Chapter 5 - The Forms of Waking Consciousness

Abstract

Waking is often viewed as a global state in which perceptions are integrated and acted upon. However, waking consists of multiple and often discrete states of consciousness sharing the overall characteristic of perceptual access. Some waking states such as focused waking and hypnosis are states of focus; others are states such as mind wandering and drowsiness that occur during relaxation from that focus. During focused waking, thought processing is at its most exact and includes a high percentage of types of rational thought. The default network includes those brain regions involved in those processes that become more directed when goal-directed cognitive activity ceases and self-referential cognitive processing occurs. We spend a large portion of waking in such mind wandering, particularly after periods of waking focus. Focused waking and creative functioning improve when coupled with episodes of default network activity. Educational approaches emphasizing default synchronous electroencephalographic activity involved in processes of internal mentation could be beneficial for creativity and the treatment of anxiety disorders. Both hypnosis and meditation are awake states that incorporate synchronous electrophysiological activity into cognitive processing. When this electrophysiological system is active during waking, waking consciousness assumes dream-like aspects. Meditation alters central nervous system electrophysiology in various patterns based on meditative technique. Drowsiness is one of the most commonly experienced altered forms of waking consciousness, with excessive daytime sleepiness affecting the waking performance of many individuals.