![]() ![]() They may spontaneously assume certain postures or even dance. Subjects undergo a variety of sensations, such as numbness of the hands, tingling, and cold or heat. Sensory and somatic: consisting of experiences including hallucinations or visualizing images or geometrical patterns. Grof has divided these states into four distinct categories: Stanislav Grof, who studied expanded states of consciousness first using LSD and later using holotropic breathwork, which, according to Grof's Web site, "combines accelerated breathing with evocative music in a special set and setting" to engender ASCs. Other scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists have tried to shed some light on this gray area of our lives. As described by psychologist Charles Tart, "this condition of my mind feels radically different from some other condition, rather than just an extension of it" (emphasis Tart's). In the introverted state the attention is turned inward, and the psyche processes information that has been generated within itself rather than coming in from the outside world. Some researchers have called it an introverted state of consciousness, as opposed to the extraverted basic state. Have you ever caught yourself zoning out in a bus, not remembering the stations that you have passed or the people that sat next to you? This is considered to be an instance of spontaneous trance. And, yes, you have experienced them to a certain degree. Third, the alteration between normal and altered states can be spontaneous (road hypnosis), induced by lack of external stimuli (isolation) or by sensory overload hypnotherapy), or self-induced (meditation, self-hypnosis).ĪSCs are a basic human need. ASCs can also be caused by chemical substances such as LSD and marijuana. Second, the causes of ASCs can be physiological (deep breathing, childbirth), psychological (stress), pathological (delirium, schizophrenia), and even intellectual (as we see from the use of the koan in Zen Buddhism). They can include a wide spectrum of psychic phenomena from rapid sleep to deep hypnosis and from hallucinations to psychosis. Nevertheless, scientists have come up with classifications of altered states, and many of these have proved helpful for our understanding of this difficult subject.įirst, ASCs vary in depth, form, and content. They have also come to realize that it is not possible to draw a solid line between normal or base states and ASCs: not only is there no agreed-upon definition of "normal" in these circumstances, but there are an innumerable variety of ways in which psychic processes work in individuals. Today, as in ancient times, people are fascinated by the possibility of altering the "normal" state of consciousness. Modern science and philosophy agree, acknowledging that ASCs are a special type of mental phenomenon. But the thought of actually researching and scientifically explaining this ancient knowledge was a turning point for me, and it led me to choose psychiatry as my specialty. By that time I had already studied yoga long enough to know about the five states of mind described by the sage Vyasa in his commentary on the Yoga Sutras, as well as the states of consciousness described as svapna, jagrat, sushupti, and turiya, which correspond to the states of waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and pure consciousness respectively. This was the first time anyone in our university had spoken about such unusual and controversial subjects. He went on to discuss street hypnosis (often used by gypsies), trance and trancelike states, meditation, and even clairvoyance. Needless to say, he captured the attention of the audience. But surprisingly, he opened with a story about a patient who had come to his practice after being treated by an Altai shaman with long-distance hypnosis, a method that enables a practitioner to hypnotize a patient without being physically present. We had just started our cycle of lectures on psychiatry and psychotherapy. Professor X seemed to be boring, and as the lecture didn't promise much, I was about to start reading my favorite book on yoga. The first time I learned about altered states of consciousness (ASCs) from official medicine was in my last year of medical school. ![]() ![]() "Altered States of Consciousness " Quest 103.1 (Winter 2015): pg. Printed in the Winter 2015 issue of Quest magazine.Ĭitation: Abbasova, Parvin. ![]()
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