Altered States of Consciousness: Exploring Non-Ordinary Experience
How meditation, psychedelics, NDEs, and other altered states reveal the nature and mechanisms of consciousness
The Spectrum of Conscious Experience
Altered states of consciousness (ASCs) represent temporary changes in the typical patterns of subjective experience1. These states provide unique windows into the nature of consciousness by revealing its flexibility, constraints, and potential transformations.
From ancient shamanic practices to modern neuroscience labs, humans have explored ASCs to understand consciousness, healing, and reality itself. These states challenge our assumptions about ordinary waking consciousness and suggest that our typical experience represents just one point in a vast spectrum of possible conscious states.
Core Proposition: Studying consciousness through its alterations reveals mechanisms and properties that remain hidden during ordinary states. ASCs serve as natural experiments that help us understand the relationship between brain activity, subjective experience, and reality.
Major Categories of Altered States
Meditative States
States achieved through focused attention, mindfulness, or other contemplative practices that alter perception, self-awareness, and cognitive processing.
Key Insight: "Meditation reveals that our ordinary sense of self is a construction that can be deconstructed through practice."
Psychedelic States
States induced by psychedelic substances like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT that profoundly alter perception, emotion, and cognition, often producing mystical-type experiences.
Key Insight: "Psychedelics reveal the constructed nature of reality and the brain's role as a 'reducing valve' for consciousness."
Near-Death Experiences
Profound experiences reported by people who have come close to death, often featuring out-of-body experiences, life review, and encounters with transcendent realities.
Key Insight: "NDEs challenge materialist assumptions by suggesting consciousness can function independently of brain activity."
Hypnagogic/Hypnopompic States
The transitional states between wakefulness and sleep that feature unique forms of imagery, thought, and sensory experience.
Key Insight: "These liminal states reveal the mind's capacity for generating rich experiences with minimal external input."
Flow States
Highly focused states of absorption in activities where self-consciousness diminishes and performance peaks.
Key Insight: "Flow states demonstrate how optimal functioning emerges when the self gets out of its own way."
Mystical Experiences
States of unity, transcendence, and sacred encounter that occur spontaneously or through spiritual practice.
Key Insight: "Mystical experiences across traditions share common features, suggesting universal aspects of human consciousness."
Changing States to Find Mechanisms
The Pharmacological Approach to Consciousness
Core Mechanism: Using substances that alter brain chemistry to systematically probe the relationship between neurobiology and subjective experience.
Sedatives, Dissociatives & Anesthesia: Freezing Consciousness
Sedatives/dissociatives (NMDA antagonists like hemp, ketamine, and PCP; GABA agonists like alcohol, muscimol, benzodiazepines; and κ-opioid agonists like ibogaine and salvia) share a common mechanism of neural hyperpolarization and burst firing patterns:
- Neural Hyperpolarization: Both classes increase the negative charge inside neurons, making them less likely to fire
- Burst Firing Mode: This hyperpolarization paradoxically leads to burst firing patterns when neurons do fire
- Reduced Frequency: Brain waves slow from beta/gamma to theta/delta frequencies
- Sensory Integration: All senses become entrained into a singular embodied experience
- Ring/Bank Theory: Consciousness becomes bottlenecked into sequential "ring frames" of experience
Despite different receptor targets, both sedatives and dissociatives produce similar conscious effects through this shared hyperpolarization and burst mode mechanism. Anesthesia appears to possibly work by being an 'extreme sedative' in the sense that, brain waves are even more slowed and entrained, down to 1 Hz for anesthesia (cf. 2 Hz for heavy sedation, 4-12 Hz for medium sedation).
