You

1
Youve Got Rhythm Altering Consciousness

• Lesson Plan 4

2
Competency

• Identify body rhythms and sleep cycles.
• Discuss sleep disorders.
• Predict the effects of sleep deprivation.
• Contrast drug-altered consciousness and
  self-induced altered consciousness (i.e.,
  meditation and hypnosis).
• Generalize the effects of psychoactive drugs.
• Differentiate between drug abuse and drug
  dependence.

3
Overview

• Sleep varies throughout the night. In the paper
  and on the news, stories about people altering
  their own consciousness through hypnosis,
  meditation, or drugs are common. Society seems to
  be fascinated with the desire to change their
  levels of consciousness.
• Consciousness is the awareness of ones
  environment and oneself. As most know, ones
  level of awareness can range from being focused
  and attentive to being asleep and anywhere in
  between. Factors that may cause these changes in
  consciousness will be discussed throughout this
  learning plan.

4
Body Rhythms

• Body rhythms are biological rhythms- take place
  in every living thing
• Humans- predictable changes in different body
  systems i.e. sleep, temperature, hormone
  release, heart rate and blood pressure
  controlled by internal and external factors

5
Body Rhythms
TYPE WHEN EXAMPLE
Circadian about once a day sleep/wake cycle
Ultradian more than once a day stages of sleep
Infradian Once a month/season women's menstrual cycle
6
Biological Clocks

• All organisms have their own biological clocks.
  They work in the absence of environmental cues.
• Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) primary biological
  clock found in the hypothalamus of humans
• SCN- controlled by light- dictates individual
  circadian rhythms
• SCN triggers the release of melatonin when dark
  melatonin causes sleepiness
• SCN triggers the discontinuation of melatonin
  when is senses daylight- causes the person to
  wake up

7
How Body Rhythms Affect Moods

• SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Possible result of reduced sunlight exposure
  which can change a persons circadian rhythms
• Related to length of daylight hours
• Depressed mood during winter season- mood
  lightens as days get longer and there is more
  sunlight
• PMS- Premenstrual Syndrome
• Recent research shows a connection between body
  rhythms and emotion fluctuations.
• Researchers will not say that fluctuations in
  emotion are related to psychological disorders

8
Sleep Stages

• Not an uninterrupted resting state.
• Stages divided into 2 main categories non-rapid
  eye movement (non-REM) and rapid eye movement
  (REM)
• 4 Stages of Non-REM
• 1st you relax and experience alpha waves- not yet
  asleep
• Stage 1- light sleep- theta waves- slower than
  alpha and greater in amplitude (high peaks)- slow
  breathing
• Stage 2- light sleep- sleep spindles- short
  bursts of rapid, high peaking waves- peak
  suddenly, go downward quickly and then go back up
  again
• Stage 3- breathing slows even more- delta waves-
  very slow waves with very high peaks
• Stage 4- delta waves- not much difference from
  stage 3- stage 3 composed of less than 50
  percent delta waves and stage 4 more than 50
  percent delta waves. Very hard to wake someone
  in stage 4.

9
Sleep Waves
10
Sleep Stages

• REM sleep is deeper than non-REM sleep.
• The eyes are, of course, closed, but they can be
  seen darting back and forth beneath the eyelids.
• Muscles become limp and breathing becomes
  irregular.
• Most dreams occur in REM sleep
• Most people report vivid, story-like dreams
• Dreams are not often reported in other stages
• On average, a person progress through stages 1-4
  and back up to stage 2 before REM begins.
  Happens 60-90 min after falling asleep.
• Cycle repeated 3-4 times/night

11
Dream Analysis

• Dreams have been thought to reveal the future,
  tell about the past, and help solve issues
• Freud- 1st to develop a comprehensive theory of
  dream analysis
• Freud believed that dreams were the keys to
  unlocking secrets of the unconscious mind
• One way the unconscious mind vents through dreams
• Dreams are made up of mostly wish fulfillment,
  sex aggression, and childhood memories- according
  to Freud
• Manifest content (actual story of dream) Latent
  content (true meaning)

12
Dream Interpretation Theories

• Psychoanalytical Theory
• Problem-Solving Theory
• Mental Housekeeping Theory
• Activation Synthesis Theory

13
Dream Content

• Females tend to dream more about people they
  know, indoor settings, friendlier interactions,
  and enclosed bodies of water such as pools or
  lakes. They tend to have longer dreams.
• Men tend to have more aggression or conflict,
  outdoor settings, cars, men, weapons, and sexual
  encounters in their dreams.
• Children report having more animals and
  aggression in their dreams.
• Only difference between those with a
  psychological disorder and those without one are
  few friends and friendly interactions in their
  dreams.

14
Sleep Disorders
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vfW31IanJiAM

• Sleep apnea- repeatedly stopping breathing for
  brief periods in the night- potentially
  life-threatening
• Narcolepsy- excessive daytime sleepiness and
  periods of sudden lapses into sleep throughout
  the day.
• Insomnia- difficulty falling asleep, staying
  asleep, or waking very early and not being able
  to go back to sleep
• Night Terrors- occur in Stage 4- person will
  scream, cry or bolt from bed. Eyes may be open,
  but is not awake.
• Sleep Walking- person wanders around or engages
  in activities while still asleep. Not
  psychologically damaging.
• Nightmares- occur in REM sleep
• Sleep Deprivation- lack of needed sleep. Can
  cause irritability, memory lapses, slower
  reaction time

15
Psychoactive Drugs

• Can influence perception, mood, behavior and/or
  cognition
• Classified as stimulants, depressants, opiates,
  or hallucinogens based on their affect of the
  central nervous system/impact on mood/behavior
• Stimulants accelerate nervous system functioning,
  depressants slow nervous system functioning,
  opiates are considered pain relievers, and
  hallucinogens alter perception.
• Tolerance, abuse, withdrawal, dependence, and
  addiction
• Alcoholics Anonymous

16
Self-Induced Alterations of Consciousness

• All cultures alter consciousness in some way
• Maulavis of Turkey spin in a controlled yet
  excited way for the purpose of achieving
  religious rapture.
• Sioux Indians in South Dakota sit naked in the
  dark and almost unbearable heat in a sweat lodge
  to achieve euphoria and connect with the Great
  Spirit of the Universe.
• In Jerusalem, Hasidic men dance for hours in the
  streets to achieve religious ecstasy after
  reading the holy Torah.
• Some cultures even use psychoactive drugs for
  artistic and religious inspiration.

17
Hypnosis

• Hypnosis is a procedure in which a practitioner
  suggests changes in sensations, perceptions,
  thoughts, feelings or behavior, and the subject
  follows the suggestions.
• It has been used successfully to reduce pain, rid
  people of unwanted habits and reduce anxiety and
  stress. Hypnosis is a state of highly focused
  attention (absorption) and reduced peripheral
  awareness (dissociation).
• It is a trance state characterized by extreme
  suggestibility and relaxation. It is not really
  like sleep because the subject is conscious the
  entire time.
• Explained by dissociation theory and
  sociocognitive theory

18
Meditation

• Meditation is considered to be an altered state
  of consciousness where focused attention is used
  to help one relax, relieve stress and experience
  a peaceful state.
• Meditation reportedly has the ability to reduce
  chronic pain, anxiety, high blood pressure and
  stress hormones.
• http//www.how-to-meditate.org/

19
Homework

• My Brain Assignment- 40 points due January 31
• Readings Lesson Plans 5, 6, and supplemental
  readings
• Assignments Discussion choose either 5.1 or 6.1