Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Closing Thoughts177use of ecstasy may produce memory problems (Schilt & others, 2007). Several studieshave shown that frequent ecstasy users suffer a broad range of cognitive problems,such as impaired memory and decision making (Kalechstein & others, 2007;Montgomery & Fisk, 2008).Another class of drugs found at dance clubs and raves are the dissociativeanesthetics, including phencyclidine, better known as PCP or angel dust, and ketamine(street name Special K). Originally developed as anesthetics for surgery inthe late 1950s, both PCP and ketamine deaden pain and, at high doses, can inducea stupor or coma. Because of their psychological effects, these drugs werelargely abandoned for surgical use in humans.Rather than producing actual hallucinations, PCP and ketamine produce markedfeelings of dissociation and depersonalization. Feelings of detachment from reality—includingdistortions of space, time, and body image—are common. Generally,PCP has more intense and longer effects than ketamine does.PCP can be eaten, snorted, or injected, but it is most often smoked or sprinkledon tobacco or marijuana. The effects are unpredictable, and a PCP trip can last forseveral days. Some users of PCP report feelings of invulnerability and exaggeratedstrength. PCP users can become severely disoriented, violent, aggressive, or suicidal.High doses of PCP can cause hyperthermia, convulsions, and death. PCP affectslevels of the neurotransmitter glutamate, indirectly stimulating the release ofdopamine in the brain. Thus, PCP is highly addictive. Memory problems and depressionare common effects of long-term use.>> Closing ThoughtsInternal biological rhythms and external environmental factors influence the naturalebb and flow of your consciousness over the course of any given day. Beyond thosenatural oscillations, hypnosis and meditation are techniques that can profoundly alteryour experience of consciousness. Meditation, in particular, produces numerous benefitsthat can help us cope more effectively with life’s demands. Some psychoactivedrugs, including widely available substances like caffeine, can also influence our experienceof consciousness in beneficial ways. But other psychoactive substances, whileproducing dramatic alterations in consciousness, do so with the potential risk of damagingthe finely tuned balance of the brain’s neurotransmitters and reward system.Both natural and deliberate factors seem to have played a role in the extreme breachof consciousness that Scott Falater claimed to experience. Severe disruptions in hisnormal sleep patterns, his out-of-character use of caffeine, and intense work-relatedstresses combined to trigger sleepwalking,a parasomnia that Scott haddemonstrated when he was younger.And that Scott reacted violently whenhis wife tried to guide him back to bedalso had precedent; Scott had reactedaggressively earlier in his life when familymembers tried to intervene duringone of his sleepwalking episodes.Scott Falater’s trial for murderinghis wife drew international attention.In the end, the Arizona jury convictedFalater of first-degree, premeditatedmurder. Falater was sentenced to life inprison with no possibility of parole.Today, Scott Falater is incarcerated inthe Arizona State Prison Complex atYuma, where he works as an educationalaide and library clerk.dissociative anestheticsClass of drugs that reduce sensitivity to painand produce feelings of detachment anddissociation; includes the club drugs phencyclidine(PCP) and ketamine.Life in Prison Scott Falater couldhave received the death penaltyafter being convicted by aPhoenix jury of first-degreemurder in the death of his wife,Yarmila. But during the presentencinginvestigation, Falater’stwo children, and even Yarmila’smother, pleaded to spare hislife. The sentencing judgeagreed, and sentenced Falaterto life in prison with no possibilityfor parole.