An altered state of consciousness, (ASC)[1], also named altered state of mind, is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking beta wave state. The expression was used as early as 1969 by Charles Tart[2][3] and describes induced changes in one's mental state, almost always temporary. A synonymous phrase is "altered states of awareness".
It can be associated with artistic creativity.[4]
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An altered state of consciousness can come about accidentally through, for example, fever, infections such as meningitis,[5] sleep deprivation, fasting, oxygen deprivation, nitrogen narcosis (deep diving), psychosis[6], temporal lobe epilepsy or a traumatic accident.
After awakening from normal sleep, a person soon forgets any dream he may have experienced while asleep. Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, breaks down the barrier existing between reality and hallucination. The common garden-variety hallucinations are known as "white-line fever" by the same weary truck-drivers who experience them: bushes look like animals, cracks in the road form designs, clouds form distinguishable figures, mailboxes by the road look like people standing by. "... I saw giraffes and lions. I waved to mailboxes. I even had an out-of-body experience near Tucumcari, New Mexico, where I saw myself riding on the shoulder of Interstate 40 from above."[7]
An ASC can sometimes be reached intentionally by the use of sensory deprivation, an isolation tank, sleep deprivation, lucid dreaming, or mind-control techniques, hypnosis, meditation, prayer, or disciplines (e.g. Mantra Meditation, Yoga, Sufism, dream yoga, or Surat Shabda Yoga).
It can also be attained through the ingestion of psychoactive drugs such as alcohol and opiates, or more commonly with entheogenic plants and their derivative chemicals such as LSD, DXM, 2C-I, peyote, cannabis, mescaline, Salvia divinorum, MDMA, psychedelic mushrooms, ayahuasca, or datura (Jimson weed).
Another effective way to induce an altered state of consciousness is using a variety of Neurotechnology such as psychoacoustics, binaural beats, light and sound stimulation, cranial electrotherapy stimulation, and such; these methods attempt to induce specific brainwave patterns, and a particular altered state of consciousness.[8]
Beta: 12 – 30 Hz
Alpha: 8 – 12 Hz
Theta: 4 – 8 Hz
Delta: 0.01 – 4 Hz
   | John C. Lilly - john c lilly homepage |
| | Divine Way of Spiritual Heart - Divine Way of Spiritual Heart |
| | Explorations in Consciousness - EIC Home: Out of Body Experiences, Lucid Dreams, Altered States |
| | Dual-Induction Hypnosis, Guided Meditation - "Dual Induction"~ Guided Relaxation ~ Meditation ~ Altered-Mind ~ Thoughts are Things |
| | HypnosisAndSuggestion.org - Hypnosis and suggestion: Exploring the science behind hypnosis |
| | Trance Research Foundation - Trance Institute - The Trance Institute |
| | Self Hypnosis Techniques - Nitty Gritty Information Resource - hypnosis |
| | Wikibook on consciousness - Consciousness Studies - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks |
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