7 Ways to Enter an Altered State of Consciousness

Twilight disorder is a sudden and short-term loss of clarity of consciousness.
During this period, a person completely detaches himself from everything that surrounds him, or perceives the world distortedly. In the twilight state, habitual automatic actions are preserved, but delusions and hallucinations may appear, causing fear, melancholy, aggressive behavior, and rage. The attack passes as unexpectedly as it began. The individual has no memories of him, but sometimes they are fragmentary.

The twilight state of consciousness can last several minutes, days, and sometimes longer. It necessarily requires serious treatment by psychiatrists, since it poses a danger to both the person suffering from it and the people around him. Therefore, in the event of an attack, immediate hospitalization is necessary.

Holotropic Breathwork

Yoga classes usually begin with an explanation of the principles of proper breathing: students are told how to inhale and exhale so that your next change of position does not end with shortness of breath and a red face stuck on the floor.
The technique of holotropic breathing is associated with its excess. In the 60s, American scientists were absorbed in the ideas of altered states and their influence on humans - either in order to create super-soldiers, or in attempts to create new X-Men. The result of such research was the invention of LSD and other substances, for which modern ravers can thank them. But after a series of unsuccessful experiments (there were no explosions of laboratories or the creation of monsters - just the experiments did not give any results, except for the experimental subjects ironing the carpet), the substances were finished, and psychologist Stanislav Grof came up with this very holotropic breathing, based on the history of breathing techniques.

This method is based on oversaturation of the blood with oxygen and hyperventilation of the lungs. The instructor stands above you and tells you to breathe quickly, and now deeper, and now quickly and deeply. And you inhaled so much that, in fact, you are poisoned by your favorite oxygen. Continuing to follow the trainer's instructions, you move from a state of oversaturation to oxygen starvation. And then the “miracles” begin. The brain, experiencing a lack of oxygen, loses control over itself, and the subconscious begins to sketch out the most emotional impressions from the past. And your “teacher” heals your sick mind while you are suffocating. It is not known how effective this is, but after the procedure you will definitely feel better - mainly due to the fact that you can now breathe normally.

Some people simply lose consciousness or feel dizzy after these exercises, and some are literally reborn and forget about their problems forever (perhaps these are the same people who were waiting for a collision with the planet Nibiru). But everything can go according to the worst scenario: it is not difficult to guess that if cells, like any living creature, lack oxygen, then they may soon die, and if brain cells die, then very soon you will begin to drool while sitting at table, or you’ll spend all day watching a cartoon about Dasha the Explorer.

Techniques related to oxygen fasting are used in other areas of life. For example, during sex, someone likes to be choked (you can read more about this and other tough lovemaking in our article). You could also get acquainted with such an altered consciousness at school. I remember how we had a common progressive “dog high” technique, when after a few squats you were choked by an experienced high school specialist and you passed out or experienced a minute of unconscious delirium. I still don’t understand the people who agreed to this then.

Altered states of consciousness: psychological analysis

V.V. Kucherenko, V.F. Petrenko, “Questions in Psychology” (ISSN 0042-8841), 1998, No. 3

The research was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Humanitarian Fund. Project 97-06-08225

The purpose of this article is to review scientific ideas about such a little-studied area in academic psychology as altered states of consciousness, and an attempt to reflect on the characteristics that specify such states.

If in the 19th century The psyche was identified with consciousness itself and the leading method of research was the method of introspection, then the discovery by 3. Freud of the unconscious layers of the psyche significantly expanded the scope of the subject of psychological science and gave rise to new, psychoanalytic methods of research. Something similar is observed at the end of the 20th century, when psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, ethnography, anthropology and other scientific directions reveal a huge layer of new phenomenology, conventionally called altered states of consciousness (ASC). This new phenomenology requires systematization, comprehension and reflection from the standpoint of academic science, and the development of our own research methods.

Altered states of consciousness arise when the personality of a person who is in a normal state of consciousness is exposed to various factors: stressful, affectogenic situations; sensory deprivation or prolonged isolation; intoxication (psychedelic phenomena, hallucinations due to high temperature, etc.); hyperventilation of the lungs or, on the contrary, prolonged breath holding; acute neurotic and psychotic diseases; cognitive-conflict situations that knock the subject’s consciousness out of the usual forms of categorization (for example, the unusual behavior of a mentor in Chan Buddhism, the use of koans, i.e., paradoxical sayings used by Buddhism), paradoxical instructions that are not feasible in the logic of the usual state of consciousness and acquire meaningfulness for the subject only in the “logic of the ISS”; in hypnosis and meditation, etc. In the literature, ASC is defined as a mental state caused by one or another physiological, psychological or pharmacological agent, subjectively described by the individual in terms of internal experience and, upon objective observation of it, characterized as a deviation from a certain norm of mental functioning (F. D. Goodman, 1983). C. Tart (1972) defines ASC as a qualitative restructuring in the individual pattern of mental functioning.

The earliest form of fixation and development in human culture of the conscious induction of ASCs and their active use for various purposes is shamanism. Ethnography describes altered states known under the names “shamanic illness”, “shamanic trance”, states of collective trance, for example, during the process of performing a shamanic ritual of ritual, etc. Subsequently, ASCs and methods of inducing them found their place in various religions , and in “folk” culture: in witchcraft, fortune telling, village magic, carnivals, etc. Attracting the attention of science to the phenomena of ASC and methods of their regulation is associated with the era of mesmerism, when F. A. Mesmer (1733-1815) laid the foundations hypnosis and its active therapeutic use began.

