If you loved
Altered States
Film · 1980
You are drawn to stories where the fragile boundary between human identity and the terrifying unknown is pushed to its absolute limit.
Books on the same thread
Altered Traits
Daniel Goleman, Richard J. Davidson · Book · 2017
Explores: Meditation, Brain Research, Self-Improvement.
If the scientific obsession with consciousness in Altered States fascinated you, this exploration of meditation provides a grounded, evidence-based look at the very mental mechanisms the film dramatizes.
Flowers for Algernon
Daniel Keyes · Book · 2004
Explores: Intelligence, Ethics of Science, Human Experimentation.
Much like the protagonist in Altered States, the lead in this story undergoes a radical, irreversible transformation that forces a confrontation with the ethics of altering one's fundamental human nature.
Ghost Story
Peter Straub · Book · 1979
Shares a thread with Altered States: Psychological Horror.
This novel echoes the psychological dread found in Altered States, focusing on how past trauma and buried memories manifest as a haunting, inescapable reality that threatens to destroy the present.
Dark Matter
Blake Crouch · Book · 2016
Explores: Identity Crisis, Parallel Universes, Regret.
This narrative mirrors the reality-distorting experience of Altered States, challenging your perception of self as the protagonist navigates a fractured existence where memory and identity are constantly in flux.
Series on the same thread
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Explores: Government Experiments, Telekinesis, Monsters.
This series captures the same tension between government-sanctioned experimentation and supernatural discovery that drove the research in Altered States, grounding its cosmic mysteries in deeply personal, human stakes.
The Outer Limits
Leslie Stevens · Series · 1963
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Existential Dread, Technological Anxiety.
These anthologies reflect the existential anxiety present in Altered States, presenting short, sharp glimpses into the dangers of human ambition and the instability of our perceived reality.
Fringe
Alex Kurtzman · Series · 2008
Explores: Parallel Universes, Government Conspiracy, Mad Scientist.
The dynamic between a brilliant but erratic scientist and the mysteries of the universe serves as the bridge connecting this series to the visceral, experimental spirit of Altered States.
Altered Carbon
Laeta Kalogridis · Series · 2018
Explores: Artificial Intelligence, Immortality, Corporate Conspiracy.
This show explores the physical and metaphysical implications of consciousness transfer, taking the body horror and identity crisis themes of Altered States into a high-stakes, futuristic, and dystopian setting.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Telepathy Tapes
Ky Dickens · Podcast · 2026
Explores: consciousness exploration, unexplained phenomena, human potential.
If you enjoyed the pursuit of untapped human potential in Altered States, this podcast offers a compelling investigation into the science of consciousness and the outer limits of human perception.
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam · Podcast · 2026
Explores: cognitive bias, human behavior, interpersonal dynamics.
This podcast examines the intricacies of human thought and behavior, providing a rational, analytical counterpart to the chaotic, hallucinatory journey into the self depicted in Altered States.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What is the premise of Altered States?
Altered States follows a research scientist who explores the frontiers of human consciousness. By utilizing sensory deprivation tanks combined with hallucinogenic mixtures obtained from Native American shamans, the scientist investigates how memory, time, and reality are defined by the human mind.
Is Altered States about the nature of human consciousness?
Yes, Altered States focuses on a research scientist examining the boundaries of cognizance. The narrative explores the theory that memory, time, and physical reality are not fixed constants, but are instead subjective states of mind experienced by the subject during his experiments.
How does the protagonist in Altered States achieve his altered states?
In Altered States, the lead scientist achieves his altered states of cognizance through a combination of sensory deprivation techniques and the use of hallucinogenic mixtures sourced from Native American shamans to push the boundaries of his own consciousness.
Does Altered States examine the relationship between reality and the mind?
Altered States explores the concept that reality is a state of mind. Through his experiments with sensory deprivation and hallucinogens, the scientist in Altered States discovers that human perceptions of time and memory are malleable, suggesting that reality itself is fundamentally subjective.