Consciousness is the individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environments. Essentially, your consciousness is your awareness of yourself and the world around you. This awareness is subjective and unique to you.
Your conscious experiences are constantly shifting and changing. For example, in one moment, you may be focused on reading this article. Your consciousness may then shift to the memory of a conversation you had earlier with a co-worker. Next, you might notice how uncomfortable your chair is, or maybe you are mentally planning dinner.
Topics - Table of Contents
1. States of Consciousness
2. Functions
3. Changes
4. History
5. Theories
1. States of Consciousness
There are many states of consciousness. They include:
Dreams
Hallucinations
Hypnosis
Meditation
Sleep
States induced by psychoactive drugs
and
Medically induced or related states such as
Coma, Confusion, Delirium, Disorientation, Lethargy and Stupor.
and higher states of consciousness experienced in meditation and as part of spiritual experiences.
There are five levels of consciousness
They are :
Preconscious: Information you are not currently aware of that you can pull into awareness if needed. It resembles peripheral vision. In this regard our mind uses the out of attention / awareness data for evaluations and assessments required for here-now activities like when crossing a busy road.
Subconscious: Information that is out of consciousness and not immediately available to consciousness.
Unconscious: Memories that are outside of awareness and inaccessible.
Non-conscious: Automatically bodily functions that occur without awareness and sensation.
Functions of Consciousness
Consciousness has several biological and social purposes. For example, it allows us to process information, choose our actions, set priorities, learn and adapt to new information, make decisions, and more.
Consciousness is an essential state in philosophy, spirituality, and religion. All of these require self-awareness, which is impossible without consciousness.
Changes in Consciousness
Understanding different levels of consciousness can help healthcare professionals spot signs that someone might be experiencing a problem. Some of these changes occur naturally; others are the result of factors such as drugs or brain damage. Changes to consciousness also can cause changes to perception, thinking, understanding, and interpretations of the world.
Changes in Consciousness
Understanding different levels of consciousness can help healthcare professionals spot signs that someone might be experiencing a problem. Some of these changes occur naturally; others are the result of factors such as drugs or brain damage. Changes to consciousness also can cause changes to perception, thinking, understanding, and interpretations of the world. Such as : Table of Contents
States of Consciousness
Functions
Changes
History
Theories
Consciousness is the individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environments. Essentially, your consciousness is your awareness of yourself and the world around you.
This awareness is subjective and unique to you. If you can describe something you are experiencing in words, then it is part of your consciousness.
Your conscious experiences are constantly shifting and changing. For example, in one moment, you may be focused on reading this article. Your consciousness may then shift to the memory of a conversation you had earlier with a co-worker. Next, you might notice how uncomfortable your chair is, or maybe you are mentally planning dinner.
This ever-shifting stream of thoughts can change dramatically from one moment to the next, but your experience of it seems smooth and effortless.
States of Consciousness
The various states of consciousness include:
Dreams
Hallucinations
Hypnosis
Meditation
Sleep
States induced by psychoactive drugs
The two normal states of awareness are consciousness and unconsciousness. Higher states of consciousness are often associated with spiritual or mystical experiences. It involves an elevated state of awareness where people are able to gain a greater sense of themselves, their role, and the world. Examples of this include transcendence, meditation, mindfulness, a "runner's high," lucid dreaming, and flow states.
Altered levels of consciousness also can occur, which may be caused by medical or mental conditions that impair or change awareness. Altered types of consciousness include:
Coma
Confusion
Delirium
Disorientation
Lethargy
Stupor
Doctors and healthcare professionals use various assessments to measure and assess levels of consciousness. They use scores on these assessments to guide diagnosis and treatment decisions.1
What Are the 5 Levels of Consciousness?
Conscious: Everything you are aware of
Preconscious: Information you are not currently aware of that you can pull into awareness if needed
Unconscious: Memories that are outside of awareness and inaccessible
Non-conscious: Automatically bodily functions that occur without awareness and sensation
Subconscious: Information that is out of consciousness and not immediately available to consciousness
What Is the Unconscious Mind?
Functions of Consciousness
Consciousness has several biological and social purposes. For example, it allows us to process information, choose our actions, set priorities, learn and adapt to new information, make decisions, and more.
Consciousness is an essential state in philosophy, spirituality, and religion. All of these require self-awareness, which is impossible without consciousness.
Changes in Consciousness
Understanding different levels of consciousness can help healthcare professionals spot signs that someone might be experiencing a problem. Some of these changes occur naturally; others are the result of factors such as drugs or brain damage. Changes to consciousness also can cause changes to perception, thinking, understanding, and interpretations of the world.
Changes in consciousness can sometimes be a sign of medical conditions or they may even be a sign of an immediate medical emergency. Such as Aneurysm,
Brain infections, Brain tumor or injury, Dementia or Alzheimer's disease, Drug use, Epilepsy, Heart disease, Heatstroke, Lack of oxygen to the brain, Low blood sugar, Poisoning, Shock, Stroke.
Summary
While consciousness has intrigued philosophers and scientists for thousands of years, experts clearly have a long way to go in our understanding of the concept. Researchers continue to explore the different bases of consciousness including the physical, social, cultural, and psychological influences that contribute to our conscious awareness.
