There are two conditions of human consciousness: active – wakefulness and a condition of rest – a dream. In psychology there is a term "the changed condition of consciousness", and each person at least once in day stays in it. It is a dream.
Wakefulness is a condition of consciousness which is characterized by the high level of activity of brain activity. Perception by the person of all events in the outside world directly depends on a condition of his consciousness.
Dream as condition of consciousness
The dream is a natural process during which the level of brain activity is minimum. Long time was considered that the dream is a full rest of an organism which allows to restore to it forces after the wakefulness period. Scientists found out that the lack of a dream badly affects the general condition of an organism: the person who spent several days without dream can begin to rave, fall asleep literally on the feet, to see hallucinations and even to lose ability to normally perceive the events around it.
Now it is proved that the dream is not easy recovery process for an organism, this state is very important for maintaining the normal state of human consciousness. During sleep the brain continues the vigorous activity. The dream is a difficult mental process which includes stages of a slow and paradoxical dream. During a slow dream the breath and a rhythm of heart slow down, muscles of all body relax, and the organism restores the forces. The slow dream makes nearly 80% of the general time of a dream. At a paradoxical dream there is a fast movement of eyes, the muscular tone falls, and brain activity, on the contrary, increases. All dreams appear during a paradoxical dream. Can seem that the dream and wakefulness are opposite conditions of consciousness of the person, but it not so, they have much in common, for example, during sleep the person thinks, sees dreams which can remember and retell in the course of wakefulness. Also in a dream of people moves therefore the condition of a dream is not absolute rest. When the person sleeps, he is not disconnected completely from the world around and is able to react to external signals. Level of activity of the person depends on alternation of a dream and wakefulness.
How to change conditions of consciousness?
It is possible to change a condition of consciousness by means of meditation. It allows to reach the desirable a condition of consciousness, thanks to the special equipment. The purpose of meditation is narrowing of the field of consciousness to cut off it from the outside world. Technology of meditation consists in concentration of attention on thoughts and physical feelings. Some people during meditation can slow down at own will reductions of heart and reduce oxygen consumption.