Complete euphoria. What is euphoria and how do you get it? Euphoria - symptoms

07Aug

What is Euphoria

Euphoria - This is a difficult concept to define, associated with bouts of joy or happiness, both with and without a specific reason.

What is Euphoria - meaning, definition in simple words.

In simple words, euphoria is a certain state of a person in which he feels himself absolutely happy, cheerful, and joyful. People can experience these sensations at the moment of receiving good news, during falling in love, during a state in the process of religious practice and similar situations. Nevertheless, although these euphoric sensations are familiar to almost everyone, there are cases when they can be signs of serious illness if not caused by the use of various drugs. But more on that below.

Why do people feel euphoric?

As we already understood, among quite ordinary people, bouts of euphoria can occur for quite objective and justified reasons. These are features of the human psyche, and I think you should not go deeply into this issue. Consider more interesting examples of medical euphoria.

What is Euphoria in terms of medicine?

There are three main reasons for euphoria, in addition to natural joyful events, they are:

  • Intoxication or poisoning;
  • Mental illness;
  • Other serious illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease.

Euphoria, drugs and alcohol.

Most likely, many people know that alcohol and drugs belong to the category of substances that cause a change in human consciousness. Thus, when intoxicated with these substances, people can experience a sense of joy, calmness and satisfaction. But, this medal has a downside. The bottom line is that a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs quickly gets used to euphoric or near-euphoric states. Ordinary, everyday life over time becomes dull and boring, which in turn leads to addiction to alcohol or drugs. So in the pursuit of euphoria, there are many drug overdoses and similar situations.

In addition to the use of various substances, some people, seeking to experience similar sensations, practice the technique of stopping breathing, both in a sexual context and without it. Although hypoxia results in short-term euphoria, this practice has resulted in many accidental deaths around the world.

Euphoria and mental illness.

With mental illness, some schizophrenics can become euphoric, especially if they have illusions of greatness. Likewise, people with bipolar personality disorder can experience euphoria, forgetting about normal human and life needs in these moments.

An inexplicably upbeat mood, a short-term positive attitude is denoted by the concept of positive affect. Many only intuitively understand what it is, and cannot give a clear definition of what euphoria is and what its causes are.

A state of euphoria - what is it?

Explanatory dictionaries explain the state of euphoria as an increased mood as a result of pleasant events, a sudden state of delight, happiness. The term is translated from ancient Greek as "good bearing". Having reached this state, a person mistakenly believes that he has everything and has nothing more to strive for. There is a decrease in self-control, lethargy and narrowing of consciousness. What does euphoria mean in terms of psychology? This is the same affect when a person experiences violent emotions, but in a positive way, without negative. In this state, the main feelings are:

  • joy;
  • bliss;
  • tenderness;
  • serenity;
  • satisfaction.

A strong emotional state can also indicate the presence of serious diseases, and its causes are brain damage, physical trauma. From this side it is considered by medicine and psychiatry. Even a positive affective state can indicate problems such as:

  • oxygen deficiency of the brain;
  • oligophrenia;
  • damage to the frontal cerebral lobes (trauma, dangerous intoxication);
  • manic psychosis;
  • psychopathy;
  • abuse of drugs, alcohol and sleeping pills;
  • consequences of severe heart disease, tuberculosis.

What is the euphoria of love?

Often speaking about euphoria, they remember lovers. They seem to be wearing pink glasses: the world is perceived as benevolent, everything revolves around the object of love, joy and delight overwhelm the soul. Unfortunately, this condition tends to end. Love is eternal, but love is temporary! Physiologically, hormone production explains falling in love, but chemical reactions diminish over time. Many are interested in the question: how long does the euphoria of falling in love last? There is no exact figure, but some scientists claim that this condition lasts 1-1.5 years.

Euphoria - symptoms

It is unlikely that a person experiencing joy on a certain occasion realizes that this is the feeling of euphoria. It can occur in healthy people, as a result of processes in the brain. With the production of endorphins hormones, endurance increases, feelings of joy, inspiration appear, but the presence of euphoria can indicate the following signs:

  1. Great mood, gaiety. No problem.
  2. Increased activity of the individual, talkativeness, but unproductiveness.
  3. Development, inclination to fantasize, ideology.
  4. Slowdown of intellectual processes.

