Some Thoughts on Defining the Individual’s State of Awareness

Henry C. Alberts Adjunct Professor

University of Maryland, University College

College Park, Maryland

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What do I mean by Awareness?

Websters Dictionary Defines Aware as:

Knowing, Cognizant, Informed, Conscious

I use Awareness to describe the state of being aware of one’s self, ones surrounding, and one’s state of being

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How Do We Become Aware?

Webster defines sensing as: the ability of the nerves and brain to receive and react to stimuli:

Humans can receive stimuli by:

Seeing (electromagnetic energy; Hearing (sound – compressional waves); Touching (feeling objects – self or outside of self; Tasting – discriminating among molecules;

Smelling – Responding to aromas given off by entities

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Websters Dictionary Also Defines Awareness as:

The integration of all of the senses as a total function of the bodily organization as distinguished from intellect, movement, etc.

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What Do We Know, And When Do We Know It?

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Brain Synaptic Connections

Hypothesis #1 - Autonomic functions (life support mechanisms and reflex actions) form first - may be the result of species genetic inheritance

Hypothesis #2 - Synaptic aggregations and their effects on behavior and thought process result from a Markov chain process

Hypothesis #3 – Incoming stimuli from sensors have an effect on the totality of the brain’s synaptic network (reta)

Hypothesis #4 – The same stimulus received at a different time can have a different effect on the total synaptic aggregation

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When Do Our Sensing Mechanisms Become Active?

Studies indicate that pressure applied to the

mother’s uterine area is responded to, and

that sounds and other pressure changes are

recognized in utero

Classical music has been claimed to have an

effect on fetus development

Hypothesis #1

Charles S. Pierce was correct in his presumption

that human beings brains form pictures

(patterns) and that those patterns provide the

basis for understanding.

That is, our brains contain summations of our

total experience in their synaptic pattern

(reta). Though the pattern can be modified,

the pictures are not erased and remain.

Thus, awareness formed by a pattern of sensed

stimuli is retained in the brain both for the

purpose of recognition and reference. ISSS – 8

Hypothesis #2

Each stimuli from all senses is received and

compared to sensory patterns already stored

in the brain.

Patterns are recognized or not depending on the

degree to which the newly received sensations

compare with those already within the brain

as patterns that can be recognized.

If there is a reduction in the capability of any of

the senses, the patterns may not be

recognizable and so there is no match. A new

awareness can result.ISSS – 9

Hypothesis #3

Since the patterns are sensed attributes they are

integrated holistic in nature. Thus, changed

sensing capabilities result in different holistic

representations of the mileu and may not

correspond to expectations.

This sensation diminished capability can result

from functional decay due to aging processes,

or can be the result of trauma affecting the

particular sensing apparatus. (I.E. damage to

the optic nerve changes input to the brain and

may cause problems in recognition of known

entities.ISSS – 10

Hypothesis #4

Stressful experiences provide a pattern that once

established tends to be recognized when

senses are transmitted in that pattern.

When the pattern is recognized, if there is a

behavior associated with that pattern, the

behavior may be observed and may even be a

reflex action that results from prior

experience with that sensed pattern. An

example is reaction to battle stresses and the

modified behavior pattern occurring

thereafter to experiencing certain sounds,

smells, or visions.ISSS – 11

Hypothesis #5

Because sensing new stimuli is a continuous

process there are changed patterns formed

continually.

Our awareness is modified over time and each

new pattern provides opportunity for a

different awareness.

Awareness is the product of integration of all sensate data received up until that particular moment.

Thus, rather than being a single, constant condition, “awareness” is a changing pattern over time.

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Hypothesis #6

Because awareness is an integrated product of

sensed stimuli, it may contain emotional

components.

Therefore, it may be that awareness is first

experienced by the amygdala as a “feeling”

and then is transmitted to the rational

components of our brains.

Thus, there is the possibility that when we experience a sense of something our of the ordinary, we are registering an “awareness” not recognized rationally at that time.

Hypothesis #7

It may be that because the emotional components

of awareness, the reflexive response can take

place controlled essentially by the amygdala .

One might speculate that the reflexive response

displays characteristic of PTS disorders are

really products of sensed awareness.

Such a mental model might explain the difficulty of modifying unwanted PTS physical and mental responses – the pattern of total response is built into the individual’s memory and thus a shift in a perceived “totality of awareness” is necessary to effect change.

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In conversations with Alan B. Horne, M.D. he drew on his patients’ histories to relate an interesting phenomena.

His patients who had surgery to replace knee joints complained about a side effect of an otherwise quite successful operation.

Those who had been highly skilled surf board riders found that after surgery, their balance was inhibited and they could no longer perform as they had prior to their knee replacements.Other patients also complained about diminished capability to balance themselves.

Hypothesis #8

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Does this support the hypothesis that change is sensing capability results in changed awareness of self within surroundings?

Does this mean that the coupling among the sense organs and the brain in terms of providing awareness is so close that even minor changes which diminish the sensing sensitivity only slightly have rather larger effects than might be expected?

If so, then the hypotheses stated in this paper are supported at least to some degree!

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FINAL THOUGHTS