Occurrence of Altered States of Consciousness among Students: Profoundly and Superficially Altered States in Wakefulness

Waking altered states of consciousness (ASC) are common among Polish university students. In a survey of 174 students, 96 percent reported experiencing Superficially Altered States of Consciousness (SACS), often with positive, pleasant feelings and quietness, while 75 percent reported Profoundly Altered States of Consciousness (PASC), accompanied by extremely strong positive emotions and experiences related to absolute, universal, or existential matters. SACS occur in everyday situations, whereas PASC arise mainly in religious or natural contexts. The findings support an integrated model of consciousness suggesting a natural, cyclical occurrence of differentiated waking states.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In a questionnaire survey waking altered states of consciousness (ASC) are found to be common among 174 Polish students. The experience of Superficially Altered States of Consciousness (SACS) was reported by 96 percent of subjects and more than half of them had such experiences often. Whereas an experience of Profoundly Altered States of Consciousness (PASC) was confirmed by 75 percent and about one-third of them had them often. The comparison of the experiences accompanying the ASC indicates that SASC are characterized by disturbances in experiencing the reality and oneself combined with positive, pleasant feelings and with quietness. On the other hand, PASC are accompanied by experiences related to an absolute, universal, eternal, and existential or religious matters. PASC are accompanied by extremely strong positive emotions of happiness, total love, etc. and are experienced as more rational than SASC, and with significantly less feelings of cognitive disturbances than in SASC. The comparison of circumstances of the ASC occurrence, indicates that SASC occur in usual and common states and situation of everyday life, whereas PASC mainly in the context of religion and nature. The congruence of these findings with an integrated model of the main states of consciousness suggests a natural tendency for a cyclical occurence of ASC, or more precisely, the differentiated waking states of consciousness.