Hypnosis: An Altered State of Consciousness

1
Hypnosis An Altered State of Consciousness?

• History Theory of Hypnosis

2
A Working Definition

• Hypnosis is a psychological state or condition,
  induced by a ritualistic procedure, in which the
  participant experiences changes in perception,
  thinking, memory and behavior in response to
  suggestions by the hypnotist. (from Farthing, p
  337)

3
History of Hypnosis

• Franz Anton Mesmer
• Animal Magnetism to Mesmerism to Somnambulism
• James Braid
• Somnambulism to Hypnotism
• Jean Charcot Hippolyte Bernheim
• Hypnotism, Hysteria Suggestibility
• Ernest Hilgard
• Hidden Observer
• Nicholas Spanos
• Social-cognitive view

4
Mesmer and Animal Magnetism

• Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815)
• published his work on animal magnetism in 1779
• used a baquet to induce a crisis

5
Mesmerism

• First demonstrated in Vienna
• Mesmer left Vienna
• Demonstrations in Paris
• Franklin Commission to investigate reported that
  there was no magnetism (1784)

6
Evolution of Hypnosis

• Abbe Jose Custodio de Faria (1766-1814)
• first to use trance induction
• first to recognize role of belief of the one
  being hypnotized

• Marquis de Puységur (1751-1825)
• demonstrated posthypnotic amnesia
• posthypnotic suggestion

7
Evolution of Hypnosis

• James Esdaile, M.D. (1808 - 1859)
• hand passes to create a deep sleep
• hypnotic analgesia for surgery

• James Braid
• (1795 - 1860)
• hypnotism

8
Two Views of Hypnosis

• Altered State of Consciousness
• Charcot
• Hilgard
• Neodissociation or trance theory
• Social-Psychological Process
• Bernheim
• Spanos
• motivation to be good hypnotic subject
• use of cognitive strategies

9
The French ConnectionJean Martin Charcot

• Head of Salpetriere Hospital in Paris
• Hypnosis as a clinical tool to study hysteria

10
The French ConnectionHippolyte Bernheim

• Professor of Internal Medicine, University of
  Nancy
• Hypnosis as Suggestibility
• Criticized the methods and the interpretations of
  Charcot

11
The American ConnectionErnest Hilgard

• Developed Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale
  (SHSS)
• Neo-dissociation theory
• Hidden observer

12
The American ConnectionNicholas Spanos

• Hypnosis as a sociocognitive process
• hypnotic behavior is purposeful, goal-directed
  action that can be understood in terms of how the
  subjects interpret their situation and how they
  attempt to present themselves through their
  actions. . . good hypnotic subjects frequently
  behave as if they have lost control over their
  behavior

13
Types of Suggestions

• Ideomotor suggestions
• Ideas about movements
• Response-inhibition suggestions
• Ideas about inability to move
• Cognitive suggestions
• Changes in perception, memory, thought
• Posthypnotic suggestions
• Suggestions acted upon after waking

14
Ideomotor Suggestions

• Arm is light arm is heavy
• Eyelids are heavy
• Hands, outstretched, moving together

15
Response Inhibition Suggestions

• Arm is rigid and cannot be bent
• Human plank

16
Cognitive Suggestions

• Positive hallucination
• Negative hallucination
• Age regression
• Hypnotic dreams
• Posthypnotic amnesia

17
Trance Logic

• Ability to hold incompatible beliefs in thought
  without experience of incongruity

18
Carleton Skills Training Program

• Disinhibitory information
• correct misinformation about hypnosis, produce
  positive attitude
• General facilitatory information
• importance of absorption, concentration
• Specific instruction on how to interpret
  suggestions

19
Testing Hypnotic Effects

• High-Low Hypnotizables
• Compare the performances of people who are highly
  hypnotizable to those who are low hypnotizable
• Real-simulator design
• Compare hypnotized subjects to subjects asked to
  pretend to be hypnotized