A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
What is an altered state of consciousness?
Authors: Antti Revonsuo, Sakari Kallio, Pilleriin Sikka
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Publication year: 2009
Journal: Philosophical Psychology
Volume: 22
Issue: 2
First page : 187
Last page: 204
Number of pages: 18
ISSN: 0951-5089
eISSN: 1465-394X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09515080902802850
Abstract
‘‘Altered State of Consciousness’’ (ASC) has been defined as a changed overall pattern of
conscious experience, or as the subjective feeling and explicit recognition that one’s own
subjective experience has changed. We argue that these traditional definitions fail to
draw a clear line between altered and normal states of consciousness (NSC). We outline
a new definition of ASC and argue that the proper way to understand the concept of ASC
is to regard it as a representational notion: the alteration that has happened is not an
alteration of consciousness (or subjective experience) per se, but an alteration in the
informational or representational relationships between consciousness and the world. An
altered state of consciousness is defined as a state in which the neurocognitive background
mechanisms of consciousness have an increased tendency to produce misrepresentations
such as hallucinations, delusions, and memory distortions. Paradigm examples of such
generally misrepresentational, temporary, and reversible states are dreaming, psychotic
episodes, psychedelic drug experiences, some epileptic seizures, and hypnosis in highly
hypnotizable subjects. The representational definition of ASC should be applied in the
theoretical and empirical studies of ASCs to unify and clarify the conceptual basis of ASC
research.
‘‘Altered State of Consciousness’’ (ASC) has been defined as a changed overall pattern of
conscious experience, or as the subjective feeling and explicit recognition that one’s own
subjective experience has changed. We argue that these traditional definitions fail to
draw a clear line between altered and normal states of consciousness (NSC). We outline
a new definition of ASC and argue that the proper way to understand the concept of ASC
is to regard it as a representational notion: the alteration that has happened is not an
alteration of consciousness (or subjective experience) per se, but an alteration in the
informational or representational relationships between consciousness and the world. An
altered state of consciousness is defined as a state in which the neurocognitive background
mechanisms of consciousness have an increased tendency to produce misrepresentations
such as hallucinations, delusions, and memory distortions. Paradigm examples of such
generally misrepresentational, temporary, and reversible states are dreaming, psychotic
episodes, psychedelic drug experiences, some epileptic seizures, and hypnosis in highly
hypnotizable subjects. The representational definition of ASC should be applied in the
theoretical and empirical studies of ASCs to unify and clarify the conceptual basis of ASC
research.
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