An altered state of
consciousness which can also be called an altered state of mind or mind
alteration…well whatever you want to call it…it is any condition which is
significantly different from what the ‘experts’ call a normal waking beta wave
state, whatever that is...I suppose it means when we are in a regular state of
mind…In the world of academia, the expression was used as early as the mid-60’s…It
describes induced changes in one's mental state which are almost always
temporary…A similar phrase that is often used is an "altered state of
awareness"…These altered states of consciousness may be caused either
accidentally or intentionally…they may be accidental or intentional such as
during meditation. Intoxication or drug use like taking LSD which is infamous
as far as altering the mind and consciousness quite effectively…now that
person’s experience can be affected by the mood they are in at the time…their
expectations of what the drug will do…and even the surroundings of the person
taking the drug…it can also cause these types of ‘states’…states that may
include an altered awareness of the surroundings…altered perceptions, and
feelings as well as sensations and images that seem real though they are merely
hallucinations…
even ones that include the takers’ own body…they are often called trips…and these trips usually
start within thirty minutes or so of taking LSD by mouth…by mouth…that is the
usual form…it can be less if the drug is snorted or taken intravenously…the
trip peaks normally three to four hours after ingestion, and can last up to
twelve hours…depending on the strength of the drug and the amount taken and of
course the individual themselves…ecstasy, wild patterns of color or an altered
recognition of time have been reported… Vivid hallucinations that include all
the sense including seeing, hearing, touching, or smelling things in a
distorted way or perceiving things that do not exist have all been reported…also
intensified feelings and sensory experiences such as brighter colors and
sharper sounds have been felt or experienced…mixed senses such as being able to
see sounds or the ability to hear colors are common themes…time often seems to
come to a crawl when under the influence of LSD...and sometimes takers have
even felt as though they had died…and they are merely onlookers to their death
experiences…some experiences are merely out of body ones that cause no specific
harm to the user…sometimes these trips will lead one to a powerful religious
realization…there are of course "bad trips"…trips that can produce intense negative
emotions, irrational fears and anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia and mood swings…one
never knows how the LSD will affect them…now sleep deprivation, fasting, and
psychosis can also sometimes be a source of these altered states as well as
intense prayer, but the effects are usually not as intense as ones with LSD...those
creative souls such as artists or songwriters may have or do actively seek such
a state in the belief that they it will increase their creativity, and I’m
quite certain it can…these altered states of consciousness can be quite
revealing of both the user and the world they live in…the point being altered
states of consciousness or altered state of mind can be quite interesting to
experience if one is daring enough to do so or simply is struck by such a
thing.