In modern psychology, various models are being developed that describe ASC: discrete, continuous and discrete-continuous. The most prominent representative of the first approach is C. Tart (). Based on the idea of consciousness as a complexly organized, systemic structure, he develops the concept of discontinuous or discrete states of consciousness. A discrete ASC is understood as a new system in relation to the basic discrete state (for example, normal wakefulness), which has characteristics inherent only to it, its well-ordered, integral set of psychological functions, which ensure its stability and sustainability even with significant changes in individual subsystems or a certain change in external conditions. The transition from a discrete state of consciousness to a discrete altered state, called by Charles Tart the process of inducing a discrete ASC, occurs abruptly, with a complete severance of the specific relationships of mental subsystems and their subsequent restructuring into a new, stable structure of consciousness. Similarly, the transition to the next (for example, to a deeper) discrete changed state occurs. All discrete ASCs, according to Charles Tart, are qualitatively different dynamic structures that continuously change only within themselves. The creation of the theory of discrete states of consciousness by Charles Tart was led by studies of the dynamics of changes in consciousness when an individual is immersed in a hypnotic sleep. He drew attention to the fact that the transition from normal wakefulness to a hypnotic state occurs like a “quantum leap.” At the same time, the main subsystems are sharply restructured and organized into a new, stable system structure, characterized, in contrast to the previous one, by the relative passivity of most structures of consciousness and the weak functioning of a number of the most important mental processes.

The opposite point of view to Ch. Tart is held by K. Martindale, who is a representative of the continuum approach to modeling ASC. In his theory of continuous states of consciousness, he is based on the assumption that with the gradual regression of consciousness, which occurs under the influence of completely different factors, the main psychological indicators change smoothly, without jumps, and ASCs continuously transform into one another (). So, for example, when taking psychedelic drugs (for example, LSD), during hypnotic or meditative influence, during sensory deprivation or gradual falling asleep, the individual, plunging into ever deeper states, smoothly passes through not different, but identical ASCs. At the same time, the induction of ASC under the action of such different processes occurs practically according to the same mechanism - gradual regression from the usual, basic state of consciousness (waking) to altered states, characterized by the activation of more ancient, archaic structures of consciousness. In support of his approach, K. Martindale refers to psychoanalysis, which states that, for example, as mental illness deepens, a regression occurs from the usual, “secondary” way of thinking to the pre-logical, “primary” one.

K. Martindale proposes a one-dimensional axis: secondary process - primary process, which is the main dimension along which not only thinking, but also all other aspects of consciousness changes. Since the axis is one-dimensional, different ASCs differ in only one significant parameter - their position on the regression axis, and different influencing factors leading to the same state of consciousness are equated to each other. The top point of such a one-dimensional measurement corresponds to the usual, initial state of consciousness, and all other points of the line correspond to all kinds of ASCs, continuously transforming one into another. Below the top point on the regression axis are states that arise from sensory deprivation or monotony, further are neuroses, even lower are the levels achieved with the use of medications or weak psychedelics, below are ASCs induced by the use of various techniques of transpersonal psychology, even lower are dreams, behind them are deep hypnotic states, then psychoses and ASCs caused by the action of strong psychedelic drugs such as LSD. Here only the deepest levels of ASCs, caused by one way or another, are indicated, but as the state gradually deepens from ordinary to extreme, the individual, to one degree or another, can go through all the other, less deep ASCs. For example, with the help of meditative practice, at least theoretically, any ASC can be achieved, characterized by its point on the regression axis. K. Martindale also refers to a new, intensively developing direction in psychophysiology, within which interhemispheric asymmetry is used to explain ASC and works appear that describe changes in state as a consequence of changes in the degree of brain asymmetry and show that any deviation of asymmetry from the norm leads to regression of thinking and language to more ancient structures ().

A representative of the discrete-continuous approach, A. Dietrich (), in his theory of adjacent states of consciousness, relies on the work of V. Wundt, who schematically described the psyche in the form of a circle, in the center of which is the waking consciousness, on the circumference - the unconscious, and inside the circle - transitional structures of consciousness, qualitatively different (different radii), but comparable to each other (belonging to the same concentric ring, i.e. equidistant from the center). From the point of view of V. Wundt, as we move away from the center to the periphery, individual mental states gradually lose the property of consciousness. A. Dietrich describes ordinary, waking consciousness as the initial, most distinct state that exists under given qualitatively different initial conditions (for example, a normal state and a pathological state). In turn, each of the ordinary states of consciousness is the center of its own circle (V. Wundt’s model), within which the ASCs are located, expressed in gradations, the degree of expression of the initial basic state. A. Dietrich shows that, although ordinary states of consciousness are different, sets of variables characterizing ASCs of different circles often linearly correlate with each other and, therefore, ASCs differ in intensity, depth, means of invocation, belonging to one or another initial ordinary state of consciousness, have a greater degree of contiguity with each other. Thus, in accordance with A. Dietrich’s model, states of consciousness are continuous, since they are governed by different patterns, but at the same time they are to a large extent contiguous, which is established by their correlation with each other. In this regard, A. Dietrich offers a new look at pathology: according to empirical studies of the influence of psychopharmacology on patients with schizophrenia and on healthy people, altered states of pathology show significant contiguity with altered states of the norm. Metaphorically, this can be represented as follows: the circles of pathology and health have different centers, and the periphery touches ().

