Psychology of Consciousness and Sleep

Consciousness

• The awareness of internal and external stimuli

Hypnosis

• A trance-like state involving heightened attention, concentration, and suggestibility
• It resembles sleep, but individuals remain awake.

Mesmerism (animal magnetism)

• A purported force influencing human beings (mesmerisation)
• Coined and explored by Franz Mesmer

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

• Measures brain electrical activity using electrodes placed on the scalp
• Results show brainwave electrical activity over time

EEG Bands

• Human brainwave activity is categorized into four frequency-based bands:
  • Beta (13-24 cps): Normal waking thought, alert problem-solving
  • Alpha (8-12 cps): Deep relaxation, blank mind, meditation
  • Theta (4-7 cps): Light sleep, relaxation, blank mind, meditation
  • Delta (less than 4 cps): Deep sleep

Sleep

• Biological rhythms: Periodic fluctuations in physiological functions
• Circadian rhythms: The 24-hour biological cycles found in humans and other species
  • These cycles influence physical, mental, and behavioral changes within the 24-hour period.

Five Stages of Sleep

• Stage 1:
  • The beginning of the sleep cycle
  • Light sleep (theta waves)
  • Easy to wake
• Stage 2:
  • Lasts approximately 20 minutes
  • Characterized by sleep spindles (bursts of rapid brain activity)
  • Body temperature and heart rate decrease
• Stage 3:
  • Deep and slow brain waves (delta waves)
  • Transition from light to deep sleep
• Stage 4:
  • Slow brain waves (delta waves)
  • Lasts about 30 minutes
  • May be associated with bed-wetting and sleepwalking
• Stage 5 (REM Sleep):
  • Rapid Eye Movement sleep
  • Increased respiration and brain activity
  • Sometimes called "paradoxical sleep"
  • Lasts approximately 90 minutes, but varies throughout the night

Hypnogogic and Hypnopompic Hallucinations

• Hypnogogic Hallucinations: Brief hallucinations that occur during the transition from wakefulness to sleep (hypnogogia)
• Hypnopompic Hallucinations: Hallucinations that occur during the transition from sleep to waking (hypnopomp)

Dream Analysis

• Freud believed dreams offer insights into the unconscious mind