Immersion in an altered state of consciousness. How does the brain work? How changing the state of consciousness helped me solve an important problem
One of the ways to study consciousness is to study its states and their changes.
In psychology, two states of consciousness have traditionally been studied: the state wakefulness, or the active state, and dream regarded as a period of rest.
In modern psychology, to characterize consciousness, the concept of “altered states of consciousness” has been introduced, which denotes a way of adapting consciousness to changes in external and internal conditions.
Altered states of consciousness are divided into spontaneously arising, artificially caused and psychotechnically conditioned.
Spontaneously occurring changes in the state of consciousness appear under normal conditions for a given person (for example, when falling asleep or with a significant overvoltage), as well as in unusual or extreme conditions of life and work of a healthy person.
Artificially induced altered states of consciousness arise under the influence of psychoactive drugs (alcohol, drugs) or psychoactive procedures (sensory isolation or sensory overload).
Psychotechnically conditioned altered states of consciousness accompany the processes of mental regulation or self-regulation in modern psychotherapy, as well as in the application of special psychotechnics.
Consider spontaneously occurring changes in the state of consciousness on the example of wakefulness and sleep.
Psychotechnically conditioned changes in the state of consciousness will be shown on the example of the application of the psychotechnics of meditation.
Wakefulness is a normal state of consciousness corresponding to the activation of the whole organism. The perception of the external world and events in it, the actions of a person largely depend on the state of consciousness - on whether a person is tense or not, excited or drowsy. Information processing changes, sometimes very significantly, depending on the level of wakefulness and readiness to perceive signals (Fig. 3).
Rice. 3. Dependence of the effectiveness of behavior on the level of wakefulness
According to the Yerkes-Dodson law, a person's behavior will be the more effective, the closer his level of wakefulness is to some optimum - it should not be either too low or too high. At low levels, a person's readiness for action gradually decreases and he soon falls asleep, and at higher levels, he becomes agitated and his behavior may even be completely disorganized.
On average, the human body functions approximately with the following alternation: 16 hours of wakefulness, 8 hours of sleep. This 24-hour (with slight variations) cycle is controlled by an internal control mechanism called the biological clock.
At first glance, it seems that sleep and wakefulness are opposite states. However, both of these conditions have much in common:
- we think when we sleep, we dream, although the type of thinking in sleep is different from the type of thinking when we are awake;
- we remember events in a dream and can retell them while awake; some dreams are remembered all my life;
- sleep is not absolute rest. We move in a dream;
- in a dream, we do not disconnect from external information and are ready to receive certain signals, for example, a mother immediately reacts to the crying of a baby;
- sleep does not destroy our plans. So, some people plan a wake-up time and wake up at the scheduled hour.
There is no strict boundary between sleep and wakefulness in terms of the presence of mental processes occurring in these states.
For a long time, it was believed that sleep is just a complete rest of the body, allowing it to restore the forces expended during wakefulness. It was noted that lack of sleep significantly affects behavior: after several days without sleep, hallucinations arose, the ability to perceive stimuli from the outside world was lost, and so on.
It is now known that sleep is not just a recovery period for the body, but is a state of paramount importance for maintaining a normal state of consciousness. The brain continues to function actively during sleep.
Sleep is not at all a homogeneous state, but a complex mental process that includes stages slow wave and paradoxical sleep.
Slow-wave ("slow") sleep accounts for 80% of total sleep time. When a person is immersed in a slow sleep, the rhythms of the heart and breathing slow down, the muscles relax and the body restores its strength to the maximum extent.
REM sleep occupies 20% of the time, accompanied by a drop in muscle tone with an increase in brain activity and rapid eye movements. All dreams occur during paradoxical sleep. REM sleep is just as necessary for the body as deep sleep, although its significance for understanding the activity of the psyche is still not entirely clear.
Psychotechnically conditioned altered state of consciousness It is achieved by meditation, which is a way to achieve the desired state of consciousness through the application of a special technique.
The purpose of meditation is narrowing of the field of consciousness enough to cut him off from the outside world. In a state of meditation, the human brain responds rhythmically to the stimulus on which the person has focused. There are several ways to achieve this goal: focusing on thoughts or physical sensations, using rhythmic dances, accompanied by endless repetition of the same word, doing yoga, which emphasizes the possession of bodily postures and breathing.
