Altered states of consciousness have been a mystery for everyone for a long time. When we think about altered states of consciousness, we usually expect extreme situations almost like an out-of-body adventure. Our minds associate altered states with paranormal situations. However, altered states are very common and most of us experience them during the day, more than once!

What is Consciousness?

Consciousness is still a vague term that is under a lot of scrutinies. Although between scientists and philosophers there is a lot of controversy around the correct definition of the term, they all agree that consciousness is simply being aware.

According to an article from Scientific American, “The majority of scholars accept consciousness as a given and seek to understand its relationship to the objective world described by science.”

To clarify, we can summarize consciousness as awareness of surroundings, physical experiences, and self.

What is Unconscious?

Sigmund Freud was the first person who talked about the term “Unconscious Mind”. According to him, the unconscious mind is the part of our mind that holds emotions, perceptions, fears, and beliefs. Often, we don’t even realize that we are acting unconsciously although our decisions may be made by the unconscious mind.

What is an Altered State of Consciousness? 

Altered states of consciousness happen when the perceived consciousness changes. An article that was published in Philosophical Psychology in 2009 describes an altered state of consciousness as a changed overall pattern of conscious experience, or as the subjective feeling and explicit recognition that one’s own subjective experience has changed.

In other words, an altered state of consciousness can be a state in which the perception changes, beliefs adjust or sensory experience alters.

Of course, altered states of consciousness are experienced in paranormal experiences very often but they are not limited to those only. There are a variety of daily activities that surprisingly, lead to altered states of consciousness. Here are just a few:

Hypnosis 

Hypnosis is one of the most mysterious examples of altered states of consciousness. Many people refer to movie scenes or hypnosis stage shows when they think of a hypnotic state. However, hypnosis is nothing but an everyday state of calmness and relaxation.

Hypnosis is a state in which there is a powerful focus on one thing, and one thing only. This can be the voice of the hypnotist, a thought, or an image. This state enhances susceptibility to suggestions and openness to new ideas. The person may experience dissociation from the body such as feeling numbness or not being able to move certain body parts. These are simple results of enhanced focus, calmness, relaxation, and openness of the subconscious mind.

Daydreaming

Daydreaming feels very similar to a light hypnotic state. Actually, many hypnotherapists when they explain hypnosis may use daydreaming as a reference. Daydreaming is a state in which the brainwaves are slower, images are enhanced and focus is in the mind. Think of a time when you were daydreaming in a meeting. Your eyes lose focus, your mind is somewhere else but you are physically sitting right in front of your coworkers.

Drugs & Medicine 

Drugs and medicine stimulate the human mind and body in a variety of ways. There are different types of drugs that affect physiology differently. For example, hallucinogenic drugs are known to change people’s perceptions by affecting different neurotransmitters. People report having images, shapes, and colors that may not be specifically related to the objective experience. Psilocybin, MDMA, or LSD are some of the known hallucinogenic drugs.

There are also other kinds of drugs that may be prescribed by doctors such as antidepressants, pain relievers, or analgesic drugs. Some of these block certain pain receptors or stimulate more happy hormones such as serotonin. Therefore, they affect awareness of the physical body or mental state.

Sleep

Sleep is the most common and unexpected altered state of consciousness. It’s a very magical state because although we are not consciously aware of our surroundings, our mind is still very active.

There are different stages of sleep. Depending on the stage we may remember dreams or emotions. During the transition of these states, sleep may be lighter or deeper. For example, at times we may feel physical jerking or feel like dreaming when we are not fully asleep.

During sleep, our minds usually process information, vent emotions, and regulate biological needs. Sleep is the ultimate restoration state for the mind and the body. While the body resets and replenishes the mind organizes and releases.

Dissociative experiences

Dissociation is a state that is very known in psychology. According to Mental Health America, dissociation is a mental process that causes a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memory, and sense of identity. Sometimes people may describe this as feeling like they are watching someone else’s body as they live their daily lives. Dissociative states can be caused by many reasons from emotional trauma, childhood trauma to abuse.

When someone is in a dissociative state, their awareness changes significantly. They may be overwhelmed with extreme emotions, physical confusion or they may feel like escaping reality the majority of the time. As a result, they live their day-to-day lives in an altered state of consciousness.