altered states of consciousness. As the scope of archaeological evidence is limited by materiality, these pharmacologically-oriented examples represent only a few of the ways that humans engage in wakeful altered states of consciousness. Image of a hybrid human-elephant figure with pierced penis from South Africa. neural underpinnings of the relationship between altered states and creative performance. However, we do not claim that focusing on this relationship provides an exhaustive assessment of normal and altered consciousness states, or an exhaustive characterization or even explana-tion for the phenomenology of normal or altered conscious experience. interest in three types of altered states: dreams, drug-related states, and states of meditation and relaxation. As we shall see, there are other states of equal impor­ tance. In this country, altered states of consciousness burst on the scene in the early 1960s with the burgeoning interest in psychedelic substances. At that time, Timo­ thy ALTERED STATES OF •Mental states, other CONSCIOUSNESS than ordinary waking consciouness. (Sleep, dreaming, psychoactive drug use, meditation, hypnosis, etc.) •Perceiving our internal and external environments or worlds in ways very different from normal perception. tures allow for vast numbers of different faces (surface structures) and allow us to distinguish one from another. Wilber's contribution is in applying this kind of deep structural analysis to states of consciousness. He suggests that underlying the vast array of states of consciousness are relatively few deep structures. For example. the shaman complex as those of so-called altered states of consciousness (ASC), which have tended to defy systematic elucidation; the brain is functionally in a constant state of flux and alteration. There are now attempts to systematically explore, conceptualize, and place these phenomena within the context of neuroscience, which is the subject of this Different states of consciousness are associated with different patterns of brain waves. Brain waves are tracings of electrical activity that is going on in the Introduction to Psychology/States of Consciousness 3 other sleep stages as well, dreams are most vivid and frequent during REM sleep. People typically go through about The states of the dream and the dreams are distinguished from vigil consciousness, since They represent substantially different forms of the capacity of the formation and recovery of memory. "Altered states of consciousness", in the encyclopedia of the paranormal, edited by Gordon Stein (Buffalo, N.y.: LEVELS OF CONSCIOUS AWARENESS • Conscious (Controlled) Processes: Require full awareness, alertness and concentration • Learning to drive a car, studying for an exam, baking from a recipe. • Automatic (Non & Pre-conscious) Processes: Require little awareness, take minimal attention, driving a familiar route. • Eating while watching TV, talking to a friend while altered states of consciousness are: Shallow (one dimensional) mental processing. Change in the way the self is experienced. Loss of normal inhibitions. Disconnect of perceptions from reality. Increase in vividness (brightness) of the contents of consciousness. we discuss the different levels of consciousness and how they can affect your behavior in a variety of situations. As well, we explore the role of consciousness in other, "altered"