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It is gratifying, and not surprising, that so many books on consciousness have appeared during the era of space exploration, for many experts, including even an Apollo astronaut, Mitchell, believe there is a close analogy between the myriad reaches of the universe and those of the mind. There is a growing conviction that funding for the exploration of inner space is as important as for outer space, for the two are interdependent, and should be studied together in a cross-fertilizing atmosphere of mutual effort. To achieve such parity, research on consciousness must acquire greater prestige than ever before, and any studies contributing toward that goal deserve very special attention and acclaim.
High on that list are the voluminous writings of Charles T. Tart, a relatively young — age 40 — professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis. His crowning effort, States of Consciousness, bids fair to establish him as a top contender for leadership in the field of consciousness. This book is a major contribution to the interpretation of discrete states of “ordinary” consciousness — d-Ssc — versus discrete states of altered consciousness — d-ASC.
In States of Consciousness Tart uses a “systems” approach, equating consciousness with the total person and his environment, not just as a product of brain functioning. The book covers a wide range of phenomena: dreams, hypnosis, meditation, drug states, spontaneous states of altered consciousness, and those acquired by ritual and discipline. Through such examples and case studies, he concludes that an altered state of consciousness for one person may be an ordinary experience for another, and that there is ultimately no such thing as a “normal” state of consciousness.
In short, consciousness is an attention/awareness energy system that is part of a larger system of total functioning. Consciousness can, in turn, be analyzed to consist of some ten related subsystems: exteroception — classical sense organs; interoception