Cognitive shift
Encyclopedia
A cognitive shift is a psychological phenomenon most often experienced by individuals using psychedelic drugs, or suffering from mental disorders such as schizophrenia
or bipolar disorder
(also known as manic-depressive syndrome). During a cognitive shift, one experiences a change in how their conscious mind and unconscious mind
communicate with each other. The result can be a wide range of feelings, from euphoria
to panic
.
, MDMA, peyote
, or other psychoactive drugs. Religious mystic
experiences are often described as a sudden shift from one cognitive function or another, for instance in the writings of William James
.
The cognitive shift however, demonstrated that thoughts also play an integral process. A key experiment placed a rat in a circular maze and after rotating the maze the rat was able to use pointers around the room in order to find a food reward. This suggested that the rat had used internal cognitions in order to influence its behaviour to gain a reward.
Also the fact that children, when learning a language, often and quite suddenly begin to apply rules they have learnt to new phrases such as by saying "I've drinken all my drink" after learning "I've eaten all my food". This is usually without being taught these rules first and as such demonstrate a key role of cognitions in terms of learning.
and others. Hypnosis has proven very effective in generating predictable cognitive shifts with LSD and mescaline.
in The Teachings Of Don Juan etc. In general, brujo sorcerer trances are often designed to induce cognitive shifts - ultimately attempting to enhance, what they view as, the mystical qualities of consciousness.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
or bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
(also known as manic-depressive syndrome). During a cognitive shift, one experiences a change in how their conscious mind and unconscious mind
Unconscious mind
The unconscious mind is a term coined by the 18th century German romantic philosopher Friedrich Schelling and later introduced into English by the poet and essayist Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
communicate with each other. The result can be a wide range of feelings, from euphoria
Euphoria (emotion)
Euphoria is medically recognized as a mental and emotional condition in which a person experiences intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, ecstasy, excitement and joy...
to panic
Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction...
.
General cause
A cognitive shift can occur with or without the aid of an externally ingested psychoactive substance such as LSDLSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
, MDMA, peyote
Peyote
Lophophora williamsii , better known by its common name Peyote , is a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline.It is native to southwestern Texas and Mexico...
, or other psychoactive drugs. Religious mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
experiences are often described as a sudden shift from one cognitive function or another, for instance in the writings of William James
William James
William James was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a physician. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism...
.
Traditional psychology
Cognitive shift (in the development of psychology) is also a term that relates to the understanding that thoughts (i.e. cognitions) play a key role in a person's emotional state and actions (behaviour). It was theorised by earlier behavioural psychologists that individuals were empty vessels and new experiences would be created by being repeatedly exposed and/or rewarded in relation to certain things (such as in rote learning of times tables).The cognitive shift however, demonstrated that thoughts also play an integral process. A key experiment placed a rat in a circular maze and after rotating the maze the rat was able to use pointers around the room in order to find a food reward. This suggested that the rat had used internal cognitions in order to influence its behaviour to gain a reward.
Also the fact that children, when learning a language, often and quite suddenly begin to apply rules they have learnt to new phrases such as by saying "I've drinken all my drink" after learning "I've eaten all my food". This is usually without being taught these rules first and as such demonstrate a key role of cognitions in terms of learning.
Psychedelic phenomenon
With the ingestion of psychedelics people often experience sudden shifts in cognitive association and emotive content. The experience can shift rapidly from negative to euphoric, and in certain cases mimic the schizophrenic condition, as researched by Humphry OsmondHumphry Osmond
Humphry Fortescue Osmond was a British psychiatrist known for inventing the word psychedelic and for using psychedelic drugs in medical research...
and others. Hypnosis has proven very effective in generating predictable cognitive shifts with LSD and mescaline.
Native American usage
The term has also been used to refer psychologically to the Yaqui Indian sorcerer experience of 'a shift in the assemblage point' described by Carlos CastanedaCarlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-born American anthropologist and author....
in The Teachings Of Don Juan etc. In general, brujo sorcerer trances are often designed to induce cognitive shifts - ultimately attempting to enhance, what they view as, the mystical qualities of consciousness.
See also
- LSDLSDLysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
- Alan WattsAlan WattsAlan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker, best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. Born in Chislehurst, he moved to the United States in 1938 and began Zen training in New York...
- KetamineKetamineKetamine is a drug used in human and veterinary medicine. Its hydrochloride salt is sold as Ketanest, Ketaset, and Ketalar. Pharmacologically, ketamine is classified as an NMDA receptor antagonist...
- Magic Mushrooms
- Timothy LearyTimothy LearyTimothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...