Synthesis:5 Dimensions Altered State of Consciousness Questionnaire

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)."

Dimensions, subdimensions, and items

Oceanic Boundlessness [OB]

• Unity
  • 18 - Everything seemed to unify into a oneness
  • 34 - I felt one with my surroundings.
  • 41 - I experienced a touch of eternity.
  • 42 - Conflicts and contradictions seemed to dissolve.
  • 52 - I experienced past, present, and future as a oneness.
• Spiritual experience
  • 9 - I felt connected to a higher power.
  • 81 - I experienced a kind of awe.
  • 94 - My experience had religious aspects to it.
• Blissfulness
  • 12 - I experienced boundless pleasure.
  • 86 - I experienced profound inner peace.
  • 91 - I experienced an all-embracing love.
• Insightfulness
  • 50 - I felt very profound.
  • 69 - I had insights into connections that had previously puzzled me.
  • 77 - I had very original thoughts.
• Disembodiment
  • 26 - I felt as if I no longer had a body.
  • 62 - I had the impression I was out of my body.
  • 63 - I felt as if I was floating.

Anxious Ego Dissolution [AED]

• Impaired control and cognition
  • 8 - I felt like a puppet or marionette.
  • 27 - I felt incapable of making even the smallest decision.
  • 38 - I had difficulties in distinguishing important from unimportant.
  • 47 - I felt as if I were paralyzed.
  • 64 - I felt isolated from everything and everyone.
  • 67 - I was not able to complete a thought; my thoughts repeatedly became disconnected.
  • 78 - I had the feeling that I no longer had my own will.
• Anxiety
  • 32 - I was afraid that the state I was in would last forever.
  • 43 - I was scared without knowing exactly why.
  • 44 - I experienced everything as frighteningly distorted.
  • 46 - I experienced my surroundings as strange and weird.
  • 56 - I felt threatened.
  • 89 - I had the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

Visionary Restructuralization [VR]

• Complex imagery
  • 39 - I saw whole scenes roll by with closed eyes or in complete darkness.
  • 72 - I could see images from my memory or imagination with extreme clarity.
  • 82 - My imagination was extremely vivid.
• Elementary imagery
  • 14 - I saw regular patterns with closed eyes or in complete darkness.
  • 22 - I saw colors with closed eyes or in complete darkness.
  • 33 - I saw brightness or flashes of light with closed eyes or in complete darkness.
• Audio-visual synesthesia
  • 20 - Sounds seemed to influence what I saw.
  • 23 - Shapes seemed to be changed by sounds or noises.
  • 75 - The colors of things seemed to be altered by sounds or noises.
• Changed meaning of percepts
  • 28 - Some everyday things acquired special meaning.
  • 31 - Things in my environment had a new strange meaning.
  • 54 Objects in my surroundings engaged me emotionally much more than usual.

Acoustic Alterations [AA]

• 4. I heard single words without knowing where they came from.
• 5. I heard rings and tones without knowing where they came from.
• 11. A melody occured to me that I had to constantly repeat.
• 13. Meaningless noises sounded like real words or phrases.
• 19. I heard my thoughts as if I had spoken them out loud.
• 25. A voice commented on everything I thought although no one was there.
• 30. I heard complete sentences without knowing where they came from.
• 48. I heard music without knowing where it came from.
• 49. heard something faintly that I could not identify.
• 55. From an initially diffuse noise, which I could not identify as real, clear rings and tones evolved.
• 65. I heard voices that did not come from the surroundings as usual.
• 74. I heard diffuse noises without knowing where they came from.
• 76. Sounds and noises were fainter than usual.
• 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.

Vigilance Reduction [VIR]

• 2. My thoughts and actions were slowed down.
• 10. I felt sleepy.
• 15. I felt drunk.
• 17. I felt that I was on the verge of unconsciousness.
• 24. I perceived everything as blurry, as if through a kind of fog.
• 29. I felt drowsy.
• 37. My perception was blurred.
• 51. I felt numb.
• 59. I felt like I do shortly before falling asleep.
• 61. I felt as if I was half-asleep.
• 68. I felt I was about to fall asleep.
• 84. I felt exhausted.

Items

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

3. Bodily sensations were very enjoyable.

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.

12. I experienced boundless pleasure.

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

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

18. Everything seemed to unify into a oneness.

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.

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.

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.

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.

50. I felt very profound.

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.

56. I felt threatened.

57. Many things appeared to me as breathtakingly beautiful.58. Things came to my mind that I thought long forgotten.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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