Consciousness and its non-ordinary states

Is this a path to reducing anxiety, regulating emotions, improving relationships, dealing with trauma, and increasing creativity? And what is the cost?

Apr 02, 2025

Consciousness is our sense of self, our awareness of thoughts, emotions, and experiences as they arise, and our memories of those experiences as time passes. Simply put, consciousness is what it’s like and how it feels to be you. Ordinary consciousness is in fact so ordinary that we rarely give it much thought. It’s the lens through which we engage, interpret, and understand our world.

But even within ordinary day-to-day existence, we experience other states of consciousness. When we lay in bed at night and transition from wide awake…to falling asleep. When we dream. When we’re completely relaxed…or when we’re so deeply focused on an activity that hours pass by in no time at all.

Some people actively seek out and explore more exotic states of consciousness: non-ordinary states (NOSCs).

They might do so through meditation, breathwork, prayer, or finding a flow state through movement, music, or dance. They might achieve these non-ordinary states with the help of substances, such as psychedelics. However they get there, their perception of the world—and of themselves—while in those states is definitely far from ordinary.

But why go through the effort of changing how you perceive yourself and the world?

Sometimes it’s for enjoyment. Or it’s based in curiosity.

But increasingly, it’s driven by the potential for personal change. And scientific research has shown that non-ordinary states can be a powerful tool for personal transformation.

Psychedelics are unique in their ability to reliably and powerfully induce non-ordinary states. When planned carefully and conducted safely, these experiences have the potential to produce profound emotional and cognitive effects with lasting benefits. Their use is however illegal in most countries outside of clinical research facilities.

But to get there we have to start here with the basic understanding of consciousness.

Defining Consciousness

At its most basic: consciousness is to be awake and aware of what’s going on in your surroundings and within your own mind. It’s our sense of time, our emotions, moods, thoughts, and memories.

The sense of being an ego, an “I”, a thinker of thoughts in addition to the thoughts themselves. Our conscious awareness draws the boundary between what we consider me and not me.

Consciousness can be broken down into sensory and narrative aspects:

The sensory - is what you experience physically and emotionally.
The narrative aspect - is your personality, your recall of past experiences, your sense of place, purpose and/or meaning.

All of this plays a part in ordinary consciousness.

A non-ordinary state of consciousness is characterised by temporarily altered perceptions, emotions, and thinking. That “normal” sense of time, surroundings, and self is altered, enhanced, expanded, or impaired.

Non-ordinary states are usually considered non-consensus reality—meaning parts or all of your perceived experiences are not shared by others. And they are highly variable: the quality and content of non-ordinary states can vary dramatically based on factors such as your physiology, mindset, personality, and setting. There is no “one-size fits all” with non-ordinary states.

But even though non-ordinary states are varied and individual, there are common features that people may seek through these experiences. These include:

ego dissolution,
flexibility of the mind,
openness,
enhanced creative problem solving,
religious or mystical experiences.

Let’s learn how those aspects influence your life, how to change them to improve your life, explore the therapeutic potential of NOSCs and explore paths to reducing anxiety, regulating emotions, improving relationships, dealing with trauma, and increasing creativity…

Common Features of NOSCs

Ego dissolution

The first feature of a non-ordinary state of consciousness is ego dissolution. This is when the sense of “me” temporarily shifts and the normal physical and conceptual boundaries of self are relaxed.

Ego dissolution can include reduced self-related thoughts, and sensory loss of body awareness and location.

It also can cause us to lose the thread of our “narrative” self. When the ego dissolves we feel a sense of interconnectedness with the world.

Neuroplasticity

Another common feature of non-ordinary states is flexibility of the mind. This is a result of neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to reconfigure itself and create new thought patterns, get out of mental ruts, and jump-start new habits.

Psychedelics temporarily increase the brain’s flexibility so that new thought pathways can be formed.

Openness

Non-ordinary states also increase openness. People with greater openness are more willing to explore new ideas, enjoy trying new things, and are more curious, creative, and imaginative.

Increased openness correlates directly with increased personal well-being.

Creative problem-solving

Another common feature of non-ordinary states is enhanced creative problem-solving. This can be a result of increased access to information and ideas normally trapped in our unconscious minds, and a greater willingness to entertain those ideas. But, it may also lead to lessened inhibition, impaired focus, and nonsensical thinking.

