ASC (Altered State of Consciousness)
OverlapThe broad umbrella category covering any state of consciousness that differs markedly from ordinary waking awareness — meditation, sleep, fever, and dissociative anesthesia all qualify, not just psychedelics.
Example: The standard research tool for measuring one is the 5D-ASC (Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale), developed by psychiatrist Adolf Dittrich — a 94-item questionnaire whose answers collapse into three core dimensions: Oceanic Boundlessness, Dread of Ego Dissolution, and Visionary Restructuralization. It's used across psychedelic trials specifically so different drugs and doses can be compared on the same scale.
What is an altered state of consciousness (ASC)?
The broad umbrella category covering any state of consciousness that differs markedly from ordinary waking awareness — meditation, sleep, fever, and dissociative anesthesia all qualify, not just psychedelics.
How do researchers measure an altered state?
With the 5D-ASC (Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale), developed by psychiatrist Adolf Dittrich — a 94-item questionnaire whose answers collapse into three core dimensions: Oceanic Boundlessness, Dread of Ego Dissolution, and Visionary Restructuralization, used so different drugs and doses can be compared on the same scale.