Altered states of consciousness may immediately bring to mind psychedelics or hypnosis, but there are many ways to induce such non-ordinary states. What is an ordinary state of consciousness? Because scientists can’t agree on an answer to this question, altered states don’t have a clear definition. That is not to say they don’t matter
Since the origins of humankind
Altered states of consciousness have been used by humans for more than 30,000 years.
- While these altered states may seem to belong to the realm of purely subjective experiences, Wiliam James introduced the scientific investigation of “mystical experiences and drug-induced states” into the field of psychology, positioning such experiences as valuable academic research tools to explore the multiple facets of the human mind.
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The five altered states of consciousness
These altered states include short-term changes in the general configuration of one’s experience caused by psychoactive substances, such as LSD, MDMA, cannabis, cocaine, opioids (morphine, heroin), or even alcohol.
- Physical and physiological: sleep, fasting, sleep deprivation, sex, music, meditation, sensory deprivation, hypnosis
- Psychological: hypnosis, meditation and music can lead to altered mental states
- Pathological: a traumatic experience causing brain damage or an increased awareness of the environment
- Spontaneous: altered states can be daydreaming or near death experiences
Universal elusiveness
Maybe instead of considering a default state and a myriad of altered states, we need to contemplate the possibility that all these states of consciousness are all equally important modes of perception.
- Any mental state forms an elusive part of consciousness as a whole