Some people even achieve such a level of control during meditation that they can slow down their heartbeats or reduce oxygen consumption by up to about 20% at will.
The meditation technique has been widely popularized in the West as an allegedly effective method for solving psychological problems. It must be borne in mind that the meditation technique is an element of Eastern culture and is often used within various occult sects. Propaganda of the technique of meditation is aimed at the decomposition of traditional forms of consciousness and prepares the ground for all kinds of destructive, totalitarian and satanic sects. This kind of propaganda under the flag of freedom of conscience is widely carried out in our country and poses a particular danger to young people, many of whom become victims of totalitarian sects.
What is an altered state of consciousness
If you write in an accessible language, then an altered state of consciousness is an unusual psychological state of a person. As a rule, we all are in some phases of the state throughout life. Normal states are considered quite ordinary things: wakefulness, dreams and deep sleep. Of course, there is such a thing as sleepwalking. But it should be talked about, because it is another phase of an altered state of consciousness.
Altered states of consciousness include alcohol and drugs, as well as a trance state and hypnosis. When a person feels overloaded in his mind and is no longer able to relax on his own and switch to other activities, he has to turn to specialists for help. However, in most cases, many people try to solve their problems by using alcohol or drugs, which provide temporary relief and weaken the work of consciousness. These methods do not lead to anything good and can only aggravate the situation, since under the influence from the outside it is difficult for a person to control his actions.
However, not everything is so scary, because if you wish, you can achieve an altered state of consciousness in ways that cannot harm you. For a long time, scientists have singled out an altered state of consciousness in a separate group and also call it the alpha state. It is during this period of time that brain activity decreases and a person is, as it were, between two worlds: reality and sleep. The time of this transition is the most suitable for making wishes and for dialogue with the Universe.
How it works
At its core, the same visualization or meditation is an attempt to achieve an altered state of consciousness. Many use shamanistic techniques for entering trance, hypnosis, or holotropic breathing for this purpose. All these are ways to achieve a harmonious state and free our consciousness from everyday thoughts and accumulated negativity. There are many options for visualizations and meditations, and all of them are quite effective. The main thing is to find what you like, and then it will really work.
To explain in more detail how an altered state of consciousness works, here is a simple example. Imagine that you are in a house with two rooms. One room is your state of awareness when you are awake. The second is your subconscious, which actively manifests itself during your sleep. The transition between these rooms is that very changed state, when you have not yet closed the door from the first room, but have already managed to open the door to the second.
It is at such moments that insights most often occur, brilliant thoughts come to creators and answers to questions come to scientists. We experience this state every day, before going to bed or after waking up. As a rule, it lasts a very short period of time, and many simply do not notice it. If you learn to stay in this state consciously, and even make wishes, then you can achieve success in any business.
How to reach a state of altered consciousness and what to do next
There are various ways to enter this alpha state. You can read about meditation and visualization separately. But there is another simple technique that can be used right before bed, which makes the task much easier.
Immersion in an altered state of consciousness
Choose a time where no one will disturb you. Many people do this practice before going to bed or right after waking up. Lie down comfortably and close your eyes, take a few deep breaths in and out and relax your whole body. After that, you can start the technique itself.
Take a deep breath and as you exhale, you need to imagine the number three, and also say it to yourself. In one exhalation, you need to have time to repeat this three times, so you need to exhale the air very slowly.
After that, take another breath and repeat the same thing, but with the number two. And the third time, do the same with the unit. You should have the following cycle of breaths: Inhale, exhale slowly plus visualize the three: three (pause), three (pause), three (final exhalation); inhale, exhale slowly: two (pause), two (pause), two (final exhalation); inhale, exhale: one (pause), one (pause), one (final exhalation).
The following signs will help you understand that you are in an altered state of consciousness:
- you feel comfortable on a physical level;
- your eyes are closed, but even if you open them, it will not change your state;
- thoughts cease to rush with unrestrained speed or disappear altogether;
- slight numbness of the limbs;
- breathing becomes deeper and rarer;
- feeling of detachment from the surrounding reality;
- feeling of a trance state.
