Altering Consciousness

- Hypnosis: an altered state of consciousness in which people appear to be highly suggestible

and behave as though they are in a trance – aid in relaxation training to help people cope
with stress – can be used to reduce anxiety or overcome fears
- Meditation: thinking deeply about the universe or about one’s place in the world, within a
spiritual context – suspending thinking and allowing the world to fade away – help people
cope with stress
- Biofeedback: a system that provides or “feed’s back” information about a bodily function to
an organism – changing bodily functions voluntarily such as heart rate and blood pressure
- Strenuous exercise – “runner’s high”
- The internet – cyberspace is similar to an altered state of consciousness
- Flow – altered state where people are deeply involved in a task – don’t notice time going by
- Internet addiction

Addictive Behavior
- Psychoactive substances – distort perceptions and change mood
- Substance abuse – repeated use of a substance despite the fact it is causing or compounding
social, occupational, psychological or physical problems
- Tolerance – habituation to a drug, with the result that increasingly higher doses of the drug
are needed to achieve similar effects
- Withdrawal symptoms – delirium tremens (characterized by heavy sweating, restlessness
and hallucinations)