We will demonstrate the use of these theories for understanding modern research using the example of a critical analysis of transpersonal psychotherapy (see more details ()). In ASCs induced by intense breathing, various experiences arise, which, according to S. Grof, are similar to the phenomena of psychedelic experience and can be fully described using a model (extended cartography of the psyche), built to explain the results of studies of the effects of strong narcotic drugs on the human psyche ( ). S. Grof does not provide any evidence of the adequacy of such an expansion of the explanatory potential of his model. However, an appeal to the theory of discrete states of consciousness (SS) by Charles Tarte, the theory of continuous states by K. Martindale, and the theory of adjacent states by A. Dietrich shows that such an approach is possible (according to C. Martindale), incorrect (according to Charles Tarte) and may lead to destructive consequences (according to A. Dietrich). From the point of view of the theory of continuous SS, the same ISS can be caused by the influence of completely different factors (for example, breathing and psychedelics). Analyzing the ability of various technical techniques to induce ASC of one or another depth from the point of view of the continuum model, it can be noted that the absence of qualitative differences between different forms of trance states also implies the absence of qualitative differences between the existing means of achieving them. In this case, they represent only different paths, different “entrances” to the world of ASC (). For example, reproducing previously experienced ASCs is possible when using hypnosis; the phenomenology of states arising as a result of the use of LSD (S. Grof), when reasoning from the standpoint of the continuum model, is fully reproduced when using breathing techniques, etc.

The exact opposite result is obtained by analyzing the problem from the perspective of the theory of discrete SS: states of consciousness induced by different reasons are qualitatively different from each other. From the theory of discrete states of consciousness it follows that when using different methods of inducing ASCs, qualitative differences will be found between different forms and stages of induced ASCs. Each technique has its own specific “range of action,” i.e., it allows you to get only into a certain area of the ASC sphere. To get to another area, you must use a different technique. Therefore, the description of ASCs induced by intense breathing using S. Grof’s model, built to explain the results of the effects of strong narcotic drugs on the human psyche, from the standpoint of a discrete approach is not entirely adequate.

In accordance with the discrete-continuous model, the working area of each psychotechnics is determined by its quantitative and qualitative characteristics. The qualitative characteristic reflects the focus of the technique, its relevance to a certain area of the ISS continuum, compliance with the qualitative characteristics of the types or forms of ISS available to it, the quantitative characteristic reflects the scope of coverage, the size of the area of the ISS continuum accessible when using this technique. As we have already noted, in accordance with the theory of adjacent SS, altered states of pathology can show significant similarity to altered states of normality. It is interesting that a similar approach has been developing in psychiatric research since the 60s.

For example, it is believed that there is a strong correlation between a healthy person's experiences with various psychedelics and the symptomatology of schizophrenia (the "modeled psychosis" theory). From this point of view, the use of S. Grof in holotropic therapy (the main method of transpersonal psychotherapy, its other name is pneumocatharsis, which means achieving catharsis through intense breathing) for the interpretation of ASC phenomena obtained using breathing techniques, a model describing the results of LSD psychotherapy, is problematic.

Studying the phenomenology of ASC allows us to rethink the problem of consciousness and expand the boundaries of the traditional understanding of personality. Transpersonal psychologists have proposed a number of classifications that systematize and describe unusual personal experiences in the ASC, and mental models based on them (the most famous of them: the spectrum of consciousness by K. Wilber (); cartography of internal spaces by S. Grof (); the model of holomovement (Holomovement - from the Greek holos - whole, movement - movement) D. Bohm (1980); model of personality based on the philosophy of Buddhism by R. Walsh and F. Vaughan ()). In domestic psychology, within the framework of the psychosemantic approach ()—() ASCs are considered through changes in the forms of categorization of the subject’s consciousness, transformations of his semantic spaces. As a result of studies of the influence of emotions on categorization processes during the construction of semantic spaces in altered states of consciousness, the following criteria for ASC were identified. In altered states of consciousness, changes occur:

forms of categorization of the subject, accompanied by a transition from socially normalized forms of categorization to other “assemblage points” (non-standard ways of organizing internal experience and experiences); this process includes a transition from primary reliance on verbal-logical, conceptual structures to reflection in the form of visual-sensory (pre-verbal) images;
the emotional coloring of the internal experience reflected in consciousness (for example, intense emotional experiences of novelty, unusualness, and unreality arise that accompany the transition to new forms of categorization);
processes of self-awareness, reflection, manifested in the fact that some elements of the phenomenology of altered states of consciousness are experienced by the subject not as products of his own mental activity, but as something objective and independent of him, for example, the interpretation of internal experience as a revelation from above: “I had a vision,” “ I heard a voice,” etc.;
perception of time, the sequence of events occurring in the internal reality, their partial or complete amnesia, due to the difficulty and sometimes impossibility of translating internal experience obtained in altered states into the language of socially normalized forms of categorization, for example, the difficulty of reproducing the sequence of dream events in the waking state.