After you reach this state, you can apply visualization techniques when you imagine that your wish has already come true. To make it convincing, you need to not only imagine it, but also feel: what you will do, what you will wear, what emotions you will experience when everything has already come true, and so on.
You can also just make a wish and release it into the Universe. And if you apply this technique and guess a special timewhen the connection with the Higher Forces reaches its maximum, then everything will come true much faster. But remember that nothing happens overnight, so don't give up the next day if you don't see results. Repeat this technique for fulfilling what you want for at least a week, then the changes will not be long in coming. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and
"! Today we will learn how to enter an altered state of consciousness, or alpha state, and learn how to do it in 10 seconds. My record for entering the alpha state is 7 seconds, and in a deep state (2-3 seconds to relax, the same amount to enter the usual alpha and then a couple of seconds into a deep state of altered consciousness).
Then we will move on to practice theta state, although it is possible that you will fall into this state already in the first technique.
The alpha state of the brain allows the body to quickly rest, enter into deep meditation, receive answers from the subconscious, and effectively reprogram destructive programs. In this state, it is recommended to work with visualizations, affirmations and other techniques.
To begin with, you just need to learn how to enter an altered state of consciousness, and then reduce this time to a minimum (10-15 seconds or less). I entered this state in 7 seconds when I was in a calm state.
I'll tell you briefly about the frequencies of the brain for those who do not know what I'm talking about. The frequency of the brain is waves with a frequency of approximately 0.5 to 40 cycles per second or 1.5 to 40 Hz. From this frequency depends on what state we are in, awake, sleepy or deep sleep.
The lower the frequency or less, the closer the state of a person becomes to sleep. The higher the frequency, the faster and more active our brain works.
Do not confuse the frequency of the brain with the frequency of a person. These are completely different systems.
Conventionally, the frequencies of the brain were divided into 5 parts. The brain emits gamma, beta, alpha, theta and delta waves. Now let's take a closer look at each wave.
When an adult is in a relaxed and comfortable state and at the same time he maintains conscious activity, a sufficient number of alpha waves are produced. In fact, this is the state before falling asleep.
At this frequency, a person can effectively cope with the tasks assigned to him. Alpha waves greatly enhance the ability to perceive a large amount of information, develop abstract thinking, and help self-control. Also at this frequency it is good to remove stress, nervous tension and anxiety.
Alpha waves help connect the conscious to the subconscious (or soul). At this frequency, the so-called hormones of joy are produced, which help reduce pain and are responsible for a positive outlook on life, happiness, joy and relaxation.
In theta rhythm after heavy loads, the body can quickly recover. At this frequency, there is a feeling of bliss and peace. Theta waves are generated by the right hemisphere of the brain. They are the boundary between the conscious and the subconscious.
Theta waves contribute to the manifestation of paranormal abilities. They enhance emotions and feelings, also allow you to program and reprogram the subconscious, get rid of negative and limiting thinking. For people involved in self-development, mastering this frequency can be of great benefit.
The altered state of consciousness (ASZ) starts from the alpha frequency and on the border of the alpha and theta waves.
It is at these frequencies that it is good to reprogram the body. The ideal would be to work on theta frequencies, but this is actually a dream and this requires long training.
Now we will learn how to enter a deep alpha state without a computer and special music. In this state, you can recover literally in 10-15 minutes, find solutions to problems, get answers to exciting questions that cannot be answered in the normal state, reconfigure the whole organism, reprogram internal programs and beliefs, tune in to events.
Preparation for practice
You can enter the alpha state while sitting or lying down, whichever is more convenient for you. If you fall asleep quickly in a relaxed state, this technique is best done while sitting. During the first training before entering into altered states of consciousness, there is no need to set any goals. To begin with, you just need to get good at walking into this state. Before class, we remove all annoying factors: turn off the telephone, intercom, close the doors so that relatives do not disturb. Clothing must be loose. If extraneous sounds are still present, put on headphones.
A good time to do this technique is before bed when everyone in the house is calm. The position should be comfortable, arms and legs should not be crossed.
How to enter the alpha state - practice
Close your eyes and do the first count from 3 to 1 as follows. First, a deep breath is taken and as you exhale, mentally pronounce the number 3 three times ( three, three, three) and present the image of the triple in front of the inner screen. Let this image be what you come. Focus on the number. At this time, you relax your body from head to toe.