Euphoria and depression

It is generally accepted that a person in euphoria is always happy: either in love, or became a parent, or fulfilled an old dream, but this is not so. Sometimes emotional elevation can indicate the approach of a depressive state. Often, the swings between joy and sadness are smooth, but if a person is not healthy, a change in the psycho-emotional background leads to sudden mood swings. From joy, an individual can go to depression and vice versa.

What is the difference between ecstasy and euphoria?

Sometimes the feeling of euphoria is mistakenly confused with ecstasy. These states are indeed somewhat similar, but absolutely heterogeneous from the point of view of psychology. What does euphoria mean? A positively colored affect, a state of excellent health, both emotional and physical, and ecstasy is an extreme degree of spiritual tension, the highest delight, as if being outside of oneself. Another important difference is the following:

  • euphoria for a longer time;
  • ecstasy lasts a short time.

How to achieve euphoria?

When the question arises: what is euphoria, many immediately recall the unnatural conditions caused by the use of psychotropic substances and pharmaceuticals (drugs, pills, alcohol). They provide a burst of energy, change the perception of the world, sharp. But such methods have a detrimental effect on health. How to create euphoria using the “right ways” in everyday life?

  1. Sports activities. Athletes often have vivid states against the background of active physical activity.
  2. Meditation such as yoga.
  3. Listening to special music.
  4. Hobbies (drawing, poetry, etc.).
  5. Selfless help to others.
  6. Healthy and tasty food.

Getting pleasure from life without using artificial simulators is the right choice. Unfortunately, none of the listed methods can be guaranteed to lead to a state of emotional uplift. The production of hormones of happiness can be stimulated, for example, by delicious and (fruits, cereals, chocolate, cereals, etc.), but such a strong emotion as euphoria requires a lot of tension and internal strength.

Try, without looking into dictionaries, to formulate the meaning of the word "euphoria". What is it? Powerful uplift, all-consuming delight, boundless joy?

Yes. But the complete definition contains another component that many people often forget about. And yet it leaves a significant imprint on the meaning of the concept and makes one perceive the word in a completely different way.

Happiness or trouble

What component of meaning are we talking about? The feeling of euphoria, noted in the literature on psychology, is not justified either by the environment or by objective indicators of a person's physical condition. What does this mean?

The fact that such seemingly pleasant and positive experiences are most often an unhealthy reaction of the body... One has only to look at the list of the most common causes of euphoria.

  • The consequences of trauma.
  • Lack of oxygen.
  • Some medications.
  • Mental disorders.
  • Alcohol or drugs.

The last item on this list stands alone. If the rest of the situations mentioned usually arise regardless of the will of a person, due to a combination of circumstances, then people are quite capable of controlling the use of alcoholic beverages and psychotropic substances. Only, as a rule, they do not want to.

Indeed, one has to experience powerful positive emotions far from every day, so why not stimulate them artificially? One should not only forget that the state of euphoria caused in this way is then replaced by no less deep depression. The sharp contrast between the full of happiness world of dope and reality is experienced extremely painfully and leads to depression, loss of interest in life.

If we are to try to artificially awaken euphoria, then it is necessary to look for non-pathological stimuli. Moreover, they also exist. For example, music can create a feeling of bliss. Surely music lovers will remember the special sensations, similar to a light trance, which sometimes appear during the sound of their favorite compositions.

The effect of "runner euphoria" is known. This phenomenon is observed in athletes during long-term physical activity: resistance to pain increases, mood rises, consciousness becomes clearer. The runner's euphoria lasts, as a rule, for a short time, although there are cases when the emotional uplift did not subside for several days.

Skiers, rowers, cyclists, long distance runners, and aerobics enthusiasts are most likely to experience these sensations. Among the lucky ones are those who have chosen team sports: basketball, football, rugby.

