Synthesis:5 Dimensions Altered State of Consciousness Questionnaire

The 5D-ASC is one of the five most-used scales in research on "altered-state". According to Barry Klein,

"The current 5D-ASC test is an extension of the OAV instrument, which, in turn, is based on Dittrich’s APZ (“Abnormer Psychischer Zustaende” -- Abnormal Mental States) questionnaire, and the two revisions mentioned are widely used for self-reporting subjective experiences of ASC. “OAV” stands for the German equivalents of the original three dimensions used: Oceanic Boundlessness (OB), Dread or Anxiety of Ego-death (DED or AED), and Visionary Restructuralization (VR). [...] In the most recent version of the test (5D-ASC), additional components include Auditory Alterations (AA) and Reduction of Vigilance (RV). These two versions of the Dittrich questionnaire have been used all over the world in at least 70 studies, mainly to report on psychedelic drugs, especially psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, THC, and DMT (Pistoia, Mura, Govoni, Fini, & Sara, 2010), but also including studies dealing with various induction methods and psychosis (Vaitl et al., 2005)."

This scale is copyrighted, so we will list the scale's structure and items separately.

Dimensions and sub-dimensions

Oceanic Boundlessness [OB]

• Unity
• Spiritual experience
• Blissfulness
• Insightfulness
• Disembodiment

Anxious Ego Dissolution [AED]

• Impaired control and cognition
• Anxiety

Visionary Restructuralization [VR]

• Complex imagery
• Elementary imagery
• Audio-visual synesthesia
• Changed meaning of percepts

Acoustic Alterations [AA]

Vigilance Reduction [VIR]

Items

1. I felt that I was in a wonderful other world.

2. My thoughts and actions were slowed down.

3. Bodily sensations were very enjoyable.

4. I heard single words without knowing where they came from.

5. I heard rings and tones without knowing where they came from.

6. I felt as if dark forces had overtaken me.

7. I saw things I knew were not real.

8. I felt like a puppet or marionette.

9. I felt connected to a higher power.

10. I felt sleepy.

11. A melody occured to me that I had to constantly repeat.

12. I experienced boundless pleasure.

13. Meaningless noises sounded like real words or phrases.

14. I saw regular patterns with closed eyes or in complete darkness.

15. I felt drunk.

16. I felt I was being transformed forever in a miraculous way.

17. I felt that I was on the verge of unconsciousness.

18. Everything seemed to unify into a oneness.

19. I heard my thoughts as if I had spoken them out loud.

20. Sounds seemed to influence what I saw.

21. I felt tormented.

22. I saw colors with closed eyes or in complete darkness.

23. Shapes seemed to be changed by sounds or noises.

24. I perceived everything as blurry, as if through a kind of fog.

25. A voice commented on everything I thought although no one was there.

26. I felt as if I no longer had a body.

27. I felt incapable of making even the smallest decision.

28. Some everyday things acquired special meaning.

29. I felt drowsy.

30. I heard complete sentences without knowing where they came from.

31. Things in my environment had a new strange meaning.

32. I was afraid that the state I was in would last forever.

33. I saw brightness or flashes of light with closed eyes or in complete darkness.

34. I felt one with my surroundings.

35. Worries and anxieties of everyday life felt unimportant.

36. My sense of time and space was altered as if I was dreaming.

37. My perception was blurred.

38. I had difficulties in distinguishing important from unimportant.

39. I saw whole scenes roll by with closed eyes or in complete darkness.

40. I felt extraordinary powers within myself.

41. I experienced a touch of eternity.

42. Conflicts and contradictions seemed to dissolve.

43. I was scared without knowing exactly why.

44. I experienced everything as frighteningly distorted.

45. The world seemed to me beyond good and evil.

46. I experienced my surroundings as strange and weird.

47. I felt as if I were paralyzed.

48. I heard music without knowing where it came from.

49. heard something faintly that I could not identify.

50. I felt very profound.

51. I felt numb.

52. I experienced past, present, and future as a oneness.

53. I experienced unbearable emptiness.

54. Objects in my surroundings engaged me emotionally much more than usual.

55. From an initially diffuse noise, which I could not identify as real, clear rings and tones evolved.

56. I felt threatened.

57. Many things appeared to me as breathtakingly beautiful.

58. Things came to my mind that I thought long forgotten.

59. I felt like I do shortly before falling asleep.

60. My body felt numb, lifeless, and/or alien.

61. I felt as if I was half-asleep.

62. I had the impression I was out of my body.

63. I felt as if I was floating.

64. I felt isolated from everything and everyone.

65. I heard voices that did not come from the surroundings as usual.

66. I heard something like a buzzing, swooshing, or humming without

recognizing the cause.

67. I was not able to complete a thought; my thoughts repeatedly became

disconnected.

68. I felt I was about to fall asleep.

69. I had insights into connections that had previously puzzled me.

70. Many things seemed incredibly funny to me.

71. The boundaries between myself and my surroundings seemed to blur.

72. I could see images from my memory or imagination with extreme clarity.

73. I felt totally free and released from all obligations.

74. I heard diffuse noises without knowing where they came from.

75. The colors of things seemed to be altered by sounds or noises.

76. Sounds and noises were fainter than usual.

77. I had very original thoughts.

78. I had the feeling that I no longer had my own will.

79. I was afraid of losing control over myself.

80. I stayed frozen in an very unnatural position for an extended period of time.

81. I experienced a kind of awe.

82. My imagination was extremely vivid.

83. Things in my surroundings appeared smaller or larger.

84. I felt exhausted.

85. Time passed slowly in a tormenting way.

86. I experienced profound inner peace.

87. Everything around me seemed to be animated with life.

88. Everything happened so fast that I could not follow it all.

89. I had the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

90. I was able to remember certain events with exceeding clarity.

91. I experienced an all-embracing love.

92. There were sounds in the room that I feel were unlikely to have been real.

93. I heard a ticking, knocking, ringing, or rattling without being able to recognize the cause.

94. My experience had religious aspects to it.

Resources

• The 5D-ASC Test for Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness Background and Purpose
• Instructions for completing questions
• How to score the test and free templates