If you don't know how to relax, first practice relaxing enough to do it in a few seconds. I am not writing about deep relaxation. Enough primary general relaxation.
After that, you need to lie down for a few seconds. Then take a deep breath and as you exhale say the number 2 three times ( two, two, two). All the same. At number 2, you relax your face, cheeks, jaw, back of the head and eyelids. Notice the relaxation of the eyelids. Then lie down for a few seconds or a little longer, as you like.
Then comes the unit. We also say the number 1 3 times, not forgetting the image of the unit. Now we are not relaxing anything, but simply concentrating on one.
Then we lie down for a few seconds and start the second countdown from 10 to 1. Now there is no need to take deep breaths and exhalations. We make everything easy and relaxed. We start with ten. We also mentally pronounce the number 10 and imagine it. After 2-3 breaths on the exhale mentally pronounce the word "deeper" and mentally, as it were, we fall into the depths, into something pleasant, like into a pillow.
If at some number you start to stray, forget what your score is, then you are already in alpha.
This can happen on any number. Once this has happened, no more counting is necessary. Feel this state. Active thoughts should not be. If thoughts appear, just watch them as if from the side and they will go away. A large stream of thoughts takes you out of the state of altered consciousness.
If you skipped alpha and fell asleep, it's okay. You just need to practice. If you didn’t get into this state the first time, stay in the state you will be in. It will still be alpha, just not deep.
The state of deep alpha is very pleasant, which is difficult to describe. This is a relaxed state with indescribable depth, it is good and pleasant in it. When you get into deep alpha, you will understand this.
Stay in this state for as long as you want. If time is limited, you can set an alarm with a pleasant melody.
In normal alpha, there is a gap where love and happiness overwhelm you. Just watch this state and go deeper. You can stay in this state if you like, but it is easy to slip through, it is fleeting. I have this state happens within a few seconds. Although this state of love may not exist, we are all different.
Sometimes 10-15 minutes in deep alpha can replace 1-2 hours of sleep.
In altered states of consciousness, various images may appear. Watch them and at the same time remain aware so as not to fall asleep. After a while, watching the images, it may dawn on you, you may understand something that you never understood, an interesting thought or idea may come to you, the necessary information that you have long forgotten may come up in your memory.
Solving Problems with Alpha Brain State
In this trance state, you can tune in to solve the necessary problems and simply observe thoughts and images. After you learn how to enter a deep alpha state, you can master problem solving through this technique. Before practice, tune in to solving the problem you need, otherwise you may not remember it in the alpha itself and dive into the alpha. We found a solution to the problem, immediately exit this state, otherwise you may not remember later.
With the help of an assistant, you can do great things, up to writing books. To solve simple solutions in one answer, it is enough to enter the alpha and watch what is happening there. Received an answer, exited the alpha.
If you need to get a large amount of information, then it is difficult to remember it. In this case, the ideal option would be an assistant. You received a piece of information in alpha, spoke it out loud, and immediately re-entered alpha. The assistant wrote down the information.
A new piece of information came in, it was said aloud again, the assistant wrote it down again, and so on. Thus, you will practically not leave this trance state and dictate information to the assistant. Of course, you can also use a voice recorder for this.
It is very easy to get out of the alpha state. A little effort of will and you are already in betta. When leaving the alpha, try to endure this wonderful state that you will have.
Thus, you will become stronger and happier, you will be less affected by stress and problems, you will become a more confident person. I prepared some text fragments on this blog using alpha state.
In the first shallow alpha, most people hit the first time. As I wrote in an article about, it takes 21 days to create new skills. I recommend that you start practicing entering an altered state of consciousness for 21 days. Ideally, this should be done 3 times a day for 3 weeks.
When I started learning how to enter a deep alpha state, I practiced 3 times a day and the day came when I entered deep alpha. I immediately felt it and for the sake of interest I looked at the calendar of my classes. And what do you think? It was 21 days of classes. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but it somehow turns out to be natural.
It is very pleasant to do this practice before going to bed. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to enter this state 3 times a day. If you want to learn a new ability, look for conditions for classes. Do this practice at least once a day, but daily. When you consolidate this skill, daily classes will no longer be needed. In order to enter an altered state of consciousness in 10 seconds, it took me about 2 months of daily practice.