Mystical experiences

People often report mystical experiences during non-ordinary states—experiences characterised by unity, a sense of sacredness, and transcendence of space and time. Common mystical experiences can be:

Out-of-Body Experiences, where one sees the world from a perspective outside of their physical body
Death or Rebirth Experiences, where an individual relives their birth or contemplates their death, and finally
Archetypal Experiences, where the ego encounters, approaches, and identifies itself with one or more visionary figures

When combined with a supportive mindset and setting, psychedelics have the capacity to reliably induce these types of mystical experiences, which have been shown to have deep and lasting significance.

NOSC Benefits & Drawbacks

As you can see, non-ordinary states of consciousness have broad and varied features. And no two experiences are the same. But when you go beyond the boundaries of ordinary consciousness there can be benefits and drawbacks.

On the positive side, there is potential for unlimited creativity, inspiration, and growth.

Some people report experiencing “cosmic consciousness,” a strong sense of connection between humans, animals, and plants, and an expansive, loving view of the universe and the self. People report overwhelming joy and awe. They might uncontrollably laugh, cry and experience beaming radiance. Some of these positive experiences are so profound that they’re hard to describe in words.

At the same time, losing the guardrails of ordinary consciousness has the potential to be disruptive, or even frightening.

Non-ordinary states of consciousness can induce disturbing imagery, a sense of displacement in time, intense emotions, notions of insanity, and re-living personal trauma. These can all be disturbing and, in rare cases, can result in persistent negative effects.

And it’s important to note that just because a journey into a non-ordinary state of consciousness is difficult, it does not necessarily mean that it is bad. Positive outcomes can and have come from difficult journeys. Coping with and processing difficult experiences can be exceptionally therapeutic, though it might require significant work and support.

Whether the experience is positive or challenging, the potential of non-ordinary states lies in their unique ability to “shake the snow globe” of our brain.

To create a mental environment so different from ordinary that it is possible to transform our thinking, our emotions, and our behaviours, in ways that are otherwise much more difficult (or even impossible) to achieve.

- M. D. Zatonski

Therapeutic Potential of Inducing NOSCs

Cultures around the world have been using psychedelics and similar substances for growth and spiritual connection. Scientists have been curious about how these features of non-ordinary states of consciousness, achieved through the use of psychedelics or similar classes of substances, could be applied in therapeutic settings to address some of the toughest mental health challenges.

While the research that began more than a century ago is ongoing, there’s a lot we’ve learned about their potential for therapeutic use, and why they’re able to achieve positive outcomes when other approaches have not.

For example, studies have shown that non-ordinary states can facilitate emotional breakthroughs. Emotional blocks can be a source of stress, distress, and dysfunction.

Exploring challenging emotions and memories can result in emotional breakthroughs, resolving blocks and leading to a sense of closure around personal conflict and trauma. Emotional breakthroughs are predictive of lasting therapeutic benefits and changes in well-being.

Another source of therapeutic potential is with end-of-life anxiety. Psychedelic experiences can produce significant and lasting decreases in depression and death anxiety, combined with increases in quality of life, optimism, well-being, and life satisfaction. Mystical experiences can provide access to peace of mind about one’s life and a connection to a greater sense of self, beyond one’s own life.

The therapeutic potential for treating substance use disorders is also exciting. Psychedelics—taken within a healing context—have been demonstrated to support recovery from substance use disorders. Research subjects report cessation of cravings for things like alcohol, cigarettes, food, and heroin.

Relationship enhancement is another area of study. Psychedelics and a related class of substances called empathogens—MDMA in particular—can be used as powerful tools to allow for open and honest communication about challenging aspects of relationships, allowing exploration of new possibilities without fear or anxiety while allowing for deep, intimate expression.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is another area of study with great potential. With the guidance of professional therapists, MDMA-assisted sessions may enable patients to resolve their traumatic memories and generate post-traumatic growth.

It is important to note that none of these treatments are currently approved for medical use, and they do carry risks, even in a clinical setting.

Psychedelics and non-ordinary states of consciousness can also provide personal and mental health benefits for people who aren’t seeking treatment for a particular condition.

Used for the “betterment of well people,” psychedelics have the capacity to deliver significant, immediate, and durable changes in personality and worldview, to encourage new habits and viewpoints, and to increase creativity, and provide inspiration.

Again, psychedelics are only one route to non-ordinary states of consciousness. Non-ordinary states can be achieved through other pathways such as mindfulness, meditation, holotropic breathwork, prayer, and hypnosis, to name a few. Therapeutic benefits are also possible through these methods, but psychedelics are unique in their ability to reliably and powerfully induce non-ordinary states of consciousness. This can be especially useful for people who may have been unsuccessful with other approaches.

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