Based on psychosemantic studies of ASC, an original trance induction technique has been developed and applied (sensorimotor psychosynthesis by V.V. Kucherenko, 1986), using immersion in an illusory reality by integrating sensations of various modalities. ASCs manifest themselves in increasing the intensity of images of memory, thinking, and imagination to such an extent that in terms of brightness and clarity of presentation to consciousness they can exceed images of perception. For example, in a deep hypnotic state, a person does not hear the word “sea” spoken by the hypnotist, but listens to the sound of the surf and the cries of seagulls. He sees how the sun's glare sways on the waves, people sunbathing on the beach, and feels the warmth of the sun's rays and the slight coolness of the breeze, bringing the smell of the sea, the smell of algae, etc. The content of speech instructions during hypnosis is presented in the form of complex intermodal images that displace the image of the real situation in the mind. The destruction of the image of reality is accompanied by the fact that elements of its sensory fabric are used to construct an illusory image: the noise of the city turns, for example, into the noise of a forest, the spotted linoleum on the floor into a green meadow strewn with flowers, etc.

V.V. Nalimov described altered states of consciousness from the standpoint of the probabilistically oriented personal model of consciousness he developed (). Together with Zh.A. Drogalina, he conducted experimental studies of ASCs induced through guided meditation (); She is currently continuing this research. Changes in the work of language systems and speech-forming mechanisms in ASC are studied by D. L. Spivak (), ().

An interactive approach to the analysis of reflexive activity in altered states of consciousness is developed by A.V. Rossokhin ()—(). A description of the phenomenology of altered states of consciousness, which is actualized in various reflexive settings, has been made, and interactive reflexive strategies in ASC that can lead to personal integration are being developed. Comparative experimental studies of the effectiveness of various formed reflexive strategies in ASC were carried out. Methods of psychocorrection in altered states of consciousness are being developed, based on a specially organized reflexive activity of the individual.

The interactive approach to the study of ASC is based on the assumption that the conscious self and the mental structure of the unconscious, interacting with each other in the ASC, are both relatively independent and interdependent systems capable of influencing each other and changing under such influence. In ASC, emotionally charged images do not arise on their own; they are the product of an actualizing, previously unconscious part of the personality (mental complex). Through them, the complex presents itself to the subject’s consciousness, and the phenomena of the ASC are its intense “monologue”, composed of bodily, visual, and sound “words”. This whole symbolic presentation can be seen metaphorically as a performance through which the complex addresses the conscious self and attracts its attention. This is the very beginning of their meeting with each other. The resulting emotional stress increases anxiety and leads to the activation of defense mechanisms and a corresponding increase in internal resistance to encountering negative experiences.

The problem of the first meeting of consciousness and the actualized complex in the ASC often lies in alienation from the experiences being experienced. On the one hand, the subject can regard the unusual sensations that appear in his body and images in his psyche, which are a kind of language of self-expression of the mental complex, as something initially alien to himself, as manifestations of foreign formations or influences that need to be gotten rid of quickly. Such alienation from that part of one’s personality, which gives rise to tormenting mental pictures, leads to the fact that a person reacts to events unfolding in the internal reality in the same way as if they were happening in the real external world. In this case, the old protective stereotypes of reflection and internal work come into play, which once upon a time played their positive role, protecting consciousness from the flow of dramatic experiences, but now have a pathogenic function, since thanks to them consciousness has no choice and is forced to react differently. old in a completely new situation. Unconscious defensive attitudes lead to a powerful increase in resistance and give rise to the desire to return to the previous state. The subject regains full control over the situation, which can be metaphorically described as a defensive monologue of consciousness that does not want to listen to the repressed part of the psyche that is trying to assert its rights. Negative internal experience is again rejected, the complex is repressed into the unconscious, and its various manifestations (phenomena) gradually disappear.

On the other hand, activated unconscious impulses, weakening and destroying defense mechanisms, can cause a situation where the conscious self finds itself “captured, flooded” (A. Freud), immersed in the monologue of the mental complex. In this case, consciousness takes an extremely passive position and is at the mercy of the images arising in the ASC. This situation is encouraged, for example, in transpersonal methods of psychotherapy, which postulate the idea of spontaneous and spontaneous achievement of personality integration when immersed in the ASC (S. Grof).

This position is most clearly expressed in holotropic therapy, within which the best strategy for experiences in the ASC is the complete cessation of reflection and absolute trust in the deep logic of the unconscious (). If by achieving integration we understand one of the ways of becoming an individual’s individuality, then in transpersonal techniques the unconscious is assigned the role of a guide, leading the “blind” consciousness along this path. This implies complete subordination of the conscious self to the will and tendencies of the activating unconscious complex, and there is no need to talk about the meeting as a potential opportunity for equal dialogue. In connection with such an obvious denial of the integrating role of reflection, the theoretical problem becomes relevant: which of the two processes of personality manifestation in the ASC (reflection aimed at rethinking personal contents and their relationships with each other, or spontaneous integration of the personality into a more holistic Self) is the cause, and what is the consequence? Does active reflective work cause integration, or does the integration that has involuntarily occurred in the ISS lead to a rethinking of oneself and one’s relationships with the internal and external world?

In contrast to transpersonal psychotherapy, which adheres to the second answer to the question posed, in interactive psychotherapy (a method developed within the framework of an interactive approach to the study of altered states of consciousness), the main attention is paid to active internal work aimed at restructuring the forms of reflection themselves, gradually changing the pathogenic stereotype of relationships conscious self and previously unconscious structures of the psyche manifested in the ASC and to achieve optimal interactive contact between them, which can lead to personal integration. The visual “language” of presentation of the complex to consciousness creates the most difficult conditions for internal work to establish internal dialogue. Vivid, often very significant images have significant associative power; they can both overwhelm the consciousness, suppress its activity, and lead it along the associative chain very far from specific interaction with the activated complex. Therefore, internal (reflexive) work with a negative complex, which manifests itself in consciousness primarily through visual images, is very complex and requires significant efforts to direct attention directly to the complex itself, and not to its numerous and complex visual creations. If the conscious self has enough desire, strength and determination to overcome resistance to the meeting and allows the emerging complex to “speak out” and itself to “listen” to it, then the beginning of their positive interaction will be made and monologues on both sides will give way to an emerging dialogue.