Entry into theta
Very often, when entering alpha, a person falls into the theta state. With experience comes control of these states, but if the previous exercise is not enough for you, continue with this addition.
In the psychological literature, according to one of the classifications, the following main states of consciousness are distinguished (Godefroy, 1996):
waking state(active, clear consciousness, when information coming from outside easily and freely passes into consciousness). In these cases, they say: “A person is conscious” - which means he can say “I know” (I am aware of the environment, myself);
altered states of consciousness (ASS), which include including sleep (dreams).
The German philosopher and psychiatrist K. Jaspers very figuratively described the difference between the state of wakefulness and altered states of consciousness: “ Clarityconsciousness requires that what I think about be in full distinctness in front of me; so that I know what I'm doing and want to do it; so that what I experience is connected with my "I" and retains its integrity in the context of my memory. Psychic phenomena become conscious only on the condition that at some point they fall into the field of attention of the individual and thus get the opportunity to rise to the level of clear consciousness” (Jaspers, 1997).
Several types of altered states of consciousness are described in the psychological literature. Let's dwell on them in more detail.
Altered states of consciousness (altered states of consciousness) arise when the personality of a person who is in a normal, clear state of consciousness is exposed to various factors:
meditation, etc.
stressful, affective situations;
sensory deprivation or prolonged isolation;
hyperventilation of the lungs or, conversely, prolonged breath holding;
intoxication (psychedelic phenomena, hallucinations against the background of high temperature or taking narcotic drugs);
acute neurotic or psychotic diseases;
As a rule, after leaving the ASC, a person is able to describe the unusual subjective experiences he experienced. Therefore, the following is reported in the literature definition of AIS: this is “a mental state caused by one or another physiological, psychological or pharmacological agent, subjectively described by an individual in terms of internal experience and with objective observation of it, characterized as a deviation from a certain norm of the functioning of the psyche” (Psychology. Dictionary ..., 1990).
The earliest form of development in human culture of conscious induction of ASCs and their active use for various purposes is shamanism. Ethnography describes altered states of consciousness known as “shamanic disease”, “shamanic trance”, states of collective trance, etc. divination, village magic, carnivals, etc. Attracting the attention of science to the phenomena of ASC and methods of their regulation is associated with the era of mesmerism, when F. A. Mesmer (1733–1815) laid the foundations of hypnosis and began its active use.
Hypnosis- this is a temporary altered state of consciousness, characterized by a narrowing of its volume and a sharp focus on the content of suggestion, which is associated with a change in the functions of individual control and self-consciousness (Psychology. Dictionary ..., 1990).
The outstanding Russian neuropathologist and psychiatrist V. M. Bekhterev (1857–1927) is considered to be the father of Russian hypnology. Considering that verbal suggestion plays an important role in the onset of special states of consciousness, he suggested that a number of physical stimuli contribute to immersing a person in a hypnotic state. Currently, certain types of hypnosis are used in psychotherapeutic practice.
Of interest to modern psychology and meditation despite the fact that the practice of medicine has been known in the East for many centuries. Meditation (from Latin meditatio - reflection) is an intense, penetrating reflection, immersion of the mind in an object, idea, etc., which is achieved by focusing on one object and eliminating all factors that disperse Attention, both external (sound, light) and internal (physical, emotional and other stress) (Psychology. Dictionary ..., 1990).
How to relate to altered states of consciousness? Are they worth worrying about? According to experts, without special need, perhaps it is not worth it. At the same time, in the domestic literature there is an opinion that ASC, and in particular hypnosis, “is the most important reserve level of the body. The state of hypnosis creates conditions for a more extensive control of the phenomena of the unconscious, as well as the mobilization of the energy capacity of the transformed (by the type of supersuggestibility) consciousness. This allows you to focus more concentratedly in a given state, which, under certain circumstances, can cause the mobilization of the physical, intellectual and psychophysiological reserves of the individual ”(Psychology. Dictionary ..., 1990).
J. Godfroy in the textbook "What is Psychology" describes in detail such ASCs as meditation, hypnosis, sleep, as well as states of consciousness caused by alcohol and drugs.
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