Consciousness, Altered States of
The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology September 5, 2018 DOI: 10.1002/9781118924396.wbiea1942
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAltered states of consciousness, apart from dreaming, are common in human life but rarely studied in depth by anthropologists. The main areas where such states have been found and partially studied include dreaming (including prophetic and creative dreams), sensations of contact with the dead, experiences of music, poetry, and trance, and psychic communication described as telepathy, extrasensory perception, or nonlocal awareness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Altered states of consciousness are common but seldom investigated by anthropologists, with dreaming, contact with the dead, music, poetry, trance, and psychic communication being the main areas studied. |
Abstract
Forms of “altered” consciousness are common in human life yet at the same time (apart from dreams) seldom investigated in depth by anthropologists. The main areas where such states of consciousness have been found, and up to a point studied, are dreaming, including prophetic and creative dreams; sensations of contact of various kinds with and from the dead; the experience of music, poetry and trance; and psychic communication of the kind described by such terms as “telepathy,” “extrasensory perception,” or “nonlocal awareness.”