The interactive approach to internal work in ASC is characterized by the postulation of equal importance of the contribution to future personal integration of both consciousness and the negative complex. Accordingly, the activity of both parties when interacting with each other should be at the same level. The conscious self should not suppress the complex (monologue of consciousness), subordinate it to its goals and intentions, or control the course of interaction. Similar requirements are imposed on the manifestation of an actualizing complex (there should be no monologue of a previously unconscious part of the personality). Contact should be equal and lead to interactive dialogue in order to relieve old mutual tensions and establish new harmonious and holistic relationships.

A new layer of mental reality is revealed when studying lucid dreams and analyzing the relationship between the conscious self and the “dreaming self” in research conducted by A.V. Brushlinsky, A.V. Rossokhin, M.V. Egorova. At present, the possibility of activating the reflexive ability in dream-altered states of consciousness has been experimentally shown, some conditions for its formation have been studied, a qualitative analysis of the phenomenology obtained in these states has been carried out, and the types of reflexive (lucid) dreams have been identified ().

ASC research not only provides a rich phenomenology for psychotherapy and clinical psychology and makes it possible to develop new, highly effective methods of therapy, but also outlines ways to answer many complex questions in theoretical psychology, for example, to elucidate the mechanisms of the functioning of creative thinking at the unconscious level. The subject of ASC, being a fundamental problem in the psychology of consciousness, is at the same time interdisciplinary in nature and represents a field of science in which the interests of general psychology, clinical psychology, psychiatry, the field of artificial intelligence, social psychology, etc. closely intersect. Theoretical and experimental studies of ASC are found reflected in numerous generalizing monographs and in scientific articles published in psychological journals (the main ones: “Journal of ISS” - “Journal of Altered States of Consciousness”, published since 1973, since 1981 the name has been changed to “Imagination, cognition and personality"; "Journal of Transpersonal Psychology"; "Revision - Journal of Consciousness and Change"). Symposiums and conferences on ISS are periodically held. Many international congresses in psychology have ISS sections. Large-scale programs aimed at studying ASC are being implemented (ISASC project, a number of projects at the Esalen Institute, USA, etc.).

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Sensory deprivation chambers

A small example from popular culture: in the first season of the series Stranger Things, there was a moment when Eleven’s pool was filled with water, a large amount of salt was poured into it, and then a “helmet” was put on the girl, and after that she wandered through the palaces of the mind. It was a homemade sensory deprivation chamber .
Today, such procedures, also called “floating,” can be performed in special institutions equipped with such capsules, or in yoga centers. This camera was invented in the 50s by Dr. John Lilly. At that time, he was studying the human brain, or rather, trying to understand where it gets its energy from. Lilly tried to create conditions of complete isolation in order to make observations of the behavior of the brain - such a camera became the best option for his experiments. What is a modern sensory deprivation chamber like? In general terms, this is a container of water at room temperature into which a person is immersed. The water has a very high salt content so that the body can float calmly on its surface - this creates a feeling of weightlessness. The chamber is protected from light and soundproofed. It turns out that you are immersed in complete darkness and “floating” there, when even tactile sensations are dulled, and you only hear your own breathing and how your stomach growls if you forgot to have a snack.

Some compare it to the womb, others talk about space. And where can we expect altered states? After all, I don’t experience hallucinations while lying on the couch after work. It's again about the poor brain, for whom extreme situations are created. Your senses cannot read the information, and your brain, like a blind gunner, begins to fire projectiles in different directions, hoping to at least clarify something. Just as a bat receives information about the world around it by shooting ultrasonic waves, your skull buddy tries to understand what is happening by releasing uncontrollable images. But mostly it will be a way of relaxation for you after a hard day. Because here you lie and really do NOTHING.

Not everyone reaches the state of a sick dreamer, but a couple of crazy ideas or pictures may pop up in your head. At least this method is relatively safe for the body. It might just cause a panic attack if you're claustrophobic or can't swim. Oh yes, don’t try to scratch your eyes while you’re lying in this capsule—salty water will be perceived negatively by your retina. Also, various fresh scratches or wounds can remind you when you find yourself in the water.

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Hallucinogens

Food poisoning sucks.
All the valves in your body instantly break down, and you begin to gush for several hours with short breaks for showers. But food poisoning can also cause hallucinations if you eat the wrong mushrooms or berries, for example. But there are naturalists who deliberately eat the wrong plants. This practice goes straight back to ancient times, when our ancestors, due to the lack of other entertainment or as an experiment, tried to eat everything. And one day they realized that some plants had an unusual effect, and they began to use the conditions caused by these leaves and mushrooms in their rituals (I’m sure that someone simply continued to use it purely for personal recreational purposes). The best known members of this class are psilocybin mushrooms, which produce a state similar to an LSD trip. Pelevin in his book “Generation P” described in sufficient detail what happens to a person who eats mushrooms (it all ended with the advertising concept for “Parliament” cigarettes invented by the hero).

“The highest form of self-realization of the fly agaric as a mushroom is an atomic explosion - something like a luminous immaterial body that some advanced mystics acquire. And people are simply an auxiliary life form that the fly agaric uses to achieve its highest goal, just as people use mold to make cheese.”

