Altered States of Consciousness: Hypnosis, Meditation, and Psychoactive Drugs

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to altered states of consciousness, including hypnosis, different types of meditation, and various classes of psychoactive drugs and their effects, as discussed in the lecture notes.

Altered State of Consciousness

A state where the external world seems more or less clear or organized than usual, which can be induced by drugs, injury, hallucinations, meditation, or hypnosis.

Hypnosis

An interaction during which a person responds to suggestions and experiences changes in memory, perception, and/or voluntary action.

Post-hypnotic Suggestions

Suggestions given during hypnosis that often remain unremembered but can influence behavior, such as helping with smoking cessation or weight loss.

Sociocognitive Theory of Hypnosis

A theory suggesting that people under hypnosis are not in an altered state of consciousness but are merely playing a part and behaving as expected in that situation.

Dissociation Theory of Hypnosis

A theory arguing that people under hypnosis truly enter an altered, trancelike state of consciousness where conscious awareness is separated from other aspects of consciousness.

Hypnotic Analgesia

A form of pain reduction effective for acute, chronic, and post-surgery pain, which works by changing the client's interpretation of pain sensations and detaching from associated emotions.

Meditation

A practice involving intense contemplation that leads to a deep sense of calmness and can be described as an altered state of consciousness.

Concentrated Meditation

A type of meditation where attention is focused on one specific thing, such as a breathing pattern, a mental image, or a phrase.

Mindfulness Meditation

A type of meditation where thoughts are allowed to flow freely, with attention paid to them without focusing on their specific content or reacting to them.

Transcendental Meditation (TM)

A type of meditation practiced with high concentration for specific durations (e.g., twenty minutes a day or more), associated with health benefits.

Flow

A very focused altered state of consciousness where awareness of time and self diminishes due to complete absorption in an enjoyable activity.

Psychoactive Drugs

Mind-altering substances that change the brain's neurochemistry by activating specific neurotransmitters, including both mild substances like caffeine and illicit drugs.

Stimulants

A class of psychoactive drugs that increase behavior and mental activity, affecting neurotransmitters like dopamine and adrenaline (e.g., caffeine, Adderall, cocaine, meth, nicotine).

Depressants

A class of psychoactive drugs that decrease behavior and mental activity, affecting the GABA neurotransmitter system (e.g., anti-anxiety drugs, alcohol).

Opioids

A class of psychoactive drugs that reduce pain and produce feelings of relaxation, insensitivity to pain, and euphoria (e.g., heroin, morphine).

Hallucinogens

A class of psychoactive drugs that alter sensation and perception, changing thoughts, emotions, and invoking sensory images without sensory input (e.g., LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, marijuana).

Alcohol

The most widely used depressant, which can activate dopamine and affects memory, often leading to blackouts in large doses.

Expectations of Drug Effects

Learned beliefs about what will happen from consuming a substance, often developed through observation, which can profoundly influence a person's experience of that substance.