Stimulants & 5HT-Agonists: Boiling Consciousness
Stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine) and serotonin agonists (psychedelics) increase brain activity and complexity:
- Increased Frequency: Brain waves accelerate and desynchronize
- Expanded Awareness: More information becomes available to consciousness
- Pattern Recognition: Enhanced connectivity reveals novel associations
- Ego Dissolution: Default Mode Network activity decreases, reducing sense of separate self
These substances demonstrate how increasing neural complexity expands and enriches conscious experience, with reports of frame rate increased to roughly 15-20 Hz. From reports, psychedelics seem to effect and lead to recall of visual field effects more than the fully embodied frames of sedation.
| Substance Category | Primary Mechanism | Effect on Brain Waves | Subjective Experience | Theoretical Insight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedatives & Dissociatives (NMDA antagonists, GABA agonists and κ-opioid agonists) |
Neural hyperpolarization & burst firing | Decreased frequency (Beta → Theta/Delta) |
Relaxation, disinhibition, detachment, out-of-body experiences | Consciousness as constrained by neural bandwidth |
| Stimulants (Dopamine/Norepinephrine) |
Neural excitation | Increased frequency (Theta → Beta/Gamma) |
Alertness, focus, motivation, anxiety | Consciousness as driven by energetic resources |
| Psychedelics (5HT2A agonists) |
Increased connectivity | Desynchronized, complex patterns | Expanded awareness, ego dissolution, mystical experience | Consciousness as information integration |
Ring/Bank Theory Application: Sedatives/dissociatives reduce the "refresh rate" of consciousness, creating longer, more integrated "ring frames" where multiple senses become synchronized into unified moments of experience. This bottlenecking reveals how consciousness normally operates as a rapid sequence of discrete moments.
Key Researchers and Theorists
Henri Bergson
Focus: Consciousness as duration and the brain as filter
Bergson proposed that consciousness is fundamentally a stream of duration, and the brain functions to limit our awareness to what is practically useful, filtering out the vast majority of potential experience.
Key Contribution: "The brain doesn't produce consciousness but rather filters and limits a pre-existing cosmic consciousness to practical biological purposes."
Carl Jung
Focus: Collective unconscious and archetypal experiences
Jung explored altered states through dream analysis, active imagination, and his own visionary experiences, developing the concepts of the collective unconscious and archetypes that manifest across cultures.
Key Contribution: "Altered states provide access to the collective unconscious, revealing universal patterns and symbols that transcend individual experience."
Charles Tart
Focus: States of consciousness and transpersonal psychology
Tart systematically studied ASCs, developing the concept of "state-specific sciences" and arguing that different states of consciousness have their own unique properties and ways of knowing.
Key Contribution: "Consciousness is not a single entity but a complex system of discrete states, each with its own laws and perceptual capabilities."
Dean Radin
Focus: Parapsychology and consciousness research
Radin conducts rigorous experimental research on psychic phenomena, finding statistical evidence for psi abilities that challenge conventional models of consciousness and causality.
Key Contribution: "The accumulating evidence for psi suggests consciousness may not be entirely confined to the brain or bound by ordinary spacetime constraints."
Brian Josephson
Focus: Quantum approaches to mind and consciousness
Nobel laureate physicist who applies quantum theory to consciousness, suggesting that quantum processes may explain mystical experiences and psychic phenomena.
Key Contribution: "Quantum theory provides mathematical tools for understanding non-ordinary states of consciousness and their relationship to physical reality."
Ken Wilber
Focus: Integral theory and states/stages of consciousness
Wilber developed a comprehensive map of human consciousness that integrates states (temporary experiences) with stages (enduring developmental capacities).
Key Contribution: "States of consciousness are available to people at various stages of development, but how they're interpreted depends on the stage."
Allan Combs
Focus: Consciousness studies and dynamical systems theory
Combs applies complexity theory to consciousness, viewing it as a self-organizing dynamical system that can transition between different states and patterns.
Key Contribution: "Consciousness operates at the 'edge of chaos' where it maintains stability while remaining flexible enough to transition between states."
Jonathan Schooler
Focus: Meta-awareness and mind-wandering
Schooler researches how we become aware of our own conscious states and the relationship between focused attention and spontaneous thought.
Key Contribution: "Meta-awareness—knowing that we know—is a crucial capacity that varies across states of consciousness."
Rupert Sheldrake
Focus: Morphic fields and extended mind
Sheldrake proposes that memory and habit are stored in morphic fields that extend beyond the brain, potentially explaining transpersonal experiences and psychic phenomena.