But while Russians know enough about mushrooms (just in case, I’ll say that psilocybin is included in the list of narcotic drugs), then not so much about vines. I'm talking about ayahuasca - a drink of ancient Indian tribes made from a decoction of a special vine. It was used for mystical rituals associated with changing consciousness and immersion in the secrets of ancestors, as it causes powerful hallucinations. Nowadays, in some places similar rituals are also held for tourists.

If in Peru this drink is considered a national treasure, and UNESCO has included in the World Heritage List special songs of shamans that accompany the use of this potion, then in our country, as in many other countries, ayahuasca is prohibited. In 2021, the artist Maxim Gert, who was planning to smuggle a liter of ayahuasca across the border, was detained - 11.5 years in a maximum security colony.

Completion

And that’s all for today, dear readers! Choose the most suitable method for yourself and start implementing it. Just take care of your own safety. As you can understand, the AIS process does not always go “smoothly”.

Good luck to you on your path to a new life!

We also recommend that you read an article about human superpowers and the ability to realize them.

The material was prepared by psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Alina Zhuravina

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Shamanic rituals

We learned a little about the shamans of the Amazon, but we also remember that Russia also has its own people with tambourines, and not only in Russian song ensembles. We are talking about shamans of Siberia and other remote parts of Russia. Now they even have their own organizations and bosses. The demand for enlightenment is growing, which means that the number of wizards who can offer their services is growing, so that on the shore of a lake among deserted expanses they can shake herbs over your head, make sounds in their throats and bill you for the services rendered. Of course, many of them will simply be actors of a local youth theater with a suitable appearance and skills of fooling.

Real shamans don’t care about the problems of “white people”. The deer getting sick is a problem, the wife can’t give birth is another problem, and stress due to lack of praise from superiors is a lesser problem.

But there are also professional commercial shamans who perform rituals for those who wish. The bulk of people who turn to them are women who cannot get pregnant, people with diabetes and cancer, says Artur Tsybikov, Deputy Supreme Shaman of Russia. I’m not sure that the tambourine can cope with cancer, but no one has canceled the placebo effect. These serious rituals cost about 15 thousand rubles.

Some of them are carried out for help, while others are carried out to achieve an altered state. But if in South America additional substances are used for this, then the traditions of Russian shamans involve going beyond the borders of this world through dancing, throat singing and the rhythmic sounds of a tambourine. The shaman invades the pure consciousness of a person while his brain is focused on monotonous sounds and movements.

But not all shamans are satisfied with citizens turning to them for help: some see the problem deeper and want to influence it with decisive action. Thus, a shaman from Yakutia, Alexander Gabyshev, moved towards Moscow in early March to “drive out demons from the Kremlin.” It seems to me that this is the plot for the anime that we deserve.

How to choose a device?

Different degrees of ASC require different devices. Among the most well-known on the market, we can recall several modified generations of the Novodimmer device, electrosleep devices or xenon inhalation devices. But how to choose from all this? After all, sometimes the described effects are not always necessary or even achieved in reality. For example, the same mentioned “Novodrimmer” appears in the description as an audiovisual drug, while its undoubted advantages in therapy are somewhat less covered.

How do you generally understand what to try and what devices are suitable? What is their power of influence and what will it be necessary for certain studies? Denis Burkhaev devoted an entire webinar “Hardware Methods of ISS” to this topic. So, before purchasing any device, it is certainly worthwhile to thoroughly familiarize yourself with its instructions, the results of practical work on it, and the experience of practicing psychotherapists. Besides, it's worth trying. Where is this opportunity? First of all, in sleep medicine clinics, and secondly, in special psychotherapeutic clinics.

As for the disadvantages of the devices, it is most likely high cost. After all, almost all of them are certified as medical. But, let us remind you once again that such devices are legal in our country, they allow you to control the ISS process and achieve the results that are included in your plans.

Lucid dreaming

Have you ever had such moments when you realized that everything around you is a dream, which means you can do whatever you want?
I hope that if this happened, then you were actually asleep and didn’t start creating chaos at the bus stop. Science calls this state lucid dreaming. You suddenly register a cheat for invulnerability in your own reality and enter God mode. You adjust the world to suit you, launch fireballs or seduce any beauty from your dreams, because she is also part of your subconscious. Such things are not only useful as entertainment, but in some cases they also help to cope with various problems that are often projected in the head in the form of dreams. For example, every night you see the same nightmare, where Valery Meladze in fish scales runs at you with a chainsaw, singing Eldzhey’s songs. This horror doesn’t let you sleep, every time you wake up in a cold sweat, while the voice in your head finishes singing something about minimal. If you control your dream, you will be able to interrupt it, understand that this is all just fiction, and try to logically complete this story - you will no longer be afraid of the nightmare.

Entering such states can be done in different ways. This is done over time, after hard training. Different methods use different means: self-hypnosis, additional sound, conditioned signals, plants and drugs.

There is no 100% result, since much will depend on your suggestibility, concentration and how lightly you sleep in general (some people don’t even remember their dreams). But the basis is the same everywhere: in a dream you need to understand that it is a dream. It would seem that this is quite simple - in the morning all the dreams seem so crazy that it is immediately clear that this is not reality. But, firstly, in a dream the brain plays by its own rules, it does not think about another reality. Secondly, some dreams are too similar to real life, especially if something very good or very bad happens there - rational thinking is overshadowed by emotions. However, there are several universal tips for determining sleep: try to remember how you ended up in this place, look in the mirror or try to turn on the light in the room.

