Altered State of Consciousness (ASC)

Altered State of Consciousness / ASC (French État modifié de conscience, EMC; German Veränderter Bewusstseinszustand) is the working state of a shaman (T102), distinct from ordinary waking.

Characteristics of ASC

• Narrowed or expanded attention
• Altered perception of time and space
• Access to images unrelated to current sensory input
• Retention of voluntary control (distinguishing it from psychosis)

Ways of Inducing ASC

• Monotonous rhythmic sound — drum, percussion at 4–4.5 beats per second — the "shamanic drum" induces theta rhythms (4–7 Hz)
• Singing, chanting of mantras (OM, icaros)
• Rhythmic dance, movement
• Fasting, isolation (sensory deprivation)
• Entheogens (ayahuasca — Banisteriopsis caapi, peyote — Lophophora williamsii, psilocybin — Psilocybe spp.)

Cross-Method Use in Errarium

One mechanism — different interpretations. The same mechanism operates in different methods:

• Shamanic practices (#28, #36) — entering the "world of spirits"
• Attention practices (#12) — the state of "flow" (Csikszentmihalyi)
• Meditative traditions — dhyāna (ध्यान)
• Craniosacral therapy (#26) — the "still point"

The mechanism is one, the contexts and interpretations differ.