newparadigm
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An Essay On Altered States and the Malleable Nature Of Consciousness
The mental landscapes that comprise consciousness are dynamic; that is to say, ones consciousness is always changing. The elements that are collectively referred to as the conscious mind, or consciousness, are also always changing. As these elements change, awareness is said to shift from one conscious state to the next. Natural states of consciousness can be either passive or active. These states include, but are not limited to, deep sleep, REM sleep, lucid REM sleep, semi-wakefulness, daydreaming, relaxed wakefulness, alert wakefulness, and anxious wakefulness.
Most mental processing occurs during the state of alert wakefulness; therefore, this becomes the normative standard through which one may quantify exactly how altered any specific state actually is. This is done through an admittedly subjective juxtaposition of the current state of the individual with their memory of their experience of their own state of alert wakefulness. In this way, the state of alert wakefulness becomes the baseline state of consciousness. This essay will focus specifically on altered states of consciousness in relation to exogenous drugs and dreams. It will also discuss how these states provide evidence that consciousness is a malleable, not to mention causal, phenomenon. In 1890, William James alluded to the malleable nature of our consciousness as he commented on his discovery of the ability to dissociate from unpleasant emotional experiences: If we fancy some strong emotion and than abstract from our consciousness of it all the feelings of its bodily symptoms, we find we have nothing left behind, no mind stuff of which emotion can be constituted, and that a cold and neutral intellectual state of perception is all that remains.
When an individual exhibits changes in mental processing or behavioral habits that are significant enough for the individual or others to discern, that individual is then said to be experiencing an altered state of consciousness. Specific altered states of consciousness are identified by distinct patterns of changes in perception, cognition, and behavior that are unique to that state. An example of these changes can be found in the paranoid ideation, hallucinations, and delusions that a paranoid-schizophrenic experiences during a schizophrenic episode. In this case these symptoms generally occur despite the absence of any external stimuli, often as a result of a prolonged period of exposure to the state of anxious wakefulness. We humans are by no means enslaved by these states; that is, we are not forced to endure one specific state until it runs its course and allows our consciousness to shift into the next state. Rather, we are fortunate enough to have a great amount of choice in the matter. There are various ways that an individual might go about altering his own mental state; one method is priming, or self-suggestion. Another obvious method is the consumption of exogenous psychoactive drugs that mimic the brains own chemicals in order to shift his consciousness into the state of his own choosing. Our ability to selectively alter our consciousness is not unique to us as a species. One example of consciousness modification that occurs outside of our species is when cats inhale or ingest catnip. This causes them to exhibit significant changes in cognition and behavior. They also experience accompanying physical symptoms such as an increase in heartbeats per minute and pupil dilation. This provides some evidence that consciousness modification is an innate appetite of mammals, and perhaps other, species. What is unique to our species, however, is the wide variety of psychotomimetic compounds that are available for consumption, usually all or most of the time. This is a direct result of our higher-order processing abilities, which afford us a high level of ingenuity sufficient to facilitate the manufacturing abilities necessary to procure such substances.
The consumption of psychoactive substances is generally a far more desirable experience for individuals than, say, a psychotic episode. Though the symptoms of both of these experiences might closely resemble one another, the drug-induced experience is generally considered to be of more value to the individual. This is largely due to the fact that drug users do not lose complete control of the direction in which their consciousness shifts. Because these experiences are primarily dose-related psychoses, they become less intimidating than actual clinical psychoses. The difference can be likened to riding on a roller coaster compared to riding in an out of control car; the experiences are similar but the roller coaster has the additional elements of control and safety. The use of drugs to alter consciousness, therefore, becomes valuable and personally meaningful to the individual who chooses to consume them. This, coupled with the social support that exists in the form of drug subcultures, provides further evidence that consciousness alteration is a natural, perhaps even innate, appetite of our species. So how does this happen? How do these exogenous chemicals shape and direct the stream of consciousness? From a neurological perspective, Arne Dietrich has theorized that most drugs affect the way our brain communicates with itself. More specifically, Dietrich asserts that the functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness is a byproduct of our hierarchically-ordered cognitive functions.
