What does it mean to have alterations of consciousness?

Answer 1

When you're in a bad mood you see everything from that perspective. Everything seems good when you're in a good mood and conscious of the positive right hemisphere of the brain. Those are two states of consciousness. Whole brain thinking is being open to the intuitive answers from the vision logic of the whole brain, images being the basic language of the brain. Being conscious of your intuition can be very powerful, especially when used right by checking intuitions, because sometimes we delude ourselves and think it's whole brain output. Other consciousnesses can be a sensitivity or orientation to music. aural; or art, visual consciousness. It can be as simple as attitudes. Some people have a positive attitude, others are skeptical. The awakening consciousness and global mind shift of today is whole brain thinking with many names, super consciousness, higher consciousness, or we could tend down to lower or less consciousness, as in depression. The awareness or consciousness seems to be just the awareness of these views. It's where we put our thoughts or what we choose to feel, being conscious of feelings. That's a practical way to put it. In the same situation one person may be conscious of danger while another of opportunity. Staying in one mindset would be a state, consistent or regular, at least for a time. Modern life doesn't always let us hold on to one view for too long, as things can change so fast. It's not always good to get stuck and only look at something from one view. Most things have facets and complexity. Narrow mindedness is to see the many varied situations in life as fitting into some rigid categories that don't really do justice to the situation. A robotic reaction, rather than being fully aware of all the implications of what's going on. We could probably call that a narrow consciousness. I find different consciousnesses sometimes have different feelings. Consciousness, then is what we are conscious of. Wouldn't you think that more consciousness is better?

Answer 2

Sometimes awareness becomes very great. Sometimes all you want to do is "break through" the collective unconsciousness of the world, all the time. In fact, it's all you enjoy doing. Because of this, you are in a natural state of attaining greater and greater understanding. More and more appreciation for the world we experience. Delving into the depths of your own subconscious mind, liberating yourself. Reaching into the taboo, and coming out transcended.

At first, this is called "ascending". Because you are told this is about finding the true "way up". This is called wisdom. Then you actually come back down to where you used to be, and you find it amazing. There really is intelligence down where you did not think it existed. You have new appreciation. This is called compassion. At that time, you may think there is only and up and a down. But not really, because both have value. Maybe instead there is just a single dimension of thought. Some call one a quality of the masculine. Others call one a quality of the feminine.

Then you may come across greater levels of awareness. Perhaps you see more spatial dimensions representing your own mind. Perhaps you can imagine a 3-sphere. At this point you may have rational explanations for each of the dimensions and each of their polarities. Or, you may just see an abstract representation and understand they at a subtle level, they represent that your understanding of reality is greater than just "up" and "down".

Perhaps you see not spatial dimensions, but colors. Perhaps sounds. Perhaps living systems. Each a representation of your own mind and how that mind experiences creation through it's own consciousness. Perhaps you still see some sort of "up" and some sort of "down" even though they are not in the form of polarities on each ends of a single dimension. Even if so, it does not matter. Because still, these are constructs of your own mind.

At this point, all you have been doing is experiencing the interconnectedness, coherence, beauty, understanding, intelligence, relations of reality through your mind. Yet, this is only because you have become aware. Everyone goes through this to some degree, and experiences the same thing you are experiencing. What happens thought, and is something to look forward to, is that the "being lost" starts to end.

Eventually, you build enough constructs inside your mind that you awareness reaches "critical mass" and can hold awareness without there being any constructs. Simply, you experience reality as it is. No thought. But you still hold inside your being all that you have become from becoming aware of your own consciousness, becoming lost, and coming back out again with everything you have gained intact.

At this point, all you do is experience the world. Happy at last from solving what you had to solve. Understanding what you had to understand. Living out what you had to live out. Experiencing your consciousness in all its glory.

And after everything is all said and done, you have to say:

What's it like to exist now?

Answer 3

Any condition that is significantly different from a normal waking beta state is an altered state of consciousness.

Beta waves are 12-30 Hz. They are associated with an mind that is busy and actively engaged in thinking and concentration.

So, if brain activity is predominantly outside of the beta range as measured with an Electroencephalograph (EEG), that person is in an altered state of consciousness.

The other frequencies observed in brain activity are:

Alpha waves (8-12 Hz) are associated with wakeful relaxation with closed eyes.

Gamma waves (25-100 Hz) no known associations (some theological speculations)

Delta waves (1-4 Hz) associated with slow-wave sleep

Theta waves (4-8 Hz) sometimes associated with some autonomic and motor functions

Altered State of Consciousness can be caused by fever, infection, psychosis, sleep/oxygen deprivation, hypnosis, sleep, drugs, alcohol, fasting, epilepsy, trauma, isolation, sensory deprivation, sensory over-stimulation...

Answer 4

when his or her state of awareness changes enough so that people can tell the person has changed