Altered States of Consciousness during Exercise, Active-Alert Hypnosis, and Everyday Waking State

Area of Science:

• Psychology of Consciousness
• Exercise Science
• Mind-Body Connection

Background:

• Understanding altered states of consciousness is crucial for optimizing learning and performance.
• Exercise is known to impact cognitive function, but its effects on consciousness states require further exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the states of consciousness in individuals engaged in different forms of exercise (running, spinning) with those undergoing active-alert hypnosis (AAH) and a control group.
• To investigate if exercise can induce psychological states comparable to AAH.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, nonrandomized study involving 375 participants.
• Utilized the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) to assess subjective experiences.
• Compared scores across four groups: runners, spinners, AAH participants, and a control group.

Main Results:

• Runners, spinners, and AAH participants reported higher levels of altered experience and awareness compared to controls.
• Runners exhibited higher rationality, while spinners showed higher volitional control than the AAH group.
• The AAH group reported the lowest self-awareness, and both spinning and control groups had higher volitional control than runners and AAH participants.

Conclusions:

• Exercise, particularly running and spinning, may induce states of consciousness similar to active-alert hypnosis.
• These findings suggest that exercise could potentially enhance an individual's receptiveness to coaching and training directives.