State and Trait Depression, Physical and Social Anhedonia, Hypnotizability and Subjective Experiences during Hypnosis (original) (raw)
Related papers
Hypnosis in the Treatment Of Depression: Considerations in Research Design and Methods
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2010
Depressive disorders constitute a serious problem in the United States. The appearance of practice guidelines and lists of evidenced based therapies suggests that adequate treatments for depression exist. However, a careful consideration of what we do and do not know about the treatment of depression leaves plenty of room for improved approaches to addressing this condition. Although there has been a dearth of research on the treatment of depression using hypnosis, there are several compelling arguments for the inclusion of hypnotic approaches in the array of strategies for dealing with depression. However, traditional "gold standard" research methods, namely randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have many potential shortcomings for identifying the potential impact of hypnosis on depression. Other strategies, notably single-case design and benchmarking approaches, may offer a more practical solution to the problem of determining "what works for depression." Depressive disorders are among the most prevalent of mental disorders in the United States. According to recent large-scale epidemiologic surveys, the lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder is approximately 13-16% and the 12-month prevalence is approximately 5-7% (Hasin, Goodwin, Stinson, & Grant, 2005; Kessler et al., 2003). Depression is associated with enormous costs in terms of lost work productivity, interpersonal problems, and associated substance use (
Phenomenological state effects during hypnosis: a cross-validation of findings
Contemporary Hypnosis, 1999
From a factor analysis of Pekala's (1982, 1991b) Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory completed retrospectively in reference to the Harvard scale induction, Kumar et al. (1996) obtained the following five correlated state effects factors: dissociated control state, positive affect, negative affect, visual imagery and attention to internal processes. They found that the factor-based scores of dissociated control state, positive affect and attention to internal processes were significantly correlated with the Harvard scores. The present study found evidence for the cross-validity of the factor weights (obtained in the previous study) in computing factor-based scores in data from two separate studies. The same factors (as in the previous study) of dissociated control state, positive affect, and attention to internal processes were significantly correlated with hypnotizability not only as assessed by the Harvard, but also the Stanford scale. These findings fit well with the traditional conceptions of hypnosis and observations by clinicians and experimentalists that certain phenomenological states are reliably observed to occur under a hypnotic induction.
Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2014
Our study investigated the phenomenological characteristics of hypnosis from the perspective of the hypnotist and the subject. Seventeen hypnotists and 278 subjects participated in individual laboratory hypnosis sessions, following the standard protocol of Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale Form A (SHSS:A). Immediately after the session hypnotists and the subject completed the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI; Pekala, 1982) independently. We found no significant correlation between the subjects' and hypnotists' PCI scores, and multilevel analysis uncovered a main effect of role (subject or hypnotist) on the PCI dimensions of direction of attention, arousal, positive affect, and love depending on the applied model. Furthermore, we found a positive association between hypnotizability and PCI dimensions of altered experience, body image, time sense, and altered state of awareness, whereas hypnotizability was negatively correlated with the rationality scale of the PCI in both hypnotists and subjects. Our results imply that phenomenological experiences of subjects and hypnotists are independent, but the lack of difference between the PCI scores suggest that the subjective alterations of subjects and hypnotists cannot be meaningfully distinguished across multiple dimensions of phenomenological experience.
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2017
This study examined the relationship between the Hypnotic Induction Profile (HIP) and several psychological tests: Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS), Spontaneity Assessment Inventory-Revised (SAI-R), Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Short-Form Boundary Questionnaire (SFBQ), Mini Locus of Control (MLOC), Testoni Death Representation Scale (TDRS), and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Two hundred and forty volunteers were administered the above tests; 78 of them were also administered the HIP, and its scores were compared to those on the other tests. A significant correlation was found among the TAS, DES, SFBQ, and IRI. The HIP was significantly correlated to the DES (r = .19 p 1tail = .045), and the IRI-ec subscale (r = .19 p 1tail = .044); 14 test items from DES, IRI, TAS, SAIR, and SFBQ were also significantly related to the HIP. The findings suggest that hypnotizability may relate to stronger perception of the inner world, decreased aptitude for managing memory processing, and increased sensitivity and empathy.
