Most of the time, we take consciousness for granted-it is the transparent window through which we view the world. But sometimes, the view changes dramatically, as though the window has become distorted or suddenly been flung open. These seemingly mysterious changes are known as altered states.
The contents of our consciousness change from moment to moment. A sensation gives way to an emotion, then a thought, then perhaps a desire or a stab of pain. While no two experiences are exactly alike, the way in which we experience things tends to remain stable. It is rather like watching a film: the action changes from frame to frame, but the screen itself stays the same and is barely noticed.
Sometimes, though, the background ‘screen ‘ on which consciousness plays changes and itself becomes the subject of awareness. The changes may be profound, as in the extreme distortions caused by hallucinogenic drugs, trance, or religious ecstasy, or they may be spontaneous and subtle – the world seems different in some undefinable way.
Peaks and troughs
Some altered states are extraordinarily pleasant, but others can be fearful in their unfamiliarity, accompanied by disordered thoughts and terrifying visions. These profound shifts in consciousness are more common than one might think. For example, more than 80 percent of Americans report having had a ‘ peak experience’ – a sense of being in a tone with the universe and detached from their normal selves – at some time in their lives.
Peak experiences may happen at any time. One moment, the world is a hun1drum place; the next, it is a glowing universe filled with bliss, beauty, and love. People often report being filled with a profound sense of love and gratitude, and ordinary objects and other people seem to radiate beauty. The altered perception may last moments or days, but at the time, it seems endless. The person experiencing it is certain that he or she is seeing the world as it really is and that ‘ normal’ perception is an illusion.
The £lip side of peak experience is ‘ derealisation, ‘in which the normal order of the universe breaks down, and the world seems fractured and terrifying. Objects can shrink or become distant; other people seem to be separated by invisible glass shields or vast expanses of space. Individuals experiencing derealisation often report that they feel detached from their bodies and that their actions seem robotic. Like peak experiences, derealisation can happen at any time – ordinary consciousness suddenly seems uncertain, as though it is a flickering film that may stop at any moment, opening up a chasm of emptiness.
‘Recently, I had this strange, dreamy feeling for four days without a break,’ says Rachel, aged 27. ‘ I just felt so weird; everything seemed to be far away, voices quieted, and I felt like I was watching myself from the outside. Nothing looked real. I kept forgetting things, staring into space, and all the time this was happening, I was thinking ‘I’m going mad,” and trying desperately to get back into my body.’ Or as Dale, another regular sufferer of derealisation, explains: ‘l see faces, but it is as though I am seeing them in parts – a mouth here, an eyebrow there. I know who they are, but only by piecing the bits together and working it out .’
Chemical reality and unreality
Scientists think that altered states occur when different areas of the brain stop interacting in the normal way. Usually, the various information processing systems – sensory, memory, and soon – ‘ bind’ their information to create an integrated perception. However, the integration is not complete – there is always a degree of separation between the components being processed.
A good analogy is to think of a photograph printed in a newspaper. Get too close, and all you can see are the individual dots that make up the image: the meaning of the picture is lost. Get too far away, and all the picture becomes a blur. In a normal state of consciousness, the picture created by the brain is integrated tightly enough for the individual dots to be invisible, yet it is still close enough to the observer for the whole. Image to be seen and recognized. A peak experience is like viewing a picture from a great distance – everything seems to be ‘one.’ In derealisation, the picture is seen too close, and so it appears fragmented.
The chemistry of consciousness
To create the normal state of consciousness – to allow us to view a complete picture – neurons. n different parts of the brain fire in synchrony and ‘pool’ their knowledge (see page 323). The synchronization is mediated by neurochemicals such as dopamine, the so-called ‘pleasure chemical.’ When levels of dopamine are in the normal range, the emotional processing areas of the limbic system in the brain resonate with parts of the cortex, where memory, thought, and perception are located, to unify perceptions. At the same time, other neurotransmitters in the brain inhibit the effect of dopamine; this prevents total synchrony, providing the ‘distance’ necessary to see the whole picture.
During peak experiences, it seems likely that dopamine, and possibly other chemicals such as serotonin, flood the brain. Activity in the limbic system and frontal lobes becomes hyper-synchronized, producing a feeling of euphoria and seamlessness. In derealisation, the opposite likely happens. Dopamine levels fall, synchrony is lost between various brain areas, and the fragmented activity produces fragmented consciousness.
Causes of altered states
The chemical changes in the brain that cause us to experience altered states may be brought about by extreme psychological or physical stimuli, such as drugs, chanting, dancing, flashing lights, and deep meditation. Sometimes, however, the trigger can be more mundane. For example, even small changes in the brain’. Oxygen balance can affect consciousness. This is why breathing exercises” are often used in techniques to induce trance and relaxation. Sacu rating the brain with oxygen by over-breathing (taking rapid, short breaths) may cause derealisation, while oxygen depletion may produce the dreamy ‘out-of-the-body’ state. 0xygen starvation may account for some of the strange near-death experiences reported by individuals who suffer trauma in accidents or during cardiac arrest. Less dramatic falls in oxygen may cause a general downgrading of consciousness – a cotton-woolly feeling in the head and lapses of memory and judgment. This sometimes happens to climbers at high altitudes, Where the atmosphere is thin, and on aircraft, where the cabin pressure is lower than normal.
Sleep deprivation may also bring about alterations in consciousness. In the short term, lack of sleep tends to produce euphoria – a buzzy ‘high’ that can verge on mania. The effect is so pronounced that sleep deprivation is sometimes used to treat depression. In the long run, however, it causes severe irritability and even hallucinations. The reasons for these effects are not fully understood.
Alterations in body temperature may also affect consciousness. A fever, for example, makes neural tissue more irritable and may produce random, spontaneous activity in brain cells, which leads to the rushing thoughts and strange impressions known as delirium. The ‘aura’ felt by people with epilepsy just before they have a seizure is caused by excessive neuronal activity. When this occurs in the temporal lobes, it often produces transcendent feelings similar to those felt during peak experiences.
The ‘God Spot’
One of the most impressive types of the altered state involves feeling an invisible ‘presence’ – often interpreted as the awareness of God. Brain studies have found that this feeling comes about due to activity in an area of the temporal lobe. This ‘god spot,’ as it is popularly known, is commonly activated in situations where a period of stress is suddenly brought to an end by a pleasant experience. It can also be stimulated artificially or induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (which inhibits activity in specific parts of the brain). The temporal lobes are one of the areas associated with our sense of self. One theory about the mysterious presence felt when the god spot area is inhibited on one side of the brain is that the equivalent area on the other side floods consciousness with a ghostly self-sense experienced as coming from outside.
Medicines And The Mind
Many drugs used to treat illnesses affect the brain in such a way that consciousness is altered. Some drugs are designed to do this: tranquilizers,anti-depressants, and some painkillers work directly on the brain, altering the flow of neurotransmitters to improve mood or stem pain. However, the effects of these drugs cannot be precisely predicted. Sometimes, they do not just relieve unpleasant symptoms but produce experiences like derealisation or euphoria. Other drugs also affect the brain indirectly: antihistamines, for example, can produce drowsiness, and steroids may produce euphoria.