If you have tried hundreds of times to induce lucid dreams, but only succeeded in inducing snoring, then I advise you to watch the movie “Waking Life.” He clearly demonstrates this phenomenon and tells how to deal with it.

Solving Problems Using the Alpha Brain State

In this trance state, you can tune in to solve the necessary problems and simply observe thoughts and images. Once you learn to enter a deep alpha state, you can master problem solving through this technique. Before practice, tune in to solving the desired problem, otherwise you may not remember this in the alpha itself and immerse yourself in the alpha. If you have found a solution to the problem, immediately get out of this state, otherwise you may not remember later.

With the help of an assistant, you can do great things, including writing books. To solve simple one-answer solutions, just enter alpha and observe what is happening there. We received an answer and left alpha.

If you need to receive a large amount of information, it is difficult to remember it. In this case, an assistant would be an ideal option. You received a piece of information in alpha, spoke it out loud and immediately entered alpha again. The assistant wrote down the information.

A new piece of information arrived, was spoken out loud again, the assistant wrote it down again, etc. Thus, you will practically not leave this trance state and dictate information to the assistant. Of course, you can also use a voice recorder for this.

It is very easy to get out of the alpha state. A little effort of will and you are already in betta. When leaving alpha, try to endure this wonderful state that you will have.

Thus, you will become stronger and happier, stress and problems will affect you less and less, you will become a more confident person. I prepared some fragments of texts on this blog using the alpha state.

Most people get into the first shallow alpha the first time. As I already wrote in the article about neural connections, it takes 21 days to create new skills. I recommend that you start practicing entering an altered state of consciousness for 21 days. Ideally, this should be done 3 times a day for 3 weeks.

When I started learning to enter a deep alpha state, I practiced 3 times a day and the day came when I entered deep alpha. I immediately felt this and, out of curiosity, looked at the calendar of my classes. And what do you think? It was 21 days of classes. This may be a coincidence, but it seems somewhat natural.

It is very pleasant to do this practice before bed. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to enter this state 3 times a day. If you want to learn a new ability, look for conditions for practicing. Do this practice at least once a day, but daily. Once you have established this skill, daily practice will no longer be necessary. In order to enter an altered state of consciousness in 10 seconds, it took me about 2 months of daily practice.

Hypnosis

Your eyelids become heavy, you want to sleep, your body is relaxed.
This is roughly how hypnotists work in movies. A mandatory attribute in this case is a pendulum in the hands of this specialist. Then the suggested object with a glassy look gets up and goes to do what the master ordered. In real life, the abilities of hypnosis are more limited. A modern hypnotist, or rather a hypnotherapist, works with the patient’s subconscious in order to solve his mental problems. That is, this is one of the types of psychotherapy. The process of hypnosis is similar to the introduction of trance among ancient tribes (but not so loud and large-scale) using certain monotonous actions, keywords and sometimes suitable sound accompaniment. The patient is brought into a state of absolute peace, relaxation, and abstraction, and then the hypnotherapist hacks the person’s operating system and enters developer mode. Of course, everything is not so serious, but he can perform certain manipulations with the consciousness of a gullible patient.

But this is if the experimental subject is suggestible, is disposed to hypnosis and believes that he needs it and it will help him. Hypnosis is not a one-size-fits-all therapeutic tool. Rather, it is a trick for the brain that a person who is delighted with a rabbit taken out of a hat will take seriously, believe in “magic”; and a lover of revelations will always find a double bottom in this hat.

If you are afraid that after a hypnosis session you will wake up on the street without clothes and realize that your gold teeth are no longer yours, then you can try self-hypnosis. The banal technique “relax and count to ten” is also one of the types of self-hypnosis, when you concentrate your attention on mental counting while you experience the peak of surging emotions. This technique also helps with special phrases, with the help of which you “code” yourself and make fine tuning. But from the outside, such things look scary. In some cases, self-hypnosis is used to relieve pain. I recently read in a book how one of the characters experienced post-operative pain: he gave himself the attitude that it was impossible to cope with the pain “entirely”, but he could easily experience every single second of it, that is, he divided the pain into parts and dealt with it in this way . We experienced something from this series in our childhood: “A spoon for mom, a spoon for dad.”

Treatment

The diagnosis of “twilight disorder of consciousness” is made by a psychiatrist, studying the clinical picture and based on a conversation with the patient and his relatives. You will also need a consultation with a neurologist and a number of specialized specialists, as well as studies such as MRI and CT of the brain, EEG, etc.

If during the process of darkening the patient committed a crime: caused damage to property, harm to health or murder, then a forensic psychiatric examination is carried out. It, among other things, involves the study of documents compiled by law enforcement officers, forensic reports, and witness statements.

Treatment is carried out in the psychiatric department of the hospital with the help of antipsychotics and tranquilizers. The psychotic type of disorder will require individual psychotherapy. It is necessary in the event of a crime committed by a patient.

If the twilight state is of a non-psychotic type, then the underlying disease is treated.

Naturally, individual treatment tactics are selected for each patient, depending on the above factors.

Meditations

A classic of immersion in altered states. For some, this may seem like a naive activity that will only lead to swelling of the lower half of the body. Indeed, real “nirvana” or at least some result is not easy to achieve. When I tried to meditate, it all ended with my nose itching, some annoying fly appearing, my leg going numb, and now I’m off to the store for beer.

