Electrodermal Correlates of Hypnosis: Current Developments

Abstract

Hypnosis has proven to be an effective treatment in disorders that affect the autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, the studies investigating the nature of its effect on the ANS have reported contradictory results. Measurement of electrodermal activity (EDA) is an objective way to assess the activity of the sympathetic branch of the ANS. We aim to elucidate the effects of hypnosis on EDA. Here, we report the results of two studies, both investigating the psychophysiological effects of hypnosis.In the first experiment, subjects engaged in an HGSHS:A group hypnosis session to measure their hypnotizability. EDA was measured bilaterally from their wrists. We found a significant reduction in EDA levels and the number of nonspecific responses during the hypnotic induction phase. This effect was observed in all three hypnotizability groups-high, medium, and low hypnotizables. A three-way interaction confirmed that EDA patterns on the left and right sides were characteristically different in these three groups. Left-side dominance was typical in high hypnotizables, whereas low hypnotizables were characteristically right-sided. EDA levels of

Hypnotic Modulation of Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity

“…Overall, the available evidence provides mixed support for distinct autonomic states or reactivity in highly hypnotizable (high-H) individuals, with no consistent differences observed in most cases. These findings suggest that hypnotizability modulates autonomic responses in a complex manner, exhibiting both shared and distinct patterns across different autonomic measures and experimental conditions [ 52 , 53 ].…”

Gamification and biofeedback for acute pain management

“…Obimon Systems (http://obimon.com/). Obimon EDA is a wearable device that can be easily attached to the skin using electrodes and was validated in different applications (Kasos et al, 2019;Kasos et al, 2020).…”

Hypnosis: From Neural Mechanisms to Clinical Practice

“…However, studies investigating the nature of its effect on the ANS have reported contradictory results. Kasos et al [16] (this issue) investigate the effects of hypnosis on electrodermal activity (EDA) to objectively assess the activity of the sympathetic branch of the ANS. Their findings show that sympathetic arousal is bilaterally reduced during hypnosis induction, which is persistent across different levels of hypnotizability.…”