Enhancing hypnotic susceptibility: Interpersonal and rapport factors.

Abstract

This research supported the hypothesis that hypnosis can be thought of as a set of potentially modifiable social-cognitive skills and attitudes. A low-interpersonal-training treatment devised by Gorassini and Spanos (1986) was compared with a treatment designed to modify not only cognitive factors but also to augment rapport with the trainer and diminish resistance to responding (high-interpersonal training). Fifty percent of the initially unhypnotizable subjects in the high-interpersonal condition tested as being highly susceptible to hypnosis (high susceptibles) at posttest on the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (Shor & Orne, 1962); 25% of the unhypnotizable subjects in the low-interpersonal condition responded comparably. Eighty-three percent of the medium-susceptibility (medium susceptibles) subjects tested as being highly susceptible at posttest in both conditions. Practice-alone control subjects' performance was stable across testings. The study was the first to demonstrate that treatment gains generalize to a battery of novel, demanding suggestions (generalization index) that have been found to differentiate highly susceptible subjects from unhypnotizable simulating subjects. The importance of rapport was evidenced by the finding that rapport ratings paralleled group differences in hypnotic responding and that rapport correlated substantially with susceptibility scores at posttest and with the generalization index. Whereas initial hypnotizability scores correlated significantly with retest susceptibility scores, initial hypnotizability failed to correlate significantly with the generalization index.

The Carleton Skills Training Package for Modifying Hypnotic Susceptibility - a Replication and Extension: A Brief Communication

“…In addition, the findings with the subjective scales were similar. These results are consistent with those obtained in the Carleton laboratory (Bertrand, 1989;Spanos, 1986), as well as with those obtained in previous studies that employed the CSTP outside of Carleton (Gfeller et al, 1987;Kirkeby, 1989).…”

“…At least two recent studies (Gfeller et al, 1987;Kirkeby 1989) that were conducted at laboratories other than Carleton found that CSTP-trained subjects exhibited substantially larger gains on behavioral and subjective indexes of susceptibility than did no-treatment control subjects. In addition, Gfeller et al (1987) included a follow-up session which indicated that skill-trained subjects attained substantially higher posttest scores than controls on a standard susceptibility scale as well as on a series of novel and difficult suggestions.…”

“…In addition, Gfeller et al (1987) included a follow-up session which indicated that skill-trained subjects attained substantially higher posttest scores than controls on a standard susceptibility scale as well as on a series of novel and difficult suggestions. One purpose of the present study was to examine further the generalizability of CSTP gains in susceptibility.…”

“…Unlike Kirkeby (1989), subjects in the present study were posttested in two separate follow-up sessions. Unlike Gfeller et al (1987), the susceptibility posttests employed in both follow-up sessions of the present study were standardized scales with known psychometric properties that assessed subjective as well as behavioral dimensions of susceptibility.…”

Hypnosis and top-down regulation of consciousness

“…An intervention that increased participant rapport with the experimenter engendered enhanced hypnotic responsiveness (Gfeller, Lynn, & Pribble, 1987). However, highly suggestible participants persist in being responsive to suggestions, even in the face of interpersonal exchanges prior to hypnosis that effect low rapport (Lynn et al, 1991), implying that low rapport does not vitiate a robust cognitive commitment to respond in these individuals.…”