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2019
The authors summarize research findings, their clinical implications, and directions for future research derived from 40 years of study of hypnosis, hypnotic phenomena, and hypnotic responsiveness at Steven Jay Lynn's Laboratory of Consciousness, Cognition, and Psychopathology and Joseph P. Green's Laboratory of Hypnosis. We discuss (a) the accumulating body of evidence that hypnosis can be used to advantage in psychotherapy; (b) the fact that hypnosis can facilitate a broad array of subjective experiences and suggestions; (c) the failure to find a reliable marker of a trance or radically altered state of consciousness and reservations about conceptualizing hypnosis in such terms; (d) determinants of hypnotic responsiveness, including attitudes and beliefs, personality traits, expectancies, motivation, and rapport; (e) efforts to modify hypnotic suggestibility; and (f) the need to further examine attentional abilities and the role of adopting a readiness response set that the authors argue is key in maximizing hypnotic responsiveness. In this article, we present our perspective on hypnosis, hypnotic phenomena, and hypnotic responsiveness featuring research from
Contemporary Hypnosis, 2000
This commentary on a paper by focuses on the need to systematically study the nature, frequency and determinants of negative post-hypnotic reactions across diverse contexts (for example, hypnosis in research, clinical hypnosis and stage hypnosis), and highlights data collected in our laboratory with well-validated measures of positive and negative post-hypnotic experiences. The findings reviewed challenge the idea that hypnosis evokes more negative experiences than many other activities. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues and research questions pertinent to understanding not only negative post-hypnotic reactions but also the differences between hypnosis in research, clinical hypnosis and stage hypnosis.
Hypnosis in psychotherapy, psychosomatics and medicine. A brief overview
Frontiers in psychology, 2024
Aspects of hypnosis and its application in psychotherapy, psychosomatics and medicine are examined and contextualized in the 250-year history of hypnosis. Imagination as an essential element of hypnotic treatments appeared as early as 1784 as an argument rejecting the theory of animal magnetism of Franz Anton Mesmer. In somnambulism of German romanticism, another proto-form of hypnosis after 1800, concepts of the mind-body problem were dealt with, which still characterize the understanding of unconscious mental processes today. Hypnosis was at the beginning of psychoanalysis, but was not pursued further by Sigmund Freud from 1900 onwards. Nevertheless, there were some hypnoanalytical approaches in the 20th century, as well as attempts to integrate hypnosis into behavior therapy. Techniques of imagination and relaxation combine both; in particular findings from cognitive psychology explain processes of both hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy. The influence of social psychology brought a new perspective to the debate about the nature of hypnosis, which continues to this day: is hypnosis to be understood as a special state of consciousness or is it a completely normal, mundane interaction? The experiments that were carried out to support one side or the other were also dependent on the hypnotizability of the subjects involved, as the more difficult hypnotic phenomena such as paralysis, hallucinations or identity delusions can only be demonstrated by highly hypnotizable subjects. The fact that these are not mere compliance reactions has now been proven by many studies using imaging techniques. But even those who are moderately hypnotizable benefit from hypnosis rituals. Variables postulated by socio-cognitive hypnosis researchers, such as motivation and expectation, are relevant, as is a good "hypnotic rapport." Practical application of hypnotherapy today is characterized by the innovative techniques and strategies developed by Milton H. Erickson. Research into the effectiveness of hypnosis in the field of psychotherapy and psychosomatics still leaves much to be done. The situation is different in the field of medical hypnosis, where there are considerably more studies with a satisfactory design and verifiable effects. However, the impact in practical application in everyday medical practice is still low. Newer developments such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence are being looked at with critical interest.
The Open Psychology Journal, 2020
Background: There is evidence of hypnosis being effective in reducing both emotional distress, anxiety, and depression. Hypnosis as a technique promotes enhanced mental mastery over the body. This may result in hypnosis being particularly salient in treating distress associated with somatic and psychological symptoms. Objective: This research aims at verifying the effectiveness of a group treatment, which provides for the use of hypnosis-related techniques in mixed-group outpatients with anxiety or depression. Methods: Participants. 31 outpatients (average age= 49.005; DS =12.1) including 13 with mild-moderate depression (average age= 49.17; DS=12.20) and 18 with mild-moderate anxiety (average age=48.84; DS=13.02). Procedure. The group treatment comprised 8 sessions, during which a hypnotic state was induced, aimed at generating a sensation of profound wellbeing in the participants. They could share their experience in a penultimate group session, and were provided with individualis...