Page 159 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

140 Mysteries of the Mind

for the dangers in venturing out after nightfall Stern, Richard. Mastering Phobias—Cases, Causes and
where wild animals or savage people may lie Cures. New York: Penguin, 1995.
in ambush, waiting to attack the vulnerable.
While even in modern times it seems only an
exercise of common sense to be cautious while
out walking after dark, an unreasoning fear Altered States of
and overwhelming dread of dark places can Consciousness
cause individuals to be confined to their
homes after nightfall. The word comes from n altered state of consciousness is a
the Greek scoto, darkness. brain state wherein one loses the sense
Aof identity with one’s body or with
Xenophobia, fear of strangers or foreigners
one’s normal sense perceptions. A person may
and their customs, can be especially trouble-
enter an altered state of consciousness
some in modern times when the globe shrinks
through such things as sensory deprivation or
more every year, and cultures once far removed
overload, neurochemical imbalance, fever, or
from one another become closely involved in
trauma. One may also achieve an altered state
trade, tourism, or international tension. In
by chanting, meditating, entering a trance
primitive times when people encountered
state, or ingesting psychedelic drugs.
individuals from different tribes, a caution or
fear of strangers was the most primitive kind of The testimonies of mystics and medita-
protective device. Although few areas of the tors who claim that their ability to enter
world remain isolated from the technology of altered states of consciousness has brought
modern communications and few people are so them enlightenment or transcendence are
isolated as to remain ignorant of people outside generally regarded with great skepticism
of their own tribal boundaries, ancient beliefs, among the majority of scientists in Western
superstitions, and fears concerning those dif- society. Other researchers, especially those in
ferent from themselves perpetuate xenophobia the field of parapsychology, maintain that
(from the Greek xenos, for stranger or foreign- Western science must recognize the value of
er) even among certain individuals living in studying altered states of consciousness and
modern society. Education and an encourage- face up to the fact that what scientists con-
ment to learn about and to appreciate the sim- sider baseline or normal consciousness is not
ilarities, rather than the differences, among all unitary. In the opinion of many parapsychol-
people is the only cure for xenophobia. ogists, science must abandon the notion that
waking, rational consciousness is the only
M Delving Deeper form of any value and that all other kinds are
Beck, Aaron, and G. Emery. Anxiety Disorders & Pho- pathological.
bias: A Cognitive Perspective. New York: Basic Researchers who study aspects of human
Books, 1985. consciousness have suggested that within the
Dumont, Raenn. The Sky Is Falling: Understanding and course of a single day an individual may flicker
Coping with Phobias, Panic, and Obsessive-Compul- in and out of several states of consciousness.
sive Disorders. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996. Some theorize that there are six states of
Hovanec, Erin M. Everything You Need to Know About “nonreflective consciousness,” characterized
Phobias. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2000. by the absence of self-consciousness. These
Kahn, Ada P. Facing Fears: The Sourcebook for Phobias, states include:
Fears, and Anxieties. New York: Bantam Books, 1. Bodily feelings, which are induced by nor-
1999. mal bodily functioning and are character-
Kluger, Jeffrey. “Fear Not!” Time, April 2, 2001, 51–62. ized by nonreflective awareness in the
Olshan, Neal, and Julie Wang. Everything You Wanted organs and tissues of the digestive, glandu-
to Know About Phobias But Were Afraid to Ask. lar, respiratory, and other bodily systems.
New York: Beaufort Books, 1981. This awareness does not become self-con-
Online List of Phobias. [Online] http://www.phobialist. scious unless such stimuli as pain or hunger
com. intensify a bodily feeling.

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