Key Contribution: "Morphic resonance provides a mechanism for explaining how minds might connect across space and time beyond conventional explanations."
Jacobo Grinberg-Zylberbaum
Focus: Neurophysics and shared consciousness
Grinberg conducted controversial experiments suggesting direct brain-to-brain communication during meditative states, proposing a "neuronal field" connecting all minds.
Key Contribution: "In certain altered states, brains can become 'quantum entangled,' allowing direct communication without sensory mediation."
Thomas Campbell
Focus: My Big TOE (Theory of Everything) and consciousness physics
Physicist who developed a model of reality based on consciousness as fundamental, with altered states providing access to different levels of a larger reality system.
Key Contribution: "Reality is a virtual reality simulation run by consciousness for the purpose of learning and evolving."
Brian Swimme
Focus: Cosmic consciousness and evolutionary spirituality
Mathematical cosmologist who integrates scientific understanding of the universe with mystical consciousness, viewing cosmic evolution as a conscious process.
Key Contribution: "Human consciousness represents the universe becoming aware of itself through us."
Christopher Langan
Focus: Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU)
Developed a comprehensive theory unifying science, mathematics, and philosophy that places consciousness at the center of reality.
Key Contribution: "Reality is a self-configuring self-processing language, and consciousness is its syntax."
Specific Research Areas
Near-Death Experiences and Survival Research
Veridical NDEs
Cases where NDErs report accurate perceptions from outside their bodies that are later verified, challenging conventional explanations.
Enhanced Cognition
Reports of vastly expanded awareness, knowledge, and understanding during NDEs that transcend normal cognitive capacities.
Transformative Effects
Long-term psychological, spiritual, and behavioral changes following NDEs, including reduced fear of death and increased altruism.
DOPS (Division of Perceptual Studies)
Reincarnation Research
Studies of children who remember previous lives, with verified details that they couldn't have known through normal means.
Apparition Experiences
Research on encounters with deceased persons, particularly crisis apparitions that coincide with the death of the person seen.
Deathbed Visions
Systematic documentation of visions and experiences reported by dying individuals, often involving deceased loved ones.
Meditation Research
Neural Correlates
Brain imaging studies showing how different meditation practices affect brain structure and function, particularly default mode network activity.
State vs. Trait Changes
Research distinguishing between temporary state effects during meditation and enduring trait changes from long-term practice.
Advanced Practitioners
Studies of expert meditators capable of entering profound states of consciousness rarely accessible to ordinary individuals.
Psychedelic Research
Therapeutic Applications
Clinical studies demonstrating the efficacy of psychedelics for treating depression, PTSD, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety.
Neural Mechanisms
Research on how psychedelics alter brain activity, particularly through 5HT2A receptor activation and reduced default mode network connectivity.
Mystical Experiences
Studies of psychedelic-induced mystical experiences and their similarity to spontaneous mystical states across traditions.
How Altered States Inform Consciousness Theory
The State-Specific Sciences Approach
Core Mechanism: Different states of consciousness provide access to different kinds of knowledge and ways of knowing, each with unique validity and limitations.
Altered states offer crucial insights into consciousness by revealing:
Consciousness-Brain Relationship
Cases where consciousness appears to function independently of brain activity (NDEs, psi) challenge purely materialist models.
The Nature of Self
Ego dissolution in meditation and psychedelics reveals the constructed nature of our ordinary sense of self.
Reality Construction
Radically different perceptions in ASCs demonstrate how our ordinary reality is actively constructed by the brain.
Information Processing
Enhanced cognition in some ASCs suggests ordinary consciousness operates with significant constraints on information access.
Ring/Bank Theory Applications
The Ring/Bank theory provides a framework for understanding how different substances and practices alter consciousness:
- Sedatives & Dissociatives: Reduce the frequency of "ring frames," creating longer, more integrated moments of experience through hyperpolarization and burst firing
- Stimulants: Increase frame frequency, allowing more rapid processing but potentially overwhelming integration
- Psychedelics: Expand the "bank" of available information, allowing more content into each frame
- Meditation: Increases awareness of the frame structure itself, revealing the discrete nature of conscious moments
This model suggests consciousness operates as a sequence of discrete moments ("rings") drawing from a vast repository of potential experiences ("bank"), with different ASCs altering either the timing, content, or awareness of this process.
