Altered States of Consciousness
Archives of General Psychiatry September 1, 1966 DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1966.01730150001001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness |
| Keywords | Altered state Consciousness Depersonalization Dream Realm Hypnosis Cognitive psychology Clinical psychology Emotional exhaustion |
| Citations | 640 |
| Key points | Proposes that current knowledge on altered states of consciousness should be organized into a consistent theoretical system to understand their emergence, manifestations, commonalities, and functions. |
Abstract
BENEATH man's thin veneer of consciousness lies a relatively uncharted realm of mental activity, the nature and function of which have been neither systematically explored nor adequately conceptualized. Despite numerous clinical and research reports on daydreaming, sleep and dream states, hypnosis, sensory deprivation, hysterical states of dissociation and depersonalization, pharmacologically induced mental aberrations, and so on, there has been little attempt made to organize this scattered information into a consistent theoretical system. It is my present intention to integrate and discuss current knowledge regarding various altered states of consciousness in an effort to determine (a) the conditions necessary for their emergence, (b) the factors which influence their outward manifestations, (c) their relatedness and/or common denominators, and (d) the adaptive or maladaptive functions which these states may serve for man. For the purpose of discussion, I shall regard "altered state(s) of consciousness" [hereafter referred
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Argues that scattered knowledge on altered states should be integrated into a consistent theoretical system covering their emergence, manifestations, commonalities, and functions.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: The transient hypofrontality hypothesis | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Psychedelic Mystical Experience in the Human Encounter with Death | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| A neurophenomenological approach to non-ordinary states of consciousness: hypnosis, meditation, and psychedelics | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Hypnotic phenomena and altered states of consciousness: a multilevel framework of description and explanation | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The epistemic innocence of psychedelic states. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 142
- Psychobiology of Altered States of Consciousness. Psychological Bulletin 2005
- Phenomenology, Structure, and Dynamic of Psychedelic States Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2016
- Dimensions of consciousness and the psychedelic state Neuroscience of Consciousness 2018
- Psychedelic drugs—a new era in psychiatry? Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience June 30, 2019
- The Physiology of Meditation and Mystical States of Consciousness Perspectives in biology and medicine March 1, 1976
and 137 more in the library