Consciousness and Altered State of Mind Essay

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Consciousness and Altered States of the Mind

PSYCH-1A-L3(41580)- Online
Dr. Jennifer Iljas
November 24, 2013

Consciousness the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself definition given by Merriam Webster. Consciousness is an essential characteristic of human existence. It is the capacity of subjective experiences in the world. Consciousness is the state of being conscious characterized by perception specifically about thoughts, feelings, and the state of being aware of the external world. (IIjas 2011) Our normal state of consciousness is the one in which we spend the major part of our waking hours, active, directed, mentally alert state. I found that there are several meanings of the word consciousness. Some see it as ordinary or theoretical structure of consciousness.” As proposed by JR Battista (1978) He gave three meanings to the term “consciousness” – A theoretical construct referring to the system by which the individual becomes aware, - Reflective awareness i.e., the awareness of being aware, -A general term encompassing all meanings of experience and awareness.”(IIjas 2011 pg 63) Consciousness can also stem from what we see and hear to make you aware of your surroundings. According to Martin Monti consciousness does not “live” in a particular area of the brain but rather arises from the mode in which billions of neurons communicate with one another. Human activity and experience weights high on the mind of normal consciousness and altered states of consciousness. Normal consciousness can make the person become aware of their surroundings and how we react to certain situations. For example when a person experiences trauma or becomes unconscious their self-awareness becomes altered to the point they may not remember the circumstances of how this may have occurred. This happens from the time lag your brain experienced between the two. It can be defined as self-consciousness that’s when your senses are aware of embarrassments in social settings. The ability to detect your own sensations and recall your most recent actions. “When a person goes into coma “eyes-closed” unconsciousness, in the absence of a sleep-wake cycle. It varies from mild to unresponsiveness and is associated with a comparably variable reduction in cerebral metabolism” (Oxford Journal). Some say there are six states of “nonreflective consciousness” and they are 1. Bodily feelings-this awareness doesn’t become self-conscious unless such stimuli as pain or hunger intensify a bodily feeling. 2. Stored Memory 3.Coma-which is induced by illness, seizure or brain injury 4. Stupor-characterized by greatly reduced ability to perceive incoming sensations 5. Non rapid eye movement sleep-characterized by a minimal amount of mental activity 6. Rapid eye movement sleep- characterized by the mental activity known as dreams.
A shaman can be defined as a person who through the induction of altered states of consciousness, enters alternate realities for the purpose of divination and/or healing. “Shamanism identifies the shaman who can enter into a shamanic state of consciousness (SSC). They can enter SSC by drumming or other sounds in order to journey from the lower world to the upper world. The shamanic method helps you through trial and error of alternate realities and healing insight. Shamanism is said to be the oldest system in the world that creates direct experiences of the altered state. They were the first people who learned to operate within and utilize this mode of consciousness. Shamanism can help a person reveal practical problem-solving techniques that can help with their psychological and physical well-being.”(IIjas pg65) The shaman knows how to shift between different states of reality. They may see that ordinary reality is a myth and the ordinary consciousness is extraordinary reality. While in SSC shaman universally share the realization of the underlying unity of all
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