His idea, which is nicely supported, claims that the basis for all awareness of consciousness originated as transient prefrontal cortex deregulation. The medulla oblongata and other primitive areas form the oldest areas at the base of the hierarchy, and areas such as the pre-frontal cortex form the top, and therefore most recently developed, areas. Dietrich theorized that when the electro-chemical communication between the cerebral cortex and the older hippocampi experiences interference, a dissonance will occur. The more dissonance that occurs the more unusual or intoxicated an individual will feel. This is true of most altered states of consciousness, including dreams. For example, both psychedelic drugs and dreams have an inhibitory affect on the noradrenergic as well as the seratonergic systems. That is to say that when someone is tripping or dreaming, their brain inhibits the release and uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin. The absence of these chemicals, which are both integral to the interface between the cerebral cortex and the hippocampi, is said to produce neurological dissonance. The brain, ever the logician, attempts to make sense of the information that it is given; this often results in bizarre or scary dreams, or visionary hallucinations.
Drug consumption is not limited to the bizarre, however. Drug classes such as the anxiolytics, which include benzodiazepines, are capable of lowering the level of anxiety that an individual is experiencing. They produce a sense of relaxation, or even sleepiness, and are very efficacious in the treatment of generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other panic disorders. Thought the mechanism of action is not fully understood, these drugs are thought to somehow increase GABA and serotonin in the brain. People also use opiates such as hydrocodone or heroin to alter their states of consciousness, either to reduce pain or to feel better than they do at their baseline state of consciousness. This class of drugs closely mimics the brains own endorphins (lit. endogenous morphines) in order to increase the bioavailability of dopamine and serotonin. Moderate opiate use is not often apparent to anyone but the user because of the subtle nature of the physical symptoms, which include pupil dilation, constipation, and reduced heartrate. The same cannot be said for the heavy user whose symptoms are much more pronounced and varied. The effects on consciousness are nevertheless strong, and include short term pleasure enhancement as well as short term pain avoidance. Drugs are often used to enhance, rather to change, the state of consciousness of an individual. This is most commonly done via the consumption of stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamines. These drugs, which utilize various mechanisms to temporarily increase the rate of neuronal firing, produce temporarily heightened attention, heightened creativity, and increased learning capacity with lower doses. Users of stimulants may also experience increased sexual appetites, increased sense of intimacy with others, or feelings of elation and euphoria with higher doses. Indeed, it is easy to see how the combination of any of these effects could make for a very powerful (and seemingly profound) alteration of consciousness.
The consumption of drugs can allow users to have experiences that are otherwise impossible to generate. Take, for example, the heightened experience of emotion that occurs when an individual engages in tripping. This state of consciousness can be used to describe the effects of several phenethylamines, the most common of which is LSD. Though little is known of the mechanism of action, it is obvious that this class of drugs produces profound neuronal dissonance. This results in other-worldly sensations of transcendence and mysticism, or in the experience that the world is right, everything is as it should be. One very powerful catalyst of consciousness can be found in a drug class called the dissociative hallucinogens, the most famous of which is ketamine hydrochloride. This drug, which is generally utilized in veterinary practice as an animal anesthetic, has an interesting effect on human consciousness: it is know to produce out of body experiences that are quite realistic to the user. This likely occurs as a byproduct of stifled neural activity in areas of the brain that are responsible for discerning between the self and others. The resulting dissociation, or split in consciousness, renders the user incapable of experiencing concepts of identity. This perceptual misinformation, coupled with a heightened experience of emotion, makes for another very powerful means of consciousness alteration.
So how does this happen? Essentially, as any drug user already knows, it is a matter of perception. When third-order awareness (awareness of awareness), which is the byproduct of internal communication among primitive and more recent areas of the brain, is distorted, the brain nevertheless attempts to make sense of the incoming data. The resulting misperception, no matter how subtle or extreme, is experienced as a consciousness alteration. That is, by consuming drugs, we can alter our consciousness by fooling our brain into perceiving the world around us in an inaccurate way.
The value of this mental manipulation lies in its ability to place our conscious awareness into a scenario that differs from the one we are actually in. In this case, the drugs are the instrument of change. In the case of self-suggestion, the mind itself becomes the tool by which consciousness is altered. Drug consumption, like self-priming, is causal in nature: that is, the conscientious decision is made by the self to alter its own state at a specific point in time. But what of self-suggestion? Can this be achieved without the use of an external tool of some sort? Assuredly yes; for example, when an individual says to himself, I will not be able to sleep after this or that event (finds himself unable to sleep), or, I will have a productive day today (has a productive day), these statements themselves become the tool by which consciousness is altered. The fact that our brain not only generates the intentionality to change its conscious awareness, but also become the tool used to change said awareness is quite the argument in favor of self-determination. It is also evocative of the malleable and causal nature of awareness.
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