Altered States of Literature: Shamanic Assimilation and Romantic Inspiration

This article deals with the connections between the assimilation of certain shamanic practices related to Romantic inspiration in English literature. The interest in the world of altered states of consciousness as a manifestation of the sacred is typical among Romantic writers in nineteenth-century England. These writers in fact sought the manifestation of the world of dreams by means of ingesting substances that alter consciousness, thus assimilating a practice that is likewise and primarily shamanic. This search is the object under investigation in this article, which aims at showing that, despite conspicuous cultural differences, there are indeed similarities that pervade shamanic practices and the Romantic ideal in their quests toward the sacred.

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7. Altered states of consciousness

Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction ◽

10.1093/actrade/9780198794738.003.0007 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 100-116

Author(s):

Susan Blackmore

Keyword(s):

Normal State ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Psychoactive Drugs ◽

Altered States ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

Body Experiences ◽

The World ◽

Altered State Of Consciousness ◽

Near Death Experiences

‘Altered states of consciousness’ discusses the states of consciousness during sleep, dreaming, hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, meditation, and after taking psychoactive drugs. Psychologist Charles Tart defines an altered state of consciousness (ASC) as ‘a qualitative alteration in the overall pattern of mental functioning, such that the experiencer feels his consciousness is radically different from the way it functions ordinarily’. This certainly captures the idea of ASCs, but also creates problems, such as knowing what a ‘normal’ state is. In both mystical experiences and long-term meditation, people describe seeing through the illusions of duality and seeing the world as it truly is.

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Place Memory and the Body

Integral Transpersonal Journal ◽

10.32031/itibte_itj_13-km2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 32-44

Author(s):

Margaret Kerr

Keyword(s):

The Body ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

Psychological Pain ◽

Place Memory ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

The World ◽

The Individual ◽

Embodied Practice ◽

At Will

Christopher Bache’s work, Dark Night Early Dawn (2000) draws on his experiences in altered states of consciousness to illustrate how the individual psyche is deeply interlaced with the minds, emotions and life events of others across time and space. He suggests that this interconnectedness enables us to go beyond healing personal psychological pain, to help heal individual and collective suffering. Bache’s account concentrates on what might be called the world of “spirit” rather than matter. The current paper is an endeavour to extend his work into the world of matter through theoretical exploration and physical engagement with body and land. To this end, I present a heuristic enquiry into two psycho-geographic journeys made at sites of collective suffering in rural Scotland. While working in altered states of consciousness and engaging in somatic practice, I felt residues of what seemed to be this suffering, coming to consciousness through my body. The work of understanding and honouring this involved performance, ritual and artwork. My suggestion is that such embodied practice allows both a profound acknowledgement of historical events and a therapeutic release of pain. Working in this way may also show us how deeply our bodies and minds are woven into the rest of nature. Once we experience this, places can come alive to us in a different way. Matter is no longer a dead substance for humans to use at will. It is a mystery that we are all part of, and one that invites our deepest respect and care. KEYWORDS interconnectedness, parapsychology, altered states of consciousness, ecopsychology, place memory.

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Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction

10.1093/actrade/9780198794738.001.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Susan Blackmore

Keyword(s):

Neural Correlates ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

Short Introduction ◽

New Developments ◽

Brain Science ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

The World ◽

Construction Of Self ◽

The Brain

Consciousness is ‘the last great mystery for science’. How can a physical brain create our experience of the world? What creates our identity? Do we really have free will? Could consciousness itself be an illusion? Exciting new developments in brain science are continuing these debates, and the field has now expanded to include biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers. Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction clarifies the potentially confusing arguments, and the major theories, whilst also outlining the amazing pace of neuroscience discoveries. Covering areas such as construction of self in the brain, mechanisms of attention, neural correlates of consciousness, and physiology of altered states of consciousness, it highlights the latest findings.

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THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTENT OF FUGACITY AS A PLAYFULNESS / LUDIC COMPETENCE COMPONENT

PSYCHOLOGICAL JOURNAL ◽

10.31108/1.2021.7.2.8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 88-104

Author(s):

Iia Gordiienko-Mytrofanova ◽

◽

Serhii Sauta ◽

Keyword(s):

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

Video Content ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

Study Results ◽

Psychological Structure ◽

The World ◽

The One ◽

High Level ◽

Intellectual Level

The article purpose: to describe in specific terms and enrich the psychological structure of fugitive as a component of playfulness / ludic competence on the basis of theoretical, methodological and empirical research. The study results has allowed us to make the following conclusions: 1) based on the analysed using of the “fugue” word in the scientific discourses in different fields, we have assumed that “fugue” was used by the Japanese colleagues for one of the of playfulness scales as a paronym of “fugitive”; 2) by generalization of dictionary definitions, we have determined the need to replace the term “fugue” as a component of playfulness with “fugitive”; 3) the distinguished and described levels of playfulness in examined literature, video content and cases allowed us to rethink the content of fugitive and to articulate such a component as the ability to “acquire” a new identity through simulation of feigned states; 4) an “acquired” new identity determines the genre specification of “Holy Fool” ludic position: on the one hand, the variability of its cognitive, affective, behavioural manifestations (in general) and verbal and non-verbal characteristics (in particular), and on the other hand, the stereotyped behaviour imitating the “symptoms” of feigned states; 5) the criteria for the development of fugitive can be: a high level of playfulness, tolerance for uncertainty, openness to new experience, resistance to shame, creativity, the ability for self-observation, an aggressive style of humour. We define fugitive, a component of playfulness, as an ability to “acquire” a new identity through simulation of feigned states, for example, another intellectual level - genius / stupidity / insanity; another stage of moral development; altered states of consciousness - alcoholic (or narcotic) intoxication / trance / ecstasy; a state with a reduced / absent response to the world around us - sleep / fainting / death. At the same time, feigned behaviour reflected by a player him/herself and observed by Other is aimed at enhancing the sense of identity.

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The Art of Becoming: The Graffiti of Tikal, Guatemala

Latin American Antiquity ◽

10.7183/1045-6635.22.4.403 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 403-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Scott R. Hutson

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Latin American ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

American Antiquity ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

The People ◽

The World ◽

Subjective Context ◽

Rare Opportunity

AbstractIn their 1995 Latin American Antiquity article, Haviland and Haviland argued that the people who produced much of the graffiti of Tikal were depicting visions from altered states of consciousness. In this paper, I argue that there is room for alternative interpretations. Comparison with children"s drawings from across the world suggests that children or people without training in Maya representational conventions authored a portion of the graffiti. Though this portion may be small, the possibility that children were involved provides a rare opportunity to discuss the experience of childhood. I argue that the content of the graffiti and the inter-subjective context of its production reveal several processes of becoming. Among other things, the graffiti permit an account of how children learn: legitimate participation in a community of people with varied levels of experience. This relational understanding of graffiti production also provides grounds for considering innovation and transformation in the medium of expression. Finally, I argue that the act of representation gives young people a form of mastery over the themes they portray. This helps them to accommodate confusing or difficult relations in their lives and to harmonize with their world in such a way that makes them culturally intelligible subjects.

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