Comparison of Major Altered States
| State | Induction Method | Key Features | Neural Correlates | Theoretical Implications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meditative Absorption | Focused attention, mindfulness | Reduced self-referential processing, unity experiences, equanimity | Decreased DMN activity, increased gamma synchrony | Self as construction, consciousness independent of content |
| Psychedelic Experience | 5HT2A agonists (LSD, psilocybin) | Ego dissolution, mystical experience, enhanced emotion, visual phenomena | Decreased DMN connectivity, increased global connectivity | Reality as construction, consciousness expansion |
| Near-Death Experience | Physiological crisis, clinical death | Out-of-body experience, life review, transcendent awareness, encounters | Unknown (brain often non-functional) | Consciousness independent of brain, survival hypothesis |
| Flow State | Challenging skill-based activity | Absorption, timelessness, effortless action, diminished self-consciousness | Transient hypofrontality, focused attention networks | Optimal functioning with minimal self-reference |
Challenges and Responses
The Epistemological Problem
Challenge: How can we verify claims about reality made during non-ordinary states?
Response: Use multiple methods including neuroimaging, behavioral measures, and phenomenological comparison across different induction methods and traditions.
Reductionist Explanations
Challenge: All ASCs can be explained as brain dysfunction or chemical alterations.
Response: Some ASCs feature enhanced cognition, veridical perception, and transformative effects that challenge purely deficit-based explanations.
Methodological Issues
Challenge: Difficulty studying subjective states with objective methods.
Response: Develop state-specific methodologies and integrate first-person reports with third-person measurements.
Cultural Variation
Challenge: ASC experiences vary significantly across cultures and belief systems.
Response: While interpretation varies, core features of many ASCs show remarkable cross-cultural consistency.
Current Research and Future Directions
Research on altered states is experiencing a renaissance across multiple disciplines:
Clinical Applications
Psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health conditions and meditation-based interventions for well-being.
Neuroscientific Mapping
Advanced neuroimaging studies correlating specific brain changes with detailed phenomenological reports.
Cross-State Comparisons
Systematic comparison of different ASCs to identify common mechanisms and unique features.
Technological Induction
Development of technologies (brain stimulation, virtual reality) to induce and study specific ASCs.
Current Status: Research on ASCs has moved from the margins to mainstream science, with major universities establishing dedicated research centers and governments approving clinical use of psychedelics. The field is increasingly recognized as crucial for understanding consciousness and developing novel therapeutic approaches.
References
- Tart, C.T. (1975). States of Consciousness. E.P. Dutton. ↩
- Radin, D. (2018). Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe. Harmony. ↩
- Sheldrake, R. (2020). Science and Spiritual Practices: Reconnecting Through Direct Experience. Counterpoint. ↩
- Bergson, H. (1911). Matter and Memory. George Allen & Unwin. ↩
- Jung, C.G. (1969). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Princeton University Press. ↩
- Wilber, K. (2000). Integral Psychology: Consciousness, Spirit, Psychology, Therapy. Shambhala. ↩
- Combs, A. (2009). Consciousness Explained Better: Towards an Integral Understanding of the Multifaceted Nature of Consciousness. Paragon House. ↩
- Schooler, J.W. (2021). "The Metacognitive Foundations of Mindfulness". In The Oxford Handbook of Meditation. ↩
- Caldwell, B. (2025). Ring Bank Theory: Insights into Consciousness from Observed Geometry and Neural Dynamics of Hyperpolarization. DeSci Nodes. https://doi.org/10.62891/81469666 ↩
Continue the Discussion
Altered states of consciousness represent a frontier in consciousness research, offering unique insights into the nature of mind, reality, and human potential. If you have thoughts, questions, or want to explore how different states inform consciousness theory, reach out at caldwbr@gmail.com.