The Science of Sleep and Mindfulness: #1 Humorous Truth on Human Consciousness

Altered states of consciousness (ASCs)

Let’s talk about altered states of consciousness (ASCs). No, I’m not referring to your Monday morning struggle to get out of bed or the way you might feel after binge-watching Netflix until 3 AM. I’m talking about the scientifically intriguing, occasionally trippy experiences that researchers love to study. Science sometimes explore and write about how mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) can cause ASCs and adverse side effects. However, if you read between the lines in these reports, you might see that many of these findings could just be things we all experience naturally, especially in relation to sleep. So, let’s take a funny, informative, and slightly irreverent look at how mindfulness is not so much the cause of these experiences but a way to train our minds to relate differently to them.

Altered States of Consciousness: Not Just for Mindfulness Enthusiasts

Some studies identifies ten types of ASCs that participants experienced more frequently after engaging in mindfulness practices. Here’s a rundown of these states and lets look at how they often occur naturally, especially during sleep:

1. Unity Experiences:

• You know that moment when you’re half-asleep, and you feel like you’re one with your bed, the universe, and maybe even the cat sleeping next to you? Yeah, that’s a unity experience. It’s like those dreams where you’re flying and everything feels connected and perfect. Mindfulness might help you achieve this while awake, but honestly, we all know the bed has magical powers.

2. Disembodiment:

• Ever had a dream where you’re floating above your own body? That’s disembodiment for you. Sleep paralysis can also give you this sensation, making you feel detached from your physical form. Mindfulness can help you stay calm and explore this feeling without freaking out.

3. Spiritual Experiences:

• Dreams often bring encounters with spiritual beings or deep, meaningful experiences. Remember that time you dreamed you were having tea with Buddha? These spiritual experiences are not exclusive to meditation; they just happen. Mindfulness can help you process and integrate these experiences with more awareness.

4. Blissful States:

• Those moments in dreams where everything is just perfect, and you wake up with a smile? That’s a blissful state. Lucid dreaming, where you know you’re dreaming, often brings about these feelings. Mindfulness helps you bring this bliss into your waking life by training you to focus on the positive aspects of your day.

5. Insightfulness:

• Ever gone to bed with a problem and woken up with the solution? That’s your brain’s way of working things out while you sleep. The same insightfulness can be cultivated through mindfulness, helping you solve problems with a clear, calm mind during the day.

6. Changed Meaning of Percepts:

• In dreams, everything can seem bizarre and meaningful in strange ways – like that dream where your pet hamster was a wise sage. Mindfulness helps you observe these perceptual changes without judgment, allowing you to understand and integrate them better.

7. Elementary and Complex Imagery:

• Those vivid, often weird, visuals you see as you’re drifting off to sleep? Yup, that’s elementary and complex imagery. Mindfulness practices can bring about similar imagery while you’re awake, making your day-to-day life a bit more colourful and interesting.

8. Audiovisual Synaesthesia:

• Ever heard music so good it felt like you could see colours? This blending of senses can happen in dreams and is often reported by mindfulness practitioners. It’s a reminder of how interconnected our senses are and how mindfulness can enhance our sensory experiences.

9. Impaired Control and Cognition:

• You know that feeling when you’re in a dream, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t make a simple decision? Sleep often brings this ASC to the forefront. Mindfulness helps you navigate these moments with greater ease and less frustration.

10. Anxiety:

• Nightmares and night terrors are prime examples of anxiety during sleep. Practising mindfulness can help reduce the frequency and intensity of these anxious episodes by teaching you to respond to stress with calmness and clarity.

Mindfulness: A New Way to Relate to Natural Human Experiences

So, what’s the big deal? Some studies suggests that mindfulness can cause these ASCs, but let’s face it: we already experience them. What mindfulness truly offers is a way to relate differently to these natural occurrences. It’s not that mindfulness is causing something new and strange to happen; it’s that mindfulness is giving us the tools to handle these experiences more gracefully and with less reactivity.

Take disembodiment, for example. Many people experience this during sleep paralysis, which can be terrifying. Your mind is awake, but your body isn’t, and you might feel like you’re floating or being pinned down. Without mindfulness, this can lead to panic and anxiety. However, with mindfulness practice, you learn to observe these sensations without immediately reacting to them. You might think, “Ah, there’s that floating sensation again. Interesting.” This calm, observational approach can make the experience less frightening and more manageable.

The True Value of Mindfulness

The real value of mindfulness lies not in its ability to induce ASCs but in how it helps us respond to these experiences. Here’s how mindfulness can make a difference:

• Enhancing Positive Experiences: Mindfulness can make the blissful states you naturally experience in dreams more accessible in your waking life. By practising gratitude and focusing on positive moments, you can cultivate a sense of joy and contentment.

• Managing Negative Experiences: For those anxiety-inducing dreams or sleep paralysis episodes, mindfulness offers a way to stay grounded and calm. It teaches you to observe without judgment and to let go of the fear that often accompanies these states.

• Integrating Spiritual Experiences: Whether in dreams or during meditation, spiritual experiences can be profound. Mindfulness helps you integrate these experiences into your daily life, giving them context and meaning.

• Gaining Insights: Just as sleep can help you solve problems, mindfulness sharpens your cognitive abilities and helps you gain insights while awake. This can lead to better decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Conclusion: Being Human is Enough

In conclusion, some papers and articles seem to suggest that mindfulness is the cause of all these fascinating altered states of consciousness. But for me, this being human is enough. We already experience these states naturally, especially during sleep. What mindfulness offers is a way to engage with these experiences in a more meaningful and controlled way. It’s not about creating something new; it’s about learning to relate differently to what already exists within us. So, next time you hear about the magical effects of mindfulness, remember: it’s just helping you be a more conscious, aware, and non-reactive human being. And that, in itself, is pretty awesome.

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