They also talk about the euphoria of falling in love, which at first becomes an integral and very pleasant element of the meetings of two people who strongly attract each other. While a romantic relationship can actually lead to a great mood, there is no such term in psychology. In this case, we are dealing with the everyday, everyday use of the word, because we are talking about a more complex complex of experiences that accompanies falling in love, and not just about an unreasonable feeling of bliss.

Not only the reasons for euphoria can be different, but also its manifestations. So, in some cases, motor excitement, talkativeness are noted, and sometimes a person experiencing euphoria becomes extremely calm, his speech slows down, the reaction rate slows down, and intellectual activity decreases.

In general, euphoria is not as wonderful and beautiful as it might seem at first glance, so if you happen to experience it, then let it be euphoria caused by exclusively harmless stimuli. Author: Evgeniya Bessonova

A state of delightful bliss, inspiring happiness - which artistic means of expression have not been resorted to by poets and writers of all times to describe the joy that suddenly swept a person. This state was attributed to divine origin, since there were no obvious reasons for the increased mood of the individual. Doctors turned out to be more skeptical and restrained in feelings, christening the state with the laconic ancient Greek word "euphoria". Scientists believe that the cause of the state of euphoria is biochemical processes. The development of these processes can be influenced by chemical means or by means of mental stimuli, external and internal.

Euphoria symptoms

Euphoria is a fairly strong emotional state that even a novice psychotherapist or narcologist can easily diagnose.

Before stating the fact of mental illness, drug addiction, you need to make sure that the potential patient does not have a specific reason for violent joy, and his unconditional delight lasts too long.

A short state of joy is natural for a person, since this is a normal reaction to pleasant events.

How to identify abnormal euphoria:

  • A state of bliss, elevated mood
  • Low physical activity
  • Slowdown of intellectual processes
  • Fast speech
  • Fantasy with images
  • Braking.

Tragic events in this state can be perceived by a person joyfully, with enthusiasm.

Biochemistry of the process

A promotion at work, taking antidepressants, a glass of wine, an injection of heroin - these are all different actions and events, the tangible differences of which are only in the mental and moral aspects. They affect human physiology in almost the same way, since they are all inextricably linked with the effect on the hormones dopamine and endorphin.

Endorphin is formed in the pituitary gland of the brain. It binds to certain receptors in nerve cells. As a result of this compound, a biochemical reaction occurs that causes euphoria. Dopamine is formed in the processes of nerve cells and transmits impulses associated with pleasant sensations.

The hormone endorphin was discovered thanks to an experiment during which scientists injected morphine derivatives into the human body. After conducting the experiments, it turned out that the body itself can produce in small quantities the hormone of happiness, which is similar in structure to injected morphine.

Causes of euphoria

The reasons can be conditionally divided into three groups: natural (1-6), toxic (6-9) and psycho-physiological (9-14). The first six of these reasons are quite natural for the emergence of a feeling of joy and do not belong to mental disorders. A cause for concern is a prolonged state of euphoria, since in the natural environment, which is characterized by irritants, it is impossible for a healthy person to live for a long time in “rose-colored glasses” without responding adequately to the surrounding world and its objects.

Main reasons:

  1. Love
  2. Good news
  3. Music
  4. Events related to success and universal recognition of the individual
  5. Favourite buisness
  6. Mother's love for her child
  7. Drugs
  8. Alcohol
  9. Pharmaceuticals (potent sleeping pills)
  10. Physiological trauma (damage to the frontal lobes of the brain)
  11. Oxygen deficiency
  12. Mental illness
  13. Oligophrenia
  14. Recovery period after a serious illness.

Types of euphoria

Musical euphoria

Musicians have their own techniques for creating a musical composition that will cause a feeling of euphoria. One of the techniques is to have a pleasant rhythm and repetition of short fragments of the melody. Such experiments on changing the state of consciousness of listeners are attributed to the Beatles.

In 2009, such a phenomenon as "audio drugs" spread on the Russian Internet. These are sound files that affect the human psyche like narcotic substances, they enter into a state akin to euphoric. Among them there are records that bear the name of the most common drugs (marijuana, LSD).