Despite the apparent simplicity of this method, it is very difficult to achieve the desired result. This is largely due to the frivolous approach: it is not enough to just sit in the lotus position, close your eyes and hum to yourself. This is not meditation - this is procrastination.

There are various meditation techniques, the names of which contain such terrible words: vipassana, sahaj marg and kundalini. But most of them involve focusing your attention on your breathing, on each inhalation and exhalation, on the flutter of your nostrils and the air that touches your lips. This helps you break away from reality, your attention will be focused on one simple action (a similar scheme, as you understand, is present in many techniques for inducing an altered state).

Achieving something higher, transcendental enlightenment or something like that is given to few, and those who have achieved this can lie or convince themselves of something that did not happen. But meditation is a good way to relax and pacify your inner demons if they decide to ruin your hot afternoon.

Preparation for practice

Preparing for a psychedelic experience is not easy. It is important that a person feels an inner “calling and motivation” to these practices, and is not subject to undue influence and pressure from the environment or media hype.

Personal exploration is important in forming and developing a basic understanding of altered states, psychedelic experiences, and setting reasonable expectations.

Most problems after such “travels” arise from those who plunged into this “psychedelic pool” without preparation and/or without qualified guidance.

Gear Preparation, Setup, and Skills It is critical to understand your mindset or internal narrative to support yourself before entering into this experience. Setting also relates to where the experience will take place. Skills are the most important aspect to get the most out of your experience. “Gear” includes: a safe, quiet place, music, and an eye mask (optional).
Preparatory “diet” Diet, in this case, is not only a refusal (at least 3 weeks in advance) from fish, meat, chicken, junk food, caffeine, tobacco and alcohol, a ban on eating after 18-00 (and ideally after 14 -00), but also a reduction in screen time and complete sexual rest (at least 3 days in advance). In addition, you should avoid sleeping pills. But if you are taking any medications, you must consult a doctor before stopping them.
Working with Intentions Identify thought problems such as limiting beliefs, unconscious blocks, and old patterns that no longer serve you. This will allow you to clearly see what you want to work on. This will prepare you to avoid the pitfalls of becoming too attached to results based on your attention and resistance.

How to login?

Provide yourself with privacy, close your eyes, listen to the inner silence

Relax all your muscles, keep your inner attention on pleasant images. Thoughts will flow one way or another - don’t try to block their flow, just watch them, impartially and without judgment. From the thought stream, choose one image that is the most interesting and harmonious for you

Start wrapping it in thought forms. This will give you a feeling of complete merging of your senses with the noosphere. Look around and feel the inner reality you have created. If everything is correct, then your concentration will smoothly move into “parallel” space. Follow it and gradually adapt to current changes.

And remember: if you want to change the world, start changing yourself. Professor Vladimir Kozlov has written a lot about altered states of consciousness. Charles Tart has some interesting works.

And Vikium has prepared for you a wonderful course “Critical Thinking” - it will help you develop the skill of independent opinion, protect you from rash actions and give you techniques that will help you fulfill your goals and desires even without entering an altered consciousness. You will learn to value your time and resources, will not succumb to manipulation and will begin to live your own life.

Positive and negative aspects of joining the AIS

Altered states of consciousness and ways of entering them have a beneficial effect on a person only if they occur naturally and have a positive effect on physical and mental health. A state of light trance from playing sports, creativity or connecting with nature allows you to get rid of negative experiences and stress. In this way, attention shifts from unfavorable circumstances to another sphere of perception, where the human psyche relaxes.

A state of altered consciousness through deep sleep, meditation or hypnosis gives people the opportunity to draw information from their subconscious. And you and I know that the human subconscious directly interacts with the energy-information field of our universe. In this way, you yourself can obtain the information you are interested in, program the events of your life, and even get rid of ailments. If a person tries to change his consciousness with the help of alcohol or drugs, the result of such experiments will be tragic. At first, a person will feel an incredible expansion of consciousness and see the versatility of the universe in the brightest colors. It will seem to him that he has risen above the “gray routine”, that the level of his intelligence is many times higher than the level of “primitive people”.

All this is temporary and ends in complete decomposition of the individual. I humbly apologize for such a comparison, but expanding your consciousness and comprehending the secrets of the universe through the use of “drugs” is the same as trying to stay warm in the cold by peeing in your pants. It will be warm for a couple of minutes, but then... The use of narcotic substances is justified only in the case of medical anesthesia of the patient during surgery.

The story of the esotericist Sergei

To begin with, I want to tell you a real story on behalf of the esotericist Sergei:

At the age of 11, I fell in physical education class and hit my head painfully. Subsequently, I was plagued by severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, and sleep disturbances. Doctors diagnosed a concussion and prescribed a large number of medications. Over time, the pain recurred periodically, I didn’t want to “sit on pills”, I just had to endure it. At the age of 18, when I became interested in esotericism and spiritual practices, I was lucky enough to meet an experienced mentor. He taught me a technique for reviewing past events in a state of meditation to identify and eliminate the cause of what happened.

In a meditative state, I began to remember and, as it were, replay the events of 7 years ago in reverse. I saw that when I fell, not only did my leg twist, but also another phenomenon. At that moment, something like an energy cord stretched to my head from above. I would not be able to recognize this in my usual state of consciousness. While in meditation, I was able to, through an effort of will and imagination, break the connection with the source of pain. It turns out that in a state of altered consciousness I got rid of an illness that doctors could not cope with in 7 years.