporary. A synonymous phrase is "altered states of awareness". It can be associated with artistic creativity.lt;/ref>

Causes

Accidental/pathological

An altered state of consciousness can come about accidentally through, for example, fever infections such as meningitis lt;/ref> sleep deprivation fasting oxygen deprivation, nitrogen narcosis (deep diving), psychosis http://books.google.se/books?idyo26UfdlFdcC&pgPA57&lpgPA57&dqaltered+states+of+consciousness+psychosis&sourcebl&otsm7nx08RogC&sigo6_BU5XQJZKEiBcpGxXdUu8huUQ&hlsv&ei5PbqSoSdFY_Q-QbY7p36Cw&saX&oibook_result&ctresult&resnum8&ved0CDEQ6AEwBzgU#vonepage&qaltered%20states%20of%20consciousness%20psychosis&ffalse Andrzej Kokoszka: States of consciousness: models for psychology and psychotherapy temporal lobe epilepsy or a psychological trauma accident.

Intentional/recreational/religious

An ASC can sometimes be reached intentionally by the use of sensory deprivation an isolation tank sleep deprivation lucid dreaming hypnosis meditation prayer or disciplines (e.g. Mantra Meditation, Yoga Sufism dream yoga or Surat Shabd Yoga . ASCs can also be attained through the ingestion of psychoactive drugs such as alcohol and opiate , but more commonly with psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants of indigenous cultures, plants such as cannabis (drug) psilocybin mushrooms peyote ayahuasca or datura (though less common and incredibly more lethal). Other modern hallucinogens that some attempt to use for a similar purpose are dextromethorphan Salvia divinorum Lysergic acid diethylamide PiHKAL TiHKAL and substituted amphetamines such as those listed in the books [[PiHKAL]]and [[TiHKAL]]by Dr. Alexander Shlugin, a former forensic chemistry and analytical chemistry organic chemistry chemistry of the Drug Enforcement Administration These drugs are often noted as "designer drugs by authorities and professionals or as "research chemicals by the hallucinogen-use and distribution underground, as an attempt to avoid prosecution under the Federal Analogue Act Another effective way to induce an altered state of consciousness is using a variety of neurotechnology such as psychoacoustics binaural beats mind machine cranial electrotherapy stimulation etc.; these methods attempt to induce specific brainwave patterns, and a particular altered state of consciousness.lt;/ref>

States of consciousness

* Autoscopy * Anxiety * Coma * Convulsion * Daydream * Delirium * Depersonalization * Derealization * Ego death * Ecstasy (emotion) * Euphoria * Extra sensory perception * Fear * Flow (psychology) * Higher consciousness * Hypnagogia * Hypnopompia * Hypnosis * Hysteria * Major depressive disorder * Mania * Meditation * Out of Body Experience * Panic * Presyncope * Psychosis * Religious experience * Sexual pleasure * Sleep * Sleep deprivation * Sleep paralysis * Syncope * Wakefulness

Typology

* Delta wave 0.01–4 Hertz * Theta wave 4–8 Hz * Alpha wave 8–12 Hz * Beta wave 12–30 Hz * Gamma wave 30–100+ Hz

See also

;Topics * Ecstasy (emotion) * Religious ecstasy * Ego death * Flow (psychology) * Guided Imagery and Music * Music therapy * Mysticism * Mystical psychosis * New Age * Near death experience * Neurotheology * Parapsychology * Places of power * Psychedelic drug * Psychedelic experience * Psychology of religion * Psychonaut ;People * Carlos Castaneda * Robert de Ropp * Bruce Eisner * John Curtis Gowan * Thaddeus Golas * Stanislav Grof * Aldous Huxley * Ernst Josephson * Timothy Leary * John C. Lilly * Terence McKenna * Claudio Naranjo * Charles Tart

References

Further reading

* Hoffman, Kay (1998). The Trance Workbook: understanding & using the power of altered states Translated by Elfie Homann, Clive Williams, and Dr Christliebe El Mogharbel. Translation edited by Laurel Ornitz. ISBN 0-8069-1765-2 *William James The varieties of religious experience(1902) ISBN 0-14-039034-0 * Roberts, T.B. (editor) (2001). Psychoactive Sacramentals: Essays on Entheogens and Religion.San Francosco: Council on Spiritual Practices. * Roberts, T.B., and Hruby, P.J. (1995–2002). Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments An Entheogen Chrestomathy. Online archive. http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy] * Roberts, T.B. "Chemical Input—Religious Output: Entheogens." Chapter 10 in Where God and Science Meet: Vol. 3: The Psychology of Religious ExperienceRobert McNamara (editor)(2006). Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood. * Wier, Dennis R. Trance: from magic to technology(1995) ISBN 1-888428-38-4 Category:Consciousness studies Category:Hypnosis Category:Shabd paths el:Μεταβαλόμενη κατάσταση συνείδησης es:Estados alterados de conciencia fr:État modifié de conscience ja:変性意識状態 pl:Odmienne stany świadomości ru:Изменённое состояние сознания

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