Sound drugs are pulsating sounds consisting of a certain set of frequencies (which correspond to the frequencies of the "brain waves"). They were created so that young people who want to cause a state of euphoria do not resort to real drugs that have a detrimental effect on the body, but use harmless analogues.

Narcotic euphoria


Achieving a sense of euphoria is the main reason a person decides to take a drug. The ability to focus on the state of bliss helps to temporarily get rid of the problems and hassles that everyone, without exception, has. At first, a person likes the ability to manage his condition with the help of chemicals. In order to feel more than good, you need to take a minimum of actions - light a cigarette, take a pill, inject a substance. Mental and physiological dependence resulting from the use of psychoactive substances is destructive. The person becomes discouraged. Drugs, as a way to achieve a state of happiness, is obviously a losing option. Each drug produces a specific state of bliss.

  • The euphoria from marijuana use manifests itself as apathy. The user of marijuana feels good and feels light in the body. He is inactive, the stimuli of the outside world make him laugh.
  • The euphoria from taking LSD is static and expressionless. From the outside it may seem that the person who has taken LSD froze, looking at one point, while he is experiencing wild delight.
  • Heroin euphoria has two stages. The first is "coming", which is accompanied by a prolonged orgasm of the whole body (1-15 minutes). Then the state of the highest bliss lasts about 3 - 5 hours, during which anxiety, fears, and feelings of anxiety disappear.

Alcoholic euphoria

Alcohol, even in small doses, contributes to increased activity of the dopamine hormone. Substances in alcohol are similar to morphine, which, when released into the human bloodstream, causes drowsiness and a feeling of warmth.

Alcoholic euphoria is associated with oxygen deprivation. It occurs due to clogging of the vessels of the brain, when the access of oxygen to the brain is partially blocked.

The reasons why a person takes alcohol are not always related to the desire to change the state of consciousness, but in most cases, alcohol abuse is an unreasonable attempt to escape from problems.

In the state following alcoholic euphoria - a hangover, a person feels depressed and depressed, which entails the desire to find happiness with the glass again.

Euphoria and depression

Depression leads the patient to a psychotherapist more often than a state of unconditional joy. During the period when the euphoria has passed and the passions have died out, the individual can go into a state of depression. In this case, not only the psyche suffers, but also the physiology. The body has been in a state of heightened excitement for a long time, which is why it later declines.

In some cases, psychotherapists consider euphoria as one of the manifestations of depression. The patient, therefore, tries to move away from an objective view of the world and indulges himself with illusions that bring him imaginary joy.

Euphoria is a symptom of serious mental disorders: an affective disorder in which the patient experiences inappropriate emotions, manic syndrome, hyperthymic psychopathy, manic-depressive psychosis.

Treatment of euphoria

Treatment directly depends on the cause that caused such a rare malaise. If the reason is associated with psychological trauma and anxiety, then a person should contact a psychotherapist who will diagnose and prescribe appropriate treatment.

If the reason for the smile that does not leave your face lies in your passion for psychotropic substances and alcohol, you need to contact a narcological dispensary or a rehabilitation center. They fight the problem with the help of innovative programs, effective methods of eliminating drug addiction. In such centers, physiological dependence (by the drug method) and psychological dependence (patients receive psychological consultations) are eliminated.

Euphoria is a joyful, elevated mood that gives an individual a sense of well-being, contentment, often not corresponding to objective circumstances. In persons in a state of euphoria, an optimistic assessment of the entire surrounding reality prevails, and the opposite state - affect is inaccessible to them.

Euphoria is combined with an accelerated flow of thoughts, marked by figurative fantasy, unproductive but vigorous activity, slowness of mental processes, disinhibition of drives, lethargy, passivity, lack of motivation.

Elevated mood can arise under the influence of small doses of alcohol, morphine, other psychostimulants and drugs. Oxygen starvation (altitude sickness) and severe somatic illnesses can also provoke feelings of euphoria. This unhealthy condition can be a manifestation of organic brain damage (progressive paralysis) and can be combined with signs of dementia ().

Causes of euphoria

Medicine considers this condition as an unhealthy manifestation that has occurred after toxic brain damage, drug intoxication, etc. A person can get into such a state after psychological or physical trauma, but not for long.

Euphoria is a symptom of various mental illnesses, pronounced in affective disorder and manic syndrome.

Causes of euphoria: damage to the frontal lobes of the brain (trauma, mental retardation, oxygen deficiency, severe intoxication); mental illness (hyperthymic,); the use of psychoactive substances (psychedelics, drugs, alcohol, sleeping pills); terminal conditions (the final stage of tuberculosis - agony or recovery from serious illness).

Euphoria symptoms

Being a strong emotional state, euphoria manifests itself in the form of positive emotions and is always marked by complacency, increased mood, a state of bliss, delight, happiness. A distinctive feature of hyperthymia is low physical activity, inhibition, slowing down of intellectual processes and a complete absence of problems.

With this emotional state, everything around is seen in pink glasses and impenetrable optimism is observed, and tragic life moments are perceived as super-joyful. The feeling of euphoria is marked by an altered consciousness, accompanied by a decrease or significant increase in reflex, motor, and mental processes. This state gives a feeling of highest happiness.

What does euphoria mean? This is a state of complete satisfaction that cannot be constantly achieved in natural conditions, since there are always stimuli. This state is characterized by a joyful mood, a person in euphoria is absolutely satisfied with everything, serene and calm. The euphoria of happiness is manifested in a feeling of overwhelming delight, joy.

Musical euphoria

This state is achieved when the musical composition is based on a pleasant rhythm, and also has the repetition of small fragments of melodies. With musical euphoria, listeners fall into a state of trance, and demonstrate a joyful as well as pathologically complacent mood. Examples are the Beatles. The guys from the Beatles are not only talented musicians who were able to pick up the key to the hearts of millions of listeners, but also a successful experiment by sociologists to change consciousness, which has no analogues in history.

Science believes that everything in the world is a number, a sign and a measure. Material bodies are subject to the laws of resonance and vibration. These resonances and vibrations can be harmonic as well as destructive. It follows from this that the popularity of the Beatles was artificially created by American and British social scientists.

Euphoria and depression

A depressive reaction, being the main cause, brings a person to a therapist for help and is the main complaint. The depressive reaction itself is part of the cycle, drawing a curve either down or up. In many cases, the depressive reaction is preceded by euphoria, and its collapse plunges the individual into depression. If we want to understand the depressive reaction, then we must understand the phenomenon of euphoria.

The signs of euphoria are easily recognizable. An individual in a state of euphoria is hyperactive, speaks quickly, is full of various ideas. Personal self-esteem is striking, and the development of this state leads to the development of mania.

Euphoria acts only as a lesser degree of a depressive reaction. The ego of an euphoric individual is so overexcited, as if it is taking part in a miraculous, unusual event that will fulfill innermost dreams. This reaction is comparable to the reaction of a child who was separated from his mother and now awaits her return with incredible excitement. For the baby, the return of mother and her love is the most cherished desire. Mother's love embodies the fulfillment of all the needs of the child. The return of the mother gives a motivational energy surge that ends in euphoria.

Often, an individual in a euphoric state is unable to realize the dynamics of his reaction, and also unconsciously perceives people as maternal images that should take care, love and even feed him. The initial interest of people in him will be, however, increasing, his euphoria will irritate people, and they will recoil from him.

There is no guarantee that people will satisfy his unconscious hopes, so over time, the individual will feel rejected. The self-confidence and self-esteem that accompany the euphoria dissolve, and comes, and with it the collapse of illusions.

The energy charge that overexcites the peripheral structures of the body recedes, and the omnipotent ego turns into a powerless one. The lack of volitional efforts of an individual oppressed by depression leads to the fact that a person is unable to mobilize himself. People suffering from depressive conditions have not met the following needs: support, experience of body contact, attention and approval, love and care. Unmet needs are reflected in a person in his inability to be alone, in talkativeness, in fear of separation, in bragging, in addictive behavior (addiction). This means that a person who has not received unconditional love in childhood will be constantly subject to cyclical mood swings: euphoria will be replaced by depression. Psychologists warn patients that euphoria carries with it the danger of approaching depression.

Psychiatrists refer to euphoria as a painful increase in the emotional background, as well as a decrease in critical perception of reality. It is capable of proceeding with increased motor as well as mimic activity or, conversely, with deep lethargy. It all depends on the reason for which it is caused. Euphoria with morphine poisoning is stunned, and with manic-depressive psychosis is violent. Such warning of people always helps, because it brings a certain amount of reality into the thinking of patients, softening and inhibiting sudden mood swings, and with the onset of depression it does not bear such a destructive character.

In a state of euphoria, the individual always thinks that everything will be fine, but it will not come well if the hidden problems are not eliminated.

An individual, falling from the peaks of a given state into depression, feels that all his illusions are crumbling, and. A healthy person does not experience sudden mood swings from euphoria to depression. He is able to experience excitement due to any event, as well as perspectives that will give a powerful energy flow. A person in this state will feel joy, pleasure, but will not feel euphoria. If the event, as well as the prospect, disappointed him, then he will become sad, but at the same time will not fall into the clutches of depression. A healthy person does not lose the ability to adapt to a new situation.

Narcotic euphoria

How can you explain that young people use drugs? This is an attempt to avoid the depressive experiences that young people hide within themselves. This is the only way to explain despair and the desire to fly high so as not to feel reality.

Narcotic euphoria makes it possible to fly high, away from sad, dull feelings. Young people should not be blamed for this, as they see no other way out. Unfortunately, there is no such drug that will help forever, and after the rise that it brings, there is always a fall and psychological dependence, in its power as destructive as physiological dependence. Therefore, our salvation is the understanding and acceptance of such falls, which create a solid ground for the perception of our sensations.

The euphoria from marijuana is seen in a form that feels like depression. Some individuals note that the sensations are reminiscent of an exciting journey that gives them an uplifting mood. Everything is individual. Some people, in despair, try to forever remain at the height of their feelings. These include avid drug addicts. They try to get their buzz at any cost.

Alcoholic euphoria

After drinking a glass of wine, you can feel inexplicable enthusiasm and joy, an improvement in mood. This is due to two processes that take place in the body. A sharp increase in the amount of morphine-like substances in the blood and brain, as well as an increase in the synthesis of dopamine (an enzyme that is responsible for energy, mood, vascular tone, performance).

Alcoholic euphoria is associated with hypoxia (oxygen starvation). Hypoxia occurs when the blood vessels in the brain become clogged and oxygen delivery to the brain cells stops through the blood.

Alcoholic euphoria is no different from a manic, narcotic, or euphoric state. The person who drinks obviously also needs a remedy that can get him out of depression and depression. It is clear that not everyone who drinks is trying to avoid depression, but if there is a need to drink, then this is a bad sign. In this case, a person is mentioned who needs alcohol to "take off". Alcoholic rise is followed by a fall - a hangover, while the mood decreases and becomes depressed. If a person cannot endure depression on their own, there is a need to drink alcohol.

A fall from a drug takeoff is different from an alcoholic one. The narcotic effects of drugs last longer than alcohol. A person after drugs may not feel overwhelmed, since the drug blocks the feelings much more strongly than alcohol.

Euphoria treatment

To relieve symptoms of euphoria, they seek help from a psychiatrist. The doctor will assess the patient's condition, diagnose euphoria and prescribe treatment. Currently, the problems associated with alcohol consumption, drug use are important in the national health care.

Alcoholism and drugs are the greatest social evil that takes lives, health, and social well-being. They are successfully treated in drug treatment dispensaries, rehabilitation centers, where effective, efficient methods, an individual approach, innovative programs and high-quality service are applied.

Many are interested in the question of how to treat a person who is addicted to alcohol and drugs. An important step in treatment is the conviction of patients about the harm of their addictions, awareness of the dire consequences. The result of the action of alcohol, drugs - personality degradation, disability, social danger, loss of a person from society, suicide. Patients urgently need comprehensive therapy and supervision of professional specialists, therefore it is impossible to provide